It’s Just Sauce, Mama!

Oct
13

Post by community member:

Throughout my childhood, my family created many traditions involving food and entertaining. Although we never had much money, my parents worked hard to make sure our family holidays filled all five of us kids with joy and a sense of togetherness that lasted well after the holiday. We cooked holiday meals together and invited extended family, friends and neighbors to join in on the fun. As my older siblings grew up and started their own lives, our holiday meals drew smaller crowds and held a little less merriment due to fewer place settings, but the year before I went off to college I had the holiday of a lifetime.

Halloween had just passed, leaving a tinge of melancholy in its wake at the thought of a lonely Thanksgiving, which had always been my favorite holiday. While I should have been thinking about how to spend my last year of freedom before college, I seemed only able to focus on the absence of my siblings and the lack of tradition, especially our annual Thanksgiving eve spaghetti feast. What my parents and I didn’t know was that my siblings had conspired to give us a surprise for the Thanksgiving season.

The day before the holiday, I awoke to a full house for the first time in several years. My sisters and twin brothers had arrived early that morning laden with bags of groceries and had already gotten Mama’s big saucepot out of the basement. After a round of hugs and kisses, we gathered around the dining table with mugs of robust coffee and a plate of banana nut muffins from the local bakery. By the time we were up-to-date with each other’s lives, it was nearly 11 a.m. and time to start the sauce.

My sisters sautéed the beef and sausage while I blanched and then peeled the tomatoes. As usual, my brothers cheerfully supervised the women until our mother put them to work chopping onions and garlic. My oldest sister, a newlywed with a baby on the way, entertained all of us with her recollections of the family’s earliest Thanksgivings. She put on Mama’s apron and showed everyone how our mom waddled around the kitchen when she was pregnant with the twin boys. Between my sister’s story and the onions, my brothers were laughing and crying at the same time. Daddy just sat at the table grinning so wide I thought his face might split. My other sister added her own version of the tale in which our oldest sister pitched a fit because Mama wouldn’t let her wear sandals during the afternoon family football game. Our laughter nearly shook the rafters that day, making this holiday one of the most special any of us had ever experienced.

When we finished prepping the ingredients, Mama gathered us around the stove. My brothers tried to squirm away, but Mama wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted that boys should be able to cook for the family just the same as girls and announced it was time to reveal the secrets of the famous family spaghetti sauce. With a special kind of reverence, she listed the main ingredients while my father copied them to paper: meat, tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and olive oil.

She told us to cook the sauce on low for at least two hours and then add dried seasonings like salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. Then she took a deep breath and began to reveal the previously guarded secrets that made her sauce so special. Her instructions were clear and surprisingly simple and she demonstrated while she spoke. Along with the dried seasonings, add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, brewed coffee and a pinch of allspice. Simmer for another hour then add fresh, chopped basil and a few pats of butter; turn the pot off and remove from any heat source. She was careful to caution us about the ratios and explained that a sauce which serves eight requires two tablespoons each of sugar and vinegar.

When she finished, she turned to us with an intensely serious look of pride on her face. For a moment no one said anything and then almost as one the five of us, plus my father, burst into hysterical laughter. Puzzled, Mama stared at us and then my brother gave her a hug and said, “Your spaghetti is awesome, but it’s still just a sauce, Mama!” Despite our outburst, each of us recognized how special the moment was and requested copies of the recipe. We spent the rest of the day eating, talking and playing traditional family games while preparing for another feast the next day.

We don’t get to see each other very often now as we live in different areas of the country. Our parents are getting old and weak but still manage to surprise us with their energy and sense of humor. When we do get together for holidays or vacation, we always reminisce about that special Thanksgiving when Mama finally taught us how to make plain old spaghetti into something extraordinary. No matter what, we understand we will always have a piece of the family to pass down for generations to come.


See the printable recipe for Mama’s Spaghetti Sauce.

You can find OliviaN at Storkie.

Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog?
See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information, the latest blog contributor giveaway, and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

What can you enter to win this month? Click here.




Comments

  1. GrannyTrace says:

    What wonderful treasured memories. ANd yumy sauce.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Happy Fall
    Granny Trace

    http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

  2. Kathi N says:

    A wonderful memory for you, and a great story for us. What a treat this morning. Thank you!

    http://granddadscorner.blogspot.com

  3. tsmith says:

    What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  4. mamma-leigh says:

    Thank you for your story it brought a tear to my eye in remembering my own childhood. And a wonderfull way to spend my Thanksgiving…I want to suprise my parents!

  5. AnnieB says:

    What a beautiful story Olivia, and thank you for so generously sharing your family recipe – you made my morning!

  6. joeyfulnoise says:

    You just made me cry! I am an only child, but our house was always filled with friends and neighbors (and lots of food) on holidays when I was growing up. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  7. JerseyMom says:

    Thank you OliviaN, for sharing your wonderful story. My oldest recently commented that since we lost my Mom, the holidays just haven’t seemed right. I agree and I’m going to really try harder this year to bring back some of what we’ve lost. Your story is further inspiration and a reminder that it’s the small things we do together that really matter in the grand scheme of things.

  8. Liz Pike says:

    Aww, OliviaN, this was beautiful!! Thanks for sharing, so touching!!! I’ll be saving this to my recipe box!

  9. Pete says:

    Beautiful, just beautiful.

    And it remined me just how much I miss Mom & Dad…

  10. Kerrie says:

    I LOVED THAT! And am gonna try this recipe. I love a good spaghetti sauce. Thanks for sharing!!

  11. OliviaN says:

    I am so touched by all of your comments! Writing this made me think back and remember such amazing moments that I will cherish forever.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me what you think of my story as well as the sauce! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. Its a perfect dish for this time of year!

    Happy Holidays!
    Olivia

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!





Thanks for being part of our community!