Saturday, September 3, 2011

Canning Tomatoes...and missing Gina!

My friend Gina, from SPCookieQueen had just announced that she will have to take a break from blogging for a while, and may not be coming back! In the meantime, she had just posted her 7 Links that I tagged her with, and it is so beautiful with all her heartfelt posts, and favorite things that she posted, that I was so pleased to see, but not so pleased to hear the news that she may not be returning to her blog...sigh!

You see, Gina was one of the first blogger that befriended me on my blog, when I first started, and I will be forever grateful for that. She is so talented, and has come such a long way with her photo props, as she has explained in the past how she is doing it with the proper lighting...etc. All her recipes are so amazing, from soups...to desserts, and the photos are superb! I will personally miss her blog, and her, mostly. I have mentioned to blog at least once a month, because of her busy work schedule, so hopefully she will do at least that. As for the recipe for the actual Marinara Sauce...canning tomatoes. just link to her site! I only made a few jars of these, and I must say, it was truly a success...so thank you Gina for all your wonderful contributions...you are truly a beautiful friend, and a fantastic blogger...please do not leave permanently, not just yet!
Here's the recipe for How to can Marinara Sauce  from fresh tomatoes!
All I did was to saute some chopped onions, and chopped garlic in olive oil, and added the jar of canned Marinara sauce...heat it up, and I arrived at having the most wonderful Marinara Sauce I had ever tasted in my entire life...seriously!
...and to make it even better, I sauteed some frozen deveined, and cleaned shrimp to add to the sauce! Yumm! ...just can't have any other sauce better, than your own canned sauce!



Have a wonderful Labor Day!
enjoy this special day with your family, friends, and find beauty in nature, and in everything that you feel that is close to your heart!
HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!...you earned it, so CELEBRATE!
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36 comments:

scrambledhenfruit said...

Beautiful marinara! I usually try to can some tomatoes and make some sauce for the winter, but "back to school" snuck up on me this year and I didn't get it done. Hopefully I'll be able to use some late tomatoes to squeeze some sauce in this fall. Thanks for sharing Gina's recipe- I hope she decides to continue posting when she's able! :)

Junia said...

happy labor day!

Dzoli said...

Great n\marinara..fantastic beach pics.Sorry to here about Gina ..we all need break from time to time but eventually come back.Hopefully that will be the case with Gina;)

Quay Po Cooks said...

It is amazing how we grow to love our blogger friends and when we hear any of them stop blogging, our heart sinks and we start to miss them. I am sorry Gina is getting ready to do that and I am sure you will miss her. Let's hope she will change her mind. The photos of the beach are awesome and your bottle of marinara sauce sure looks delicious.

claudia @Whats Cookin said...

Canning is something I havent done, your energy and time is amazing I so envy that.. I will probably retire when I am 75! Then maybe I will see the beach in Florida.. I cant believe its that pretty here! You just made me realize I need a vacation... I am 6 miles from the ocean and every time I am off it rains! gorgeous photo. Love the shrimp pasta I see the freshness you captured... sorry about your friend not posting what agreat supporter you are!

laurie said...

what a lovely post and tribute to a wonderful friend.This devotion shows what a good blogging friend you are as well.Beautiful photos, looks delicous! Thank you for sharing this,

SKIP TO MALOU said...

Hi Elisabeth,
Happy Holiday weekend. You are such a sweet blogger friend as this post reveals. It's funny that I also thought about that. We have all our intentions as to why we blog, but sometimes those intentions or objections aren't met anymore. I feel sorry to hear that Gina will stop blogging... or maybe just for awhile don't you think?
Canning is something I haven't done yet but it's on the list of my Things to try... definitely!There will always be a first time right? hehe
I hope you are having a great weekend so far. Enjoy the rest of the days ahead!

Amelia's De-ssert said...

delicious marinara sauce and beautiful beach picture. Happy labor day.

Parsley Sage said...

Great looking recipe, so sad it's paired with the fact that Gina might not be returning! I love her stuff :(

Kati said...

Tetszik a blogod új arculata, finom lehet a szósz is.

Meeling said...

Nothing beats fresh canned tomatoes and sauce...yum!

Found you through foodbuzz!

Roxana GreenGirl said...

Hi Elisabeth,
I was too upset and still am, after reading Gina latest post. I hope she will come back soon. She's a wonderful friend and blogger.
I haven't made any canned tomatoes yet but i think I will since my grandma has plenty in her garden!

p.s. LOVE the new layout, and the beach photos

mangiabella said...

I have never canned anything before but I am really wanting to learn the process and give it a try!!!! Gina will be so very missed by so very many and your post was just beautiful - the beach photos are so calming and serene!!!! Big hugs to you bella and wishing you a most delightful rest of this holiday weekend

Lizzy said...

I was sad to read Gina's post, too...I'm hoping she takes you up on your suggestion as I will miss her! I didn't know of your special bond, but it reminds me of how you befriended me on foodbuzz...Gina is a gem as are you.

Your marinara is beautiful! As is the new look of your blog...it suits you! Hope you're having a lovely Labor Day weekend~

Jen at The Three Little Piglets said...

I've canned a lot of things, but never my own pasta sauce. Hmm... what a lovely thought though!

Pacheco Patty said...

I miss Gina too! I'm getting together with her next week, she is a sweetie! Lovely pasta sauce Elizabeth;-)

Gina said...

Hi Sweet Elizabeth,
You made me cry with this sweet post. I'm catching up on a huge backlog of work, but I like your idea of pacing myself and trying to post once a month for now. I love the changes you made over here and your beach photos, you know how much I love the beach. Hope you get some rest too and that your arm is healing more and more each day.
-Gina-

Gina said...

Oh my, I know how your named is spelled, I just can't spell and type at the same time, lol.

Kim - Liv Life said...

Gina was one of the first bloggers I met when I started blogging as well and will always hold a special place in my heart! I will miss her too, but I'm hoping she will check in with us once in a while.
Love the idea of canning the marinara... we make it and freeze it, but I'm really intrigued with this one.

Thanks Elisabeth!

Kim - Liv Life said...

Forgot to say how much I love your sea gull pics! I can never take enough of them!

mia xara said...

Hi Elisabeth,love your marinara that's just in time for tomato harvest..I'm nowhere near the ocean,so thanks for posting the nice photos of seagulls on the beach..I also hope that your friend Gina will continue blogging periodically..Have a great labor day!

Suhaina said...

oh what lovely pictures u have posted...love the beauty of the palm beach...wish u a happy labor day..
the marinara sauce looks so yummy and love the picture with the prawns...
The happiness that we get when we make something like this from scratch is beyond words.
Yesterday I tried to recreate Maggi chilly garlic sauce and it was almost similar to it IN TASTE except that mine was more deep in color.
Was happy to make my own sauce, and never will I buy ready made sauce for sure..
Hope ur shoulder is feeling much better now??
I have still not tried the recipes from the book because I am fasting.
Love,
Suhaina.

Petra said...

Tetszik az új blogruhád! Guszta a tészta a friss paradicsomszósszal. :)))

Emma said...

Seems like a time for change Elisabeth! You've changed your format (love the clouds by the way) and I've moved blogs entirely.

I hope your friend still updates her blog - it's so sunny and pretty :)

Lovely sauce also - I make marinara sauce often, there's nothing quite like it is there?

(formerly Sunflower Days)

Chic & Gorgeous Treats said...

Hi Elisabeth! I just discovered that Gina's leaving and felt my heart dropped. I believe she was my second blogger friend. Everything happens for a reason, and they are always good reasons am sure. It's not a goodbye.. :D I can't wait to can my first tomatoes. Have a great week!! Hugs, Jo

wendyweekendgourmet said...

Also sad to see Gina have to take a break and hoping it's not permanent! This sauce looks so good! I also love homemade sauce, but only make it myself once in a while. I especially like to make amatriciana sauce from scratch. My go-to jarred sauce is Rao's...to me, it's most like homemade. Have a lovely Labor Day, my friend...

Priya said...

Quite handy and fabulous idea,thanks for sharing..

Martha (MM) said...

Yummy!! I hope Gina will return at least occasionally. I've just recently come back to blogging after a few months break so I know how she feels. Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Becky said...

I love the new look of your blog. I too, will miss Gina. She and my late Mom share the same b-day, so we have a special connection. I didn't can any tomatoes, but made a lot of Bruschetta.

Angie's Recipes said...

Love Gina's blog too, still hoping that she might change her mind and come back to post something from time to time.
The tomato sauce looks mouthwatering!

Linda said...

Hi Elisabeth! Being without electricity for 4 days due to Irene, I was down and out for a while. I'm slowly making my way back and am glad to stop by today to see this post. I haven't stopped by Gina's blog yet, but sorry to hear that. Posting once a month was a great suggestion and I've seen bloggers do that, so we do what we can! I love your fresh sauce and the shrimp addition is one of my favorite. I think shrimp gives a nice flavor to a marina. I also loved when I clicked on "read more" that those beautiful seagull photos popped up - a visual treat!

Rosemary said...

Great fresh sauce, Elisabeth! And I've been canning sauce, too. (Hence the lack of frequent posts!) But I do still have those tomatoes coming. Not enough to can right now -- well see what I do!

Sandra said...

I will miss Gina too:/ she is such a great person and blogger, and chef in my opinion..but life and time gets us all!
Lady your pictures are STUNNING and meal is just wowwwww..totally hungry now for some pasta and sauce:))) Thank you for sharing!

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

What a wonderful friendship post, Elisabeth! I read Gina's post before and felt really sad. Food blogging takes a long time since we are not just writing about something, we have to cook and take pictures and all that. I hope she'll continue to blog once in a while too. By the way, I LOVE your new background on your blog! Every time I come here I will feel like I'm on a vacation and reading (your blog) on a beach... =)

Magic of Spice said...

I miss Gina too :( This looks so good and I skipped lunch so I am starring extra long :) Hope you had a great Labor Day and weekend...

blackdirtbread said...

Do you have any suggestions on how to store the jars for the winter? My husband and I have only been organic farming and baking for 3 years and this was my first summer freezing tomato sauce for the winter. My sauce came out so delicious that I want to can next year’s harvest but I’ve been told storage is very important. Your advice on temperature or length of storage would be a helpful?