Homemade Tomato Sauce

   We have had great luck with our tomato plants this year! They are producing abundantly and taste delicious. We are excited to finally "taste" tomatoes again, as last summer the tomatoes seemed to have no taste at all.
   Since we have so many tomatoes, I decided to try my hand at making homemade sauce. For my first attempt, I tried a five star recipe I found online. It had carrots, onions, celery, blah..blah..blah. (You get the idea.) While it was good... it was not great!
   For my second attempt, I just stuck to the basics. Tomatoes! It turned out really great!

   Here is how I made my sauce:

Step 1:
   I washed my tomatoes.

Step 2:
   I placed about 3 or 4 tomatoes at a time in boiling water for 10-30 seconds...just until the skin began to wrinkle or crack.

Step 3:
   I immediately removed them with a slotted spoon and placed them in cold water.

Repeat Steps 2 & 3 for all your tomatoes.

Step 4:
   Next, I removed the core of each tomato and then the skin.

Step 5:
   I placed the tomatoes a few at a time in a blender and pureed them.

Step 6:
   I then placed all my tomato puree in a large pan on low heat. I added salt, pepper, basil, oregano, minced onions, olive oil, and a packge of Italian Spaghetti seasoning. Just season it to your own taste! You can use fresh onions and saute them in the olive oil before adding them to your tomatoes.

Step 7:
   Simmer uncovered to thicken up the sauce. This may take a couple of hours depending on how juicy your tomatoes are or how thick you like your sauce. You can also add tomato paste to thicken it up a bit faster.

Step 8:
   Serve over your favorite pasta!

Enjoy!