Recipes to feed your family while you're on deadline -- Spaghetti Sauce

Before we get to our regularly scheduled recipe, here's an update on The Trouble With Demons: I finished Chapter 20, but rather than dive into 21, I've dropped back to Chapter 1 for a read-thru. One of my secondary villains hasn't made his entrance yet, and I think he missed his cue. Or more to the point, I think he's being a jerk. Sarad Nukpana never misses a chance for page time. This guy (can't say his name because it'd be a spoiler for Armed & Magical) is a complete *$^#* (insert your favorite descriptive expletive here). I think he intentionally missed his cue just to screw up my writing schedule. So I'm going to go back, read-thru, find the SOB, and drag him into the story.

The recipes I'm posting on Fridays are great for making a double batch and freezing half (or more) to take out, thaw, and use when you don't have time to cook.

I've adapted the following recipe from a church cookbook ("Arise and Bake Cookbook: Recipes from the Members and Friends of University Baptist Church" in Chapel Hill, NC. I adapted my spaghetti sauce recipe from the one on page 140 from Jan Hunter). If one of your local churches is selling cookbooks as a fund-raiser -- buy one! Heck, buy several; they make great gifts. Why? The ladies (and gentlemen) who put their recipes into a church cookbook can cook and they only put their best recipes in there. Church cookbooks are a treasure trove of good eats.

Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 lb. ground hamburger (lean)
2 (14 oz.) can tomatoes (I use Hunts diced tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. yum!)
2 cans of Rotel tomatoes (I generally use the "regular" Rotel or "Italian", but if you want more heat, go with the "Hot")
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
1 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-2 tsp. salt
1 cup (or a small jar) of green olives (or black olives, whichever you prefer)

In a large skillet, slowly saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and olives in olive oil for 5 minutes. Remove mixture to a bowl; set aside. In the same skillet, brown hamburger meat. Drain well. Combine mushroom mixture with beef in a large stew pot. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring often. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles. Serves 6 to 8. ***Double this recipe and you'll have plenty to freeze for later. My freezer's full of this stuff. ; )

Tomorrow is the Saturday Fun Pic, which I think all you dog lovers will enjoy.

Topics for next week: Writing a novel synopsis; Got stuck? Time to brainstorm; Begin with a hook and end with a cliffhanger: How to keep those pages turning; and more.

Have yourselves a great weekend!
Lisa