Thursday, September 3, 2009

ORANGE Marinara Sauce...And A Story of Inspiration!!

I want to share a story with you. I think it is very inspiring and gives me some hope and makes me strive as a parent. As I get older and time is flying by I see a lot of people worrying to much about themselves and not stopping to smell the roses (so to speak). For example, how many times does someone open the door for you? Or a complete stranger help you load groceries? So on and So on. This was common many years back.

Anyway, my husband and I went to the store for our weekend amount of DVD rentals. While I was waiting for my husband in our family truckster with two crazy kiddos I saw the most inspiring and generous act. An old lady was walking into the store, but barely. She was very old and was having so much trouble. All of a sudden a young lady ran into the store and I seen her riding out on a motorized cart! She drove it up to the lady and helped her on it. The young lady then walked away and continued her day. WOW! I was so moved! Is that crazy!?

How great is that? How inspiring? I open doors for people and give away my cart to a person in need of one . I found a purse opened spewing out money in a grocery cart and turned it in right away. I make food for girlfriends who just had a baby or who are sick. I thank my phenomenal parents for that. They have instilled many value inside me. I am so grateful. Now, that I am a mother I hope that I can instill the same into my daughters. I hope they would be that girl to run into the store to help an elder lady having trouble getting her own grocery cart. *Fingers Crossed*

Switch of moods...Orange Marinara Sauce!!!!
I know..It sounds crazy, but I came across these beautiful orange tomatoes. I tasted them and they were WONDERFUL...so I had to make a sauce from it!!!!

CHECK IT OUT!
ORANGE MARINARA SAUCE

About 10-12 Orange Tomatoes
2 TB Olive Oil
1 Orange bell pepper, diced
1 Sweet Yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 tsp. Italian seasoning (I usually use fresh herbs, but I wanted to cook this all day and let the flavors mingle)
3 TB. of Parm. Cheese

Optional:
Browned Sausage
Basil Garnish



The Orange tomatoes!!! Boil in a pot for 5 minutes. Strain. Let cool. Remove skin and seeds. Chop. Add to the sauce pot with the sauteed veggies.




While the Tomatoes are boiling saute the veggies on low with 2 TB of Olive oil. You want to cook the onions, peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper where you are almost caramelizing the garlic. Cook low until browned and then add the tomatoes.







Let the veggies mingle. Cook down. Puree in the food processor and add back to the pot. Add the dried or fresh herbs. Let cook. Add the cheese.






Toss the noodles in the sauce to coat.



This is Alex's dish. LOL. Notice the Princess plate? She asked me to take a picture...How could I say no?!

The dish I made for the hubby. I added spicy browned sausge!! YUM!

19 comments:

  1. Yeah. It's almost a rare thing now-a-day to see people help one another. I try to help as much as I can when I can I believe in karma. You do good and good will come back to you.

    Cool "orange" marinara sauce. 8-D

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  2. I don't expect people to go out of their way, but when they do something nice, it always makes me happy!

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  3. Sounds soooo good would like to try, am allergic to onions really bad...wondering if I can leave them outor if that would alter this too much....sounds and looks delicious.....

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  4. Your original orange marinara sauce looks delicious!

    I agree that random acts of kindness really do make this world a better place.

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  5. I really love the tang of the yellow/orange tomatoes, so a marinara is a perfect application of that great flavor. Thanks for stopping by my blog too, Have a great Labor Day weekend!! :D

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  6. It feels good to help strangers and they will remember it forever.

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  7. I love your story and great orange tomato sauce, it gives a pasta dish so much more color!

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  8. Miranda, that's a nice one...mmmmm orange marinara sauce...can I slurp it off from my monitor...I guess for the time being I will! Thanks for sharing.

    Btw, don't worry, children follow what their mom does most of the time...moms are role models to the young ones. I am glad to have known you. You ROCK as a mom and a food blogger! Your babies will turned out fine just like you!

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  9. Small acts of kindness can sure change the world! Thank you for the inspiration...
    And of course I love the "orange tomatoes" - they are so deliscious aren't they? Have you ever tried heirloom yellow tomatoes? They are so many kinds and they are super sweet.

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  10. A very refreshing and delicious sauce for the pasta!


    Angie's Recipes

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  11. Hi Miranda,

    I am def interested in a foodblogger dinner! Keep me posted :)

    -Rachel

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  12. That looks delish! I have never had orange tomatoes before, but will be on the lookout, I have seen the seeds. I feel the same way about the courtesy of people. When my husband and I moved to Orlando, everyone asked if we had culture shock, and that was our culture shock, lack of courtesy of the general public. I dont know if it was because our area was smaller before, or more southern in culture, or both. I was in NYC, 8 mos prego on the subway, and I think people were way nicer than our currant locale. My husband said I only love NYC because I had such low expectations. I disagree.

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  13. P.S. Miranda, thank you so much for the award you left on my blog. I really appreciate it! I will get working on it this weekend.

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  14. Orange marinara sounds excellent, such a pretty color!

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  15. Very different and beautiful dish. Love it :)

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  16. Oh yeah, I've once saw an old Indian lady tried to climb up the stairs at the bus station with her gigantic luggage. And those men standing beside her juz staring at her without doing anything..! Later, there's a young lady ran up strait and help her to carry the luggage. Oh boy, do you believe it? What are these MEN doing? Nothing!!! Shame on you, guys!

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  17. What's most interesting is what we would have considered the most normal and humane way of behaving has now become the extraordinary. How many times have we seen someone who could use a seat on a subway or a bus with young kids taking up and not offering their seats. Are we teaching our kids enough?

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  18. Yum, this sounds delish :D This is one of those tales that brings a tear to my eye. You're so right, I definitely try to be kind, generous and mindful of the world around me and to instill those values into my kiddos world...I wish everybody would think it was the "normal", decent way to behave. :)

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  19. Beautiful story and tomatoes! My husband and I are always on the lookout for ways to help people around us. It's so awesome to see their surprise and pleasure at the simplest acts of kindness. Your marinara sounds great, I love those tomatoes, we've gotten tons in our CSA.

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Thank you so much for letting me know how you feel about my dishes.