FACE ROCK BANDON OR.

This time of year we get a yearning to head to the coast. One of our fave places is Bandon. This photo is of their famous Face Rock. I have taken many photo's of this rock. Our next trip will be a jaunt to the beach of that I am sure.

Last nights dinner was so wonderful. I made marinara sauce from scratch. I used our garden tomatoes and zucchini and garlic, onions, celery,carrots, fresh herbs from my herb barrel and fresh basil from my plant that lives in indoors on my kitchen window sill. I cooked all the veggies down after blanching and removing the skins from the tomatoes and then put in the blender to puree. And then back to the pot and I added some salt and pepper and a healthy splash of red wine and simmered all for about four hours until reduced and thick. What a wonderful layering of flavors, Hubby said, the best sauce he has ever had. Quite a compliment as he tasted many of my sauces throughout the years. I believe that the deep red juicy tomatoes freshly picked had everything to with it's goodness. I mixed whole grain and regular spaghetti pasta together then topped with the sauce and freshly grated asiago cheese. I baked artisan bread to a hard crispy crust. With it's chewy interior it was the perfect accompaniment. A simple delicious and filling meal on a cozy fall night.
We had a nice bottle of merlot to go with, it was jammy and a rich mouthful for a merlot.
I slept like a baby is there anything better than comfort food I wonder?

Tomorrow we have OREGON football. It is a later game but we will watch another game before it starts so a day of college football. For eats during the games I am making Sloppy Joe's it is a recipe I have made several times. I make it up ahead and then keep warm in the slow cooker. I like to buy small dinner buns rather than having just one large sandwich that way you can eat them throughout the day. I am making a southwest corn and black bean salad to go with.
Here is the recipe for the Sloppy Joe's.
3 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 Anaheim pepper chopped
1 1/2 cups ketchup
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
Buns of choice

This recipe makes a lot so for the two of us I cut it in half.
This Sloppy Joe is sweet/ sour tangy with a kick of heat. We love them. Now of course if you wanted to use roast beef or roast pork just roast your meat ahead of time and shred into the sauce and heat.

I made a trip out to the farms earlier. I love going there especially this time of year. The old red barns and sheds that surround the farm stand have been claiming their space there for years. The air there has a fragrance this time of year of apples and farm animals. At the farm stand there was a huge variety of apples all grown on that very property. I bought some gravenstien apples to make my yearly pie of these flavorful apples. Where I grew up on the farm we had one of these apple trees. My mother put up many quart jars of applesauce and made as many pies as possible during apple season. At the end of the season when the apples dropped to ground with their rotting skins and soft centers the cows would have a feast. They would crowd under the tree mooing to one another with their huge eyes glazed over in ecstasy chomping apples while huge wads of spittle and foam hung from their mouths to their their necks. Not a pretty sight believe me but their cows you know?
Well I suppose I got somewhat sidetracked there. It is always fun for me to think back to my younger years living on the farm. Those memories are etched deeply into my heart and soul and always there for me to summon up when I feel the need.
When that pie of mine goes into the oven and starts to bake and the house fills with the smell of sweet apples I am truly transported back into my Mom's kitchen. So it is a yearly ritual that gravenstien apple pie of mine.

I must now get on with a few more chores so I can have the pleasure of sitting in the sun a little while this afternoon.
Enjoy this amazing fall day wherever you are at. Maybe you could munch on an apple under the deep blue sky while watching the leaves turn gold.