Come & Dine

My church has a theme song that speaks to me.  My pastor, whom we affectionately refer to as simply Preacher, leads the song every Sunday.  Sometimes he humorously rewrites the words to reflect a holiday or situation, but every Sunday the chorus remains the same as the congregation chimes in.

Come & Dine, the Master calleth, Come and Dine.
You may feast at Jesus table all the time.
He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and Dine.”

One Sunday, a 40ish year old man slipped out of the choir to just stand beside Preacher during this song time.  His name is Billy, and he has Downs Syndrome.

Preacher handled this unexpected turn of events with his usual grace.  From that Sunday forward, we were treated to the "Preacher and Billy Show."

As the music for Come and Dine begins, Billy steps forward to take his place beside Preacher.  Between verses, the music quiets, and Preacher asks Billy about some aspect of his week, his opinion of the service that day, or comments on Billy’s suit. He is always dressed in his Sunday best.  We never know just how Billy is going to respond, but the results are often hysterical. 

On really special Sundays, we are treated with the addition of another sweet young man named Bo.  He is Preacher's  grandson, and he, too, has Downs Syndrome. 

When Bo was born, his condition was a shock to the family.  But out of their grief and healing, the Lord has given them a special heart for the developmentally challenged.   We have witnessed these young men as believers in Christ with an ever present child-like faith.  It is sweet to behold.

Since Bo loves pasta, I am posting my Spaghetti sauce recipe on my blog today.  I never make it without remembering the time that Bo ate 3 helpings at one sitting.  When we sing Come and Dine, we mean it!!!



QUICK SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1 lb. ground beef

1 env. McCormick spaghetti sauce mix

 1/2 c. onions, chopped

1 (16-oz.) can tomatoes, diced

1 large jar, Prego-Traditional flavor

water, if needed, to thin sauce

Brown ground beef and onions, Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. This is my all purpose pasta sauce for spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed pasta shells, etc. Substitute tomato sauce for the canned tomatoes if you don't like a chunky sauce.

And here is another good sauce......

MARINARA SAUCE

3 T. olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 carrot, peeled & chopped

1 (16-oz.) can stewed tomatoes 

1 T. sugar

2 (16-oz.) cans diced tomatoes

2-3 c. water

1 tsp. salt 

1 lb. cooked meatballs, if desired

Finely chop the onion and chop the carrot into very tiny pieces. Heat the olive oil in a

large Dutch oven and saute' the garlic, onion and carrot until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the seasonings only and simmer

for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be cooked until the carrots are

tender and the sauce has thickened.

 I have simmered it up to 3 hours on the stove

adding additional liquid as needed.  During the last hour, add the meatballs and additional water, if needed to achieve the consistency you desire. Serve over hot spaghetti with a sprinkling of

Parmesan. Sauce could be made in crock pot, but less water would be needed and

cooking time would be increased.

Note: My goal for my cookbook was to include recipes from shelf stable items one can keep

in the pantry. This recipe is an excellent example of this. When fresh tomatoes,

peppers, and onions are in abundance in the garden, this sauce would be a great way

to use them and freeze for winter use. If a thicker sauce desired, add some tomato

paste.

                                        Confectionately  Yours,

Sue