Grandma's Spaghetti Sauce - Sts. Anne and Joachim

  Today is the feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary, and grandparents to Jesus. They are of course, the patron saints of grandparents. This is a great day remember your grandparents in prayer, call or write to them, and even spend a little time with them. As Pope Francis puts it, "Grandparents are a treasure in the family. Please take care of your grandparents: love them and let them talk to your children!"

   My paternal grandmother has passed, and we recently did some cooking that brought back some of my favorite memories. Whenever we used to visit she always had a delicious, made-from-scratch meal waiting for us when we arrived. I always hoped that it was her spaghetti with homemade sauce, (accompanied by her mandarin orange and almond salad of course), and it often was. When I bought some ground beef in bulk and I didn't think to portion it out before freezing it, I knew that this would be the perfect recipe once it came time to thaw and cook it. A single recipe is quite large, and I made a double recipe, filling up an entire large stock pot. Thankfully it freezes very well, so we'll have some of Grandma's spaghetti sauce ready to go whenever we need it. There was always something about eating at Grandma's house, even the toast at breakfast seemed to taste better!

Grandma's Spaghetti Sauce

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound hot Italian sausage
some garlic - minced (I used about a heaping tablespoon)
some onions - chopped (I used one small onion)
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
4 teaspoons dried parsley
2 Tablespoons fennel seed
2 Tablespoons sugar
2-3 cans of diced tomatoes
3 large cans of tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

Brown the meat in a large pot with the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and saute a bit longer.

Add the seasonings and stir well.

Add in the tomato stuff. Stir well and simmer, (do not boil), for a couple of hours stirring occasionally.

Sts. Anne and Joachim Prayer

Parents of the Virgin Mary, grandparents of our Savior Jesus Christ,

Bless all parents and grandparents and help them teach their children Christian values of faith and compassion.Bestow courage and hope upon couples
who struggle to start their families. 
Guide new parents and bless parents of growing children with strength and understanding,

And bless grandparents with wisdom and kindness.

We thank you for the example you set for us with your daughter Mary and grandson Jesus, and we strive to show the same love to our children and grandchildren. 

May the strong foundation of faith you laid for Mary and her son Jesus always inspire us to guide our children and all future generations in their faith journeys with love and support. 

In God’s name we pray, 

Amen.