Spaghetti Sauce Mix

[Addie]

Both sets of grandparents grew a yard full of veggies and used all of them in many great things. My parents were would have liked to as well, dad was sick for almost 2 years, ulcers, just milk to drink, mom had two small girls, and a full time job so money was scarce for us. I know both my grand mothers use to give my mom a bad time about the food she made for us and I think this caused the way we ate to be born . NOT SO GOOD. My mom could if need be but thatnks to my dad being nose in the air about taking things from others well. I think you know what that caused. I know he wanted the very best for us but thatks to both gramma's well life went on.
kades

When you start life out with food cooked on a wood burning stove, and then discover convience foods, you really appreciate fresh cooked foods. Hamburger and Tuna Helper just turned my stomach the first time I tried them. Even my kids hated them. It may be more work, but so worth it. My taste buds are extra sensitive to the salt in convience foods. There are some brands of cold cuts and cheeses I will never buy again due to the high salt content. I have always loved hot dogs. But they have to have natural casings. But my taste buds are off on them also.

One of my kids favorite foods was a quick supper. American Chop Suey. Some sauteed onions and hamburg with a can of squished American tomatoes and cooked elbow macaroni all mixed together. The hardest part was dicing the onions small enough so the kids wouldn't see them. Sure beats Chef Boyardee with beef.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Both sets of grandparents grew a yard full of veggies and used all of them in many great things. My parents were would have liked to as well, dad was sick for almost 2 years, ulcers, just milk to drink, mom had two small girls, and a full time job so money was scarce for us. I know both my grand mothers use to give my mom a bad time about the food she made for us and I think this caused the way we ate to be born . NOT SO GOOD. My mom could if need be but thatnks to my dad being nose in the air about taking things from others well. I think you know what that caused. I know he wanted the very best for us but thatks to both gramma's well life went on.
kades

Kades, sounds like your Mom did the best she could with what she had, and that's as good as it gets. Sometimes I forget that there are extenuating circumstances, even though I live with them myself.

This is a tough world to live in. Most of us do the best we can. Some people just coast along, without putting sufficient effort into life. You are not one of those. You are one of the gems.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[kadesma]

Kades, sounds like your Mom did the best she could with what she had, and that's as good as it gets. Sometimes I forget that there are extenuating circumstances, even though I live with them myself.

This is a tough world to live in. Most of us do the best we can. Some people just coast along, without putting sufficient effort into life. You are not one of those. You are one of the gems.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Thank you kind Sir I try, it gets hard at times to do what we must but be darned I'm going to try. I love to cook and tend to my children and grand children, It's what I what to do with my life. The grand kids keep me going and I enjoy their emms and that's good ma's great life.
kades

 

[Cerise]

I have come across Spegetti Sauce Mix, which is a seasoning pkg that you add to can or fresh tomatoes or even can tomato sauce. The brand I saw was McCormicks and Lawerys. I have never heard of it and was just curious if anyone has ever used it and what were their thoughts. I always make my own.

While I have not used the product, they are both good brand names. My guess, is that the packet contains dried herbs/seasonings. If you don't keep lots of fresh or dried on hand (or refill regularly), it might be a good way to go. However, I always read the label (list of ingredients) before making a decision. You can probably go to McCormicks site & take a look before you buy.

Years ago, I used to buy a double packet mix for Swedish meatballs (Schilling?), that was pretty darned good. The price of the mix started out to be inexpensive, but went way up. Bottom line, always read the label.

 

[Addie]

While I have not used the product, they are both good brand names. My guess, is that the packet contains dried herbs/seasonings. If you don't keep lots of fresh or dried on hand (or refill regularly), it might be a good way to go. However, I always read the label (list of ingredients) before making a decision. You can probably go to McCormicks site & take a look before you buy.

Years ago, I used to buy a double packet mix for Swedish meatballs (Schilling?), that was pretty darned good. The price of the mix started out to be inexpensive, but went way up. Bottom line, always read the label.

I used the Swidish Meatballs packet also. And it is a good product. But then I went to The Joy of Cooking and looked at their recipe. The seasonings were all I had on hand. I started to make my own then. And they were even better. I just love their expression, "Seasonings." I want to know what I am putting in my food. What if there is something I may be allergic to. By not listing the ingredients separately, you don't know which ingredient you are allergic to.

Today I went shopping. I had BBQ sauce on my list. On the advice of another member, I looked at the ingredients. Sure enough they were all showing "corn syrup, high corn fructose" as one of the first ingredients. I then looked at the one he recommended and brown sugar was the main sweetener. Read the label.

 

[Cerise]

Also...
Companies have wised up. Back when I bought the mix etc., there were no listings of ingredients on products, as I recall. If you see too many ingredients you can't pronounce, or it dosen't fit your requirements, pass it by. There are many competetors out there that want your business, & all products are no longer laden w/ salt & preservatives. Just read the labels.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Spaghetti Sauce Packet, hmmmm. Let me see; 1 quart freshly blanched, diced tomatoes, picked fresh from the garden, fresh herbs from the garden, suplemented with dried herbs from pantry, diced onion, rustic chop bell pepper, bring all ingredients to a boil, place in freezer bags, freeze. Convenience for the winter months with the freshest flavor possible.

If you place filled quart bags into a gallon bag, and fill the gallon bag with water, then freeze, you eliminate freezer burn, and guarantee fresh flavor.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the north

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Spaghetti sauce mix wouldn't do a thing for me. The only seasonings in Grandam LoVullo's Sunday sauce are sautéd onions, salt, black pepper, and sugar.

 

[bakechef]

I had a roommate that used it. She'd buy the big container of it. She would make spaghetti sauce from the tons of tomatoes from the garden and can it. She would use this for convenience, and all her sauce would taste the same from batch to batch. It wasn't terrible by any means. I wouldn't buy it because I have all of the seasonings in my cabinet. I do buy some Penzy's blends, they are just good!

 

[letscook]

I will continue making my own also. I just find it so strange when all the good ingredients are available and so easy to make that someone would buy this.
Recipes are so ready avaliable now days with all the cooking shows and the internet that even beginner cooks should be able to make. think it was one of the first things I learn to make when I was 12 or 13

 

[Steve Kroll]

I will continue making my own also. I just find it so strange when all the good ingredients are available and so easy to make that someone would buy this.
Recipes are so ready avaliable now days with all the cooking shows and the internet that even beginner cooks should be able to make. think it was one of the first things I learn to make when I was 12 or 13

I agree. One of the great things about summer is that all of the ingredients to make a quick pasta sauce are readily available from the garden or farm market. This time of year, we almost always have a basket full of tomatoes sitting on the counter. And I grow my own herbs in pots on the deck. Chop a few vegetables, snip a few herbs, and you have a sauce. It couldn't be any more convenient. Packets of stuff are not needed.

 

[Cerise]

I have come across Spegetti Sauce Mix, which is a seasoning pkg that you add to can or fresh tomatoes or even can tomato sauce. The brand I saw was McCormicks and Lawerys. I have never heard of it and was just curious if anyone has ever used it and what were their thoughts. I always make my own.

I, sort of, got the impression you were thinking about trying it. I make my own. The best, was a recipe I made in 7th or 8th grade in Home Economics. Very simple & delicious. Wish I saved the recipe.

 

[Dawgluver]

Eons ago, when I was growing up, my mom used the packets. In a small Northern town with a short growing season, there were no farmers markets, limited grocery produce, and no source of fresh herbs. Nowadays, everyone has access to all sorts of great stuff, so there probably is no reason to use the packets anymore!

Heh. Like Chief Longwind, I too remember loving the Chef Boyardee pizza kits. One of the first things I learned to cook as a kid.

 

[CWS4322]

My mother also always used the packets. I too make my own sauce. I use homecanned or fresh tomatoes. I grow pots of herbs indoors in the winter. And, have a bay tree that I bring in (it is only about 18 inches tall) every fall so I have fresh bay leaves year around.

 

[letscook]

NO ! NOt trying it - Never had that in mind, I was just curious as I never saw it before.
You right about this time of the year tomatoes are so plentiful.
I love to take the grape or romas and cut them in 1/2 place on baking sheet, salt pepper, chopped garlic, onions rough cut, olive oil bake in oven till they soften
Then I either cook up some pasta and add some fresh basil to the tomates and serve over the pasta as is or I will put the baking sheet of tomatoes juice and all with some fresh basil and blend in the food processer or the blender. Makes a great fresh sauce. Or rough chop them when they come out of the oven and add some fresh cut onions cilantro and make a great salsa.

 

[justplainbill]

We have a large inventory of herbs and spices and I enjoy using a variety of them to flavor my sauces. For example and variety, I like a touch of toasted coriander and fennel seeds, oregano, some whole black and green peppercorns, hot red pepper flakes in some of my sauces