I've Become Izzie Stevens

If you watch Grey's Anatomy, you know that whenever Izzie Stevens is stressed, she cooks and cooks and cooks.

Given all that's going on with Nana right now, to say I'm stressed out is an understatement. I have almost no appetite, I am not sleeping very well and I start sobbing at the drop of a hat. But I have managed to compartmentalize pretty well. I've had one of the best months at work that I've had in a long time, which is saying a lot since I was out of town for almost two weeks.

So I've started cooking. And cooking. And cooking.

Yesterday, I made a shrimp curry over brown rice. Today I took a bunch of tomatoes from my garden and created a pasta sauce like no other I've ever made. And now I'm moving onto applesauce muffins. I rarely cook from recipes, so the shrimp curry and pasta sauce are my own creations, but the muffins came from Epicurious, one of my favorite websites.

I'm going to make meatloaf next, but I'm going to have to find someone to share it with. My freezer is full.

Pasta Sauce

1 extra large Vidalia Onion, chopped as large or small as you like
Cloves of garlic, minced (do not use the already minced stuff you can buy in a jar or garlic powder)
3 medium to large Carrots, chopped into very small pieces
4 stalks Celery, choped into small pieces
1 large Green Pepper
Olive Oil
Oregano, to taste
Basil, to taste
Italian Seasoning, to taste
Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Tomatoes, chopped (I think I used about 10 with a combination of beefsteak and plum)
Water
2 T Tomato Paste (approximately - to thicken)
Ground beef or turkey, about 1 pound (optional)

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. I think I used about 10-12 cloves of garlic because I like garlic, but it's not necessary to use that much. Put aside.

2. In a separate skillet, brown the meat. When done, drain off the fat and rinse in cold water to remove the rest. Set aside.

3. Saute carrots, celery, and green pepper with spices in olive oil. When done, add sauteed onions and garlic and tomatoes and water and tomato paste. Finally, stir in meat. Add additional spices and water if needed. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Makes one very large dutch oven full of pasta sauce.