(We had the first of the zillion doctor appointments for Parker yesterday.  Dr. Conner is going to be calling the cardiologist, and pulmo so that we don’t walk in cold next Wednesday. We were also able to establish that the pH levels in Parker’s blood was indeed something created during the cath. We looked at his blood gas results from a few months preceeding and then had another gas pulled and none of these show a trend of rising a pH levels in Parker’s blood.
Which, is good news. I think. I’m a bit beyond fried these days.)
freeze it!
I knew we were looking at a hard frost that would most likely take out my garden (and it did!) so I went out the day before and gathered in the rest of my tomatoes.
I wanted to make a huge batch of red sauce for the freezer. I could have canned it, but that would required more energy than I had available right then.
Even the garlic came from our garden!
The recipe called for something like 3 cloves of garlic. I added 15 cloves. I’ll let you make of that what you will.
I could get by with just rough chopping all the garden goodness because I knew that after I cooked it down I would be tossing it in the Vitamix. The sauce must needs be smooth.
Always.
Cause if my kids had any idea that a vegetable actually went into their pasta sauce, they’d never eat it again.
Dingbats.
Off to the compost pile with this stuff!
Since I already had the marinara sauce factory up and going, I figured I might as well crank up the winter squash factory too.
I baked these whole, and scraped out the flesh. Then I threw the flesh into the Vitamix along with seasoning, cream cheese and some of the finished Marinara. Blasted it smooth and created some magnificent freezer meals for Parker.
This stuff ROCKED.
The recipe calls for a few cans of tomato paste at this stage. But because I’m cheap (and I use roma tomatoes) I simply skimmed off the tomato ‘water’ as the tomatoes cooked down. Served the same purpose.
And I didn’t have to make an emergency Wally World run.  Whoot!
I also didn’t add sausage as per the original recipe. Â Adding meat at this stage doesn’t allow you much creativity later on. You have a big ‘ol pot of all the same flavor. I like to mix it up some.
When the sauce was done I packed it in freezer bags, put the freezer bags on a cookie sheet and froze them nice and flat.
I will absolutely make this again. As a matter of fact I’d like to get a whole lot of this in my freezer using next year’s tomato harvest! It’s so nice to have such a wonderful, simple and cheap meal stored and waiting.
A $5.00 donation to Parker’s tip jar will put you in the running to win one of TWO Scentsy Christmas warmers and a bar of their delicious smelling wax to melt!
We’d appreciate it if you would share this with your Facebook, Twitter and blogging friends too.
BIG thanks to Katie for hosting this!
I like this recipe because you can throw all kinds of other garden goodness in it too.
You are rocking that sauce and produce!!! and what camera did you get? love, love, love the photographs! Keeping your sweet boy close to my heart.
Tammy says: Hey You! My camera isn’t a new one. It’s a low end Canon, but I LOVE it.
Yummy garden bounty!!!! And I don’t think there is ever such a thing as too much garlic! Have you ever roasted it and used it as a spread? SO good!
So his PH levels were fine after the cath. I bet it was something they did during the cath. Like they hyperventilated Jax when they first put him under causing his gases to be off and his pressures to actually go down a little. That is good news.
Tammy says: Except we don’t know if this would have shut down his veins to the point of his body not being able to be oxygenated over 212%…….or if this is because of some slightly worrying (terrifying) new issue with his lungs. He should at least be able to be oxygenated to 300%. Some kids get up as high as 400%.
Man, I so wish I knew NOTHING about this kind of stuff. This is the kind of thing no parent should never have to spend time worrying about, kwim? erg.
I envy your garden produce! Happy for the good news!
Sooooo, where do your kids think the veggies go? I mean, they see you grow them and then they just disappear? Just sayin’.
Tammy says: Well, I know for sure that they don’t think squash and eggplant are going into their pasta sauce. ;D The squash is for Parker.
Oh, Parker looks so good! How crappy to get disappointing numbers from the heart cath. I hope that you find some answers or peace of mind…both would be nice, huh?
Tammy says: We are praying here. Truly.
Love that you have your own garden. I had one about 2 years ago. This year has been to hectic to have one. Good for you! That’s interesting what you do with the squash. I have never heard of that before. Sounds yummy. I am quite new to your site.. So you vitamix everything for Parker? Hoping that you get some good news.!!
I’ve been thinking of your family lately. Thought I’d share a poem that a friend sent me while my baby was in the NICU for four months.
How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
(Adapted from Erma Bombeck)
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments
for propagation with great care and deliberation.
As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
“Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter.
Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint … give her Gerard.
He’s used to profanity.”
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. “Give her a preemie.”
The angel is curious. “Why this one, God? She’s so happy.”
“Exactly,” smiles God. “Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter?
That would be cruel.” “But does she have the patience?” asks the angel.
“I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she’ll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it.
I watched her today.
She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I’m going to give her has a world of its own.
She has to make it live in her world, and that’s not going to be easy.”
“But Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you.”
God smiles. “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect.
She has just the right amount of selfishness.”
The angel gasps, “Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?”
God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive.
Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.
She doesn’t know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a spoken word.
She will never consider a step ordinary.
When her child says ‘mama’ for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them.
She will never be alone.
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”
“And what about her Patron Saint?” asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
God smiles. “A mirror will suffice.”