Harvest Update 1

Took this picture with phone in my camera. If you click on the picture you can see Tom in the red International Harvester with Andrew following along in the tractor and 2 wagons. The dog and I arrived just in time to deliver a diet soda and some sunflower seeds before they moved to the field next door.

In the next week or so I'll take some pictures on a real camera and share them.

Stan's Stupendous Peppers & Tom's Terrific Tomatoes

Stan's hot peppers made for some tasty salsa this summer. And Tom brought me ripe tomatoes to make a batch of Aunt Ollie's Hungarian spaghetti sauce. I don't think the recipe is very Hungarian, except for the fact that Aunt Ollie was Hungarian. My plump, grandmotherly butcher highly recommended the salsiccia sausage to mix with ground beef for the meatballs.

Tom gave the pond a treatment today. The pond floats and kayaks are all put away in anticipation for some ice skating in a few months! Dan has been helping Tom repair the combine.
Aunt Ollie's Hungarian Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs Recipe
Sauce
4 T olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
4 small garlic cloves chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
64 oz fresh tomatoes (cut off tops, squeeze out seeds, par boil to remove skins, chop until your hands hurt)
12 oz can tomato paste
some wine or water to thicken sauce to taste
2 t crushed sweet basil
1 t tyme
4 t sugar
3-4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley

Saute the onions, pepper, and garlic in oil for about 5 min on medium/low heat. Add fresh tomatoes and cover, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 min covered. Meanwhile, add 5 spices together. Then add spices, paste, and add water or wine to obtain desired thickness. Simmer partially covered for a few hours.

Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef
1-2 lbs Italian sausage (salsiccia or hot, your choice) (remove skin)
2 eggs
1/2 t pepper
2 chopped cloves garlic
1/2 c fresh chopped parsley
heavy sprinkling parmesan cheese
2 slices bread (whatever you have on hand)

In large mixing bowl, mix everything together with your hands. Wet the bread slices and add them, too. Make sure all is thoroughly blended. If you have patience, let the mixture stand for 20 minutes.

Make meatballs (about 2" diameter) and place in oven pan lined with aluminium foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When done, remove meatballs with a fork and spoon (scraping off any fat) before putting into sauce. Serve with noodles or freeze in meal-size containers.