Cooking with Michele

I don't think the title of this post would work well as a TV show. I've discovered the past few days that I'm definitely no Martha Stewart. The other day I had the bright idea of buying lots of fresh vegetables, healthy food, staples, etc.. cooking them, and freezing them. This way I would have great-tasting, inexpensive, healthy food to eat when I didn't have time to cook and I wouldn't have to spend money eating junk from some fried-food place.
With my bright idea in mind and money in my wallet I set off to the grocery store and to the local produce market to purchase ingredients. I bought fresh herbs, onions, vegetables in a myriad of colors and shapes, organic pasta, milk, and fruit pops (not for cooking-I'm just addicted to them.) The cooking went fine at first: a dish of squash, zucchini, and peppers, honey glazed carrots, strawberry wheat muffins, and lime cilantro chicken. I was beginning to feel confident in my cooking abilities....until this morning.
If you ever decide to make homemade spaghetti sauce-don't do it. Don't give in to the pressure of having your very own signature sauce anytime you want it. Cough up the extra three dollars and buy a jar of your favorite brand at the store. I had all the ingredients this morning: Grainger Co. tomatoes, Vidalia onions, fresh garlic, and basil. What I didn't realize is the amount of time it would take to create such a delectable pasta topping. I can see why homemakers consider themselves self-employed. After two and a half hours and lots of unnecessary labor, my sauce was done, except I forgot to take the seeds out of the tomatoes. The recipe never said to do so, and spaghetti sauce is never advertised as "seedless" so the thought never occurred to me to remove the seeds. Sitting in my freezer are two containers of "seeded" spaghetti sauce. If you ever have the urge to try some of my soon-to-be-famous-never-to-be-made-again spaghetti sauce, feel free to visit me. I might just let you eat it with some organic pasta!

Jon, in the midst of my cooking I found the perfect salsa recipe you were looking for:

1 Friday or Saturday night
1 drive to Asheville, NC
1 pair of dancing shoes (preferably with heels)
2-4 friends (the more the better)
1 restaurant with dance floor
1 good salsa instructor
A touch of rhythm
Other people who know how to dance

Mix well and watch for two or three hours. Enjoy. Repeat every two weeks or month as necessary.