Garden Fresh Marinara Sauce

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Oh my my!  It surely is fresh tomato time here, as it is in many parts of the country, I'm sure!  So what do you do with all of your tomatoes?  

First thing we do on this acreage is make salsa . . . lol!  You thought that I was going to say Italian tomato sauce, huh?  Actually, we really do prepare and can our salsa first and then make the marinara sauce.  Making salsa is such a day-long affair, that I prefer to just get it out of the way and then return to preparing dishes that aren't quite so long and involved!  But I'll post that recipe later for you.  Here's a nice basic marinara sauce that you can find in so many Italian cookbooks.  I'm sure that there is a plethora of recipes on the web as well.  But we think the aroma of this blend of ingredients is sublime and divine.

If you don't have freshly ripe red tomatoes, check and see if you have a local farmers market, or some really good varieties at your grocery store, and then of course you can always beg for some from a friend who has fresh tomatoes (we get that quite a lot and end of giving half of ours away every summer).  Remember the summer when tomatoes were going for $3.00 each and some restaurants stopped serving them?  We had neighbors that we didn't even know asking for our tomatoes!

But I ramble on.  Here's the recipe for you!

(Click on 'read more' below for this wonderful marinara recipe!)

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Good Eats and Treats at the SC Annual BBQ Festival

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Its that time of year again when serious barbeque competitors work their circuit to determine who's got the best rubs, sauces, and smokin' secrets.  Every year in the Southeast, one of the more popular BBQ competitions takes place in our nearby little city.  So as usual, we followed our noses to the origins of the sweet and savory aromas!

If you didn't catch it this past June, the Food Network did a special on its "Challenge" show on barbeque competitions.  The network brought all the cameras, lights, and journalists to cover the Annual SC Festival of Discovery BBQ Festival.  This was the 20th anniversary of this very successful foodie event and was endorsed by the Kansas City BBQ Society.  Teams came from Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee.  Folks take their BBQ VERY seriously around here!

People were just mingling and milling around trying to taste and savor all of the varieties of the vendors.

Here are a few pictures of the competitors' humorous signs in front of or on top of their vendor tents.

From the great state of Georgia (above and below):

From the beautiful state of North Carolina (above and below):

Sounds good to me!  I need all of the help I can get!

and from the origin of BBQ, some of the South Carolina contestants:

Just look at these serious big rig smokers and grills that these folks haul around on the circuit!

Some serious competitors during the wee hours of the night!

And the winners received more coveted trophies to take home and ADD to their collections!

Foodie fans waiting to hear who the winners are this year!

So where's the food, huh?  Here's one of the most perfect Southern pulled pork sandwich with a tomato-based sauce that we have ever had....we even went back the next day for seconds!  But truthfully, our favorite sauce is the mustard-based unique to South Carolina....lip smackin' good!

We're just suckers for potato shavings dipped in ketchup . . . not so healthy for us, but nothing was at this  festival!

And funnel cakes always epitomize carnivals, fairs, and festivals.  This BBQ festival was no exception, so my hubby had his sweet tooth satisfied nicely!

I just had to give this Italian Ice a try. . . "Rita's" is a commonly seen chain in many states and this strawberry ice sure hit the spot on what was another extremely hot summer day here in the South!  With this to help cool us off, we ended our lazy afternoon by simply sitting in the shade of a tree while a wonderful breeze blew in as we sat and listened to some cool live jazz and blues tunes.

Just a few more photos of other things that added to the flavor and atmosphere of the event:

A cute little piggy award for something that somebody won!

Overall, it was a yummy and enjoyable day for a lot of hungry, happy, and social people who love to sample and support great regional fare and some good live music. With a little kids amusement rides section, even a lot of kids had a good time.  And that's always a good thing!
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For a list of jazz and blues bands here's the link:  
http://www.uptowngreenwood.com/Events_FestivalofDiscovery_Blues.aspx Pin It

Asiago Cheese Bread BLT's!

I have this crazy love affair with asiago bread ever since Panera Bread began marketing it years and years ago.  I have not been able to locate a good recipe to bake it at home, so if you happen to know of one, PLEASE share it with me! 

Since our little acreage is way out in no-man's land we don't have a Panera Bread nearby . . . BUT, you'll never believe the company that now bakes a fairly decent asiago bread?  None other than Wal-Mart.  Who would have thought?  But yes, even hubby says its not too bad!  This bread flies off the shelves due to those asiago lovers like me who don't want to drive 60 miles to the closest Panera.

With the lazy days of summer upon us, nothing beats simplicity!  Sweet, simple living in the summertime!  What says simple summer livin' more than a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich?  So with that dreamy thought in mind, I decided to make some "BLT's" because the tomatoes are ripening in the garden at the speed of lightening with this warm summer.  I didn't do anything different to this traditional sandwich other than usual. 
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(Click on 'read more' below for more about this sandwich)



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