One great thing I love about Terri Webster Schrandt is that she makes her Sunday Stills challenges so sharable. For her Sunday Stills Black and White Challenge today, I’m using Cee’s Thursday Black and White Challenge topic of Kitchen.
I looked in my archives, Cee. I really did. What I found was that I didn’t have much to share. Even stretching to outside of the kitchen – you know all the meals that most people remember to take pictures of before they take a bite? I can’t even do that well. I’m always hungry and I forget.
Chocolates 
Desert Rose accessories 
A delicious sandwich 
From our Bellavista Garden 2021
While I worked, I rarely ate at home. There wasn’t time and I was often on the road. After I retired, I began cooking more, but we still both loved to go out to eat.
After COVID 19, we changed like everyone else in the world. We stayed home and had fun cooking.
Cooking is one of the strongest ceremonies for life. When recipes are put together, the kitchen is a chemical laboratory involving air, fire, water and the earth. This is what gives value to humans and elevates their spiritual qualities. If you take a frozen box and stick it in the microwave, you become connected to the factory.
Laura Esquivel
Even though I learned to enjoy cooking, I don’t take pictures of my mess. I’m still in too big of a hurry to eat!
After seeing Cee’s still life of her cat and food stuff, I thought, “What about all the stuff that goes into making original authentic Italian pasta sauce?”
Vince came in to help me set up for still life pictures, and I hope you enjoy the gathering of ingredients to make sauce as “Dad” (Vince’s) made it.
Dad’s Pasta Sauce
No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, and the wisdom of cookbook writers.
Laurie Colwin
First you make the meatballs.
- 1.5 pounds of hamburger
- 1 C Panko Italian Bread Crumbs
- salt and pepper a dash
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp dry basil
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion powder if you don’t use real onions in the sauce.
- 1/4 tsp dry mint leaves (that’s the secret).
Roll the meat into balls and cook them over a very low heat until they are evenly browned.
Cut the Spicy Italian sausage to make sure the juices come out and flavor the sauce. Brown the sausage slightly. Dice up about 1/2 onion and brown the bits lightly in either oil or butter.
While that cooks, make the sauce.
- 4 cans of tomato sauce
- 2 cans water
- 2-4 cans tomato paste (missing because I’m out of it.)
- 3-4 leaves of fresh basil (also missing from the picture)
- 1 tbs dry oregano
- browned onions
- sausage
- meatballs
Cook covered for about 2 hours or longer if you want thicker sauce. Uncovering thickens the sauce as well. Dad cooked his all day. Vince’s sister Cindy makes her sauce with 4 cans of water then cooks it forever. It is still thinner than mine, but that is what Dad did. (I cheat.)
Olive oil is essential for every Italian meal. In this case we put some in the water to boil the pasta so it doesn’t stick.
Don’t Forget the Red Wine
I come from a non-drinking family, but most Italians enjoy their wine. We have discovered Robert Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon Bourbon Barrel Aged. The bourbon barrels take out the nasty bite that I don’t like in most red wines. Our neighbor has an app that rates wines and the highest she’d ever seen was a 3.7. This one rated 4.1.
That’s it for my kitchen pictures. Thanks for your help in arranging things, Vince. If you want to join the challenge fun, click the links at the top of the page.
Part of Entering Challenges Is Visiting
My Reading List from Cee’s Blog
- ONE WOMAN’S QUEST II
- ONE LETTER UP – DIARY
- JOANNE’S CRAFTS AND ADVENTURES
- OUR EYES OPEN
- LISA S EVERYDAY LIFE
My Reading List from Terri’s Blog
Reminder
Frank from Beach Walk Reflections will host this week’s Writer’s Quotes Wednesday Writing Challenge in which you use quotes to tell your story. Topic: Spring. Be sure to leave a pingback either in his comments or in your post connecting back to his blog. We will be sure to visit you.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
34 responses to “#CBWC #Sunday Stills: What’s in Our Italian-American Kitchen?”
Your post made me smile, Marsha. I just finished telling my husband how I often totally forget about taking photos, until our meal is over. Like you say “I’m always hungry and I forget.” A wonderful quote from Laurie Collin. I had not thought about cooking in this way. I greatly enjoy how you incorporated the black and white in this post. The recipe looks major yummy! Thank you for sharing.😀
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Thanks Erica/Erika. I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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[…] CobblerErica: Salt Spring Island Mussels, Steelhead Salmon, Halibut Steak and Cooked CrabMarsha: Dad’s Pasta SauceMore to […]
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[…] Always Write […]
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I’m catching up on last week – sigh, holidays will do that to you – but loved this post so much. The story and the love in your recipe really worked well with the black and white theme.
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Thank you so much, Jo. You are so sweet. Vince and I had a great time putting that one together.
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Congratulations! I have selected your post to be featured on CBWC.
https://ceenphotography.com/2021/03/18/cbwc-anything-that-flight/
I sure hope you have a great weekend.
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Wow, thanks, Cee. I am so honored.
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[…] MARSHA INGRAO – ALWAYS WRITE […]
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LOL, Carol. My eyes must have been blurry. I scored Academic Decathlon essays and answered blog comments most of the day. Sorry! I still owe you. I had way more delicious meals in Australia at your house than you had at mine. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Australian pumpkins and pavlova, but you don’t need to buy me any meat pies or what’s that yucky brown stuff you spread on toast? Love you to pieces, Carol. 🙂
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Mmmmm, delicious! I would have said you were a good cook, judging by personal experience. Everything you served us was amazing.
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Thanks, Terri. How much do I owe you?
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This is Carol 🙂 and next time we come to visit I’ll have some more delicious home cooked meals.
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Hi, Marsha – That pasta sauce sounds delicious. And your kitchen photos look stunning in B & W. Thank you for sharing them!
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Thank you Donna C.
Your words mean a lot to me.
California dream.
Kitchen, that is.
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[…] Enjoying #SundayStills? Love black and white photography? Why not check out these posts on the same theme. If I’ve missed seeing your #SundayStills entry for this week, please leave your link so that we can all view it. If you have never entered #SundayStills before, it’s not too late. We would love for you to join us.DebJanisJoKristinMarshaSueSuzanneTerri […]
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Fabulous way of looking at the prompt Marsha, and we also get a recipe as well – win/win! Thanks for the mention 🙂
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You’re welcome. Plan to be by in the next day.
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Genius to do this in black and white- and it still looks scrumptious 🙂 🙂
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amazing, isn’t it? Vince helped me arrange everything. It was so much fun at 10:30 at night. 🙂
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Oh this is a wonderful post for this week. Works so well for both challenges too 😀
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I loved it, Cee. It was a kick. Vince and I were pulling things out of the pantry at 10:30 arranging them first on the counter, then on the table. I suggested that we put Nutters on the table. He objected to that one. 🙂 Yours is cuter! 🙂
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I LOVE that you shared your recipes in black and white images, Marsha, what a great idea and reminds me of old cookbooks! I’m like you, I’d rather eat than take pics! Still living in the RV, we’re out-of-the-box eaters, or a run to Costco (5 minutes away from the largest one on the west coast), or takeout. You definitely know how to cook if the yummy lunch you served me last summer is any indication! I’m off to see what’s “cookin’” on the house today.
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Less than two weeks to go. I bet you will eat “in” to celebrate. This time you will have to take pictures to bring you many viewers with you. You and the house are celebs!
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I hope I haven’t dulled the expectations with too many “and this week on the house..” posts. Who knew it would take this long but I appreciate everyone indulging me!
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You are too great of a writer about it. Nobody minds. That’s part of what makes blogging so much fun. 🙂
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There is nothing like a homemade pasta sauce bubbling away on the stove and perfuming the house. Your images were a great way to combine the two prompts. Mangia!
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Mangiamo! 🙂
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Great black and white photos AND a recipe! Terrific post.
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Thanks, S.M. Are you in Phoenix or just visiting? We are in Prescott. 🙂 Love it here!
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It all looks lovely, Marsha, and a great take on the theme 🙂
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Thanks so much Cathy. I’ll be by to see yours soon. 🙂
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Yum!!! We love Italian food in our house, therefore make a variety of sauces.
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If we don’t have it often enough both Cindy and Vince start climbing the walls. 🙂
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