Mom's Marinara Sauce

Well, since the title may seem a bit misleading, I just wanted to clarify that I’m not talking about MY Mom’s Marinara Sauce. I’m referring to my son’s Mom’s marinara sauce. That’s right…MINE! I still can’t believe I made anything like that. And the most amazing part was that it was edible. The reason I know is because my older son, Grant, who NEVER likes anything I make (not exaggerating here one bit…well, perhaps just a tiny bit) liked it. Once he got a whiff of it, he wandered into the kitchen, glanced at it while still simmering in the pot, and announced that he’d like to “have some of that with spaghetti.”

It was crazy! Grant hardly EVER eats spaghetti.  Over the last several years, he has consistently refused the dish unless it is made by someone else...someone who usually wears a funny heat/hair-net while cooking. So once it was ready, I served him a bowl of warm pasta and as I was carefully pouring some of my precious sauce on top, I remember thinking deep into myself: “boy, if you make me waste this, I am going to kill you! Well, that’s too harsh…but I will make you regret to have been born…” Just kidding! (Half…)

The thing is that not only he ate the whole serving but said that he liked it! Astonishing! My son, the picky eater, liked my out-of-season-fresh-right-from-the-grocery-store-tomato-made-from-scratch-by-me-marinara-sauce! I felt like a winner! After that, I knew I had to protect the recipe and guard the rest of the sauce with my life! If I had only had the foresight to plant some canning tomatoes in the summer so I could have them now…wait a minute? Did I just write the last sentence? That doesn’t sound like me at all! I don’t know the first thing about any of it? The only thing I know about canned goods is how to open the can!

Scratch all that…start over…

If I’d only had real, home-grown tomatoes that someone, like my Mother in Law, would have given to me, the sauce would have been superb! But nonetheless, I cannot complain. The satisfaction of the simple pleasure of accomplishing something I never thought possible was the best ingredient in my recipe.

In a world where darkness, fear and death seem to reign, there is nothing more comforting than grabbing tightly onto the simple details of ordinary days which bring a ray of sunshine to our lives. As we do that, let us not forget where the Light comes from and who the Provider of all goodness is.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good,

abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86: 5

Maybe this forced diet will bring forth the miracle of my son learning to eat healthy and finally enjoying Mom’s home-cooked meals…Boy, that would be a triple-whammy if I ever saw one : )

Linking with Little R and R and Counting Our Blessings and Whole Hearted Home