pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce?

What's the difference between pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce? It's a question I've been questioning my innermost culinary mastermind for some months now, and last night I finally decided to do something about it, since I couldn't think of anything myself that sounded legitimate enough.

The answer is this: traditional pizza sauce is made smooth, and has more spices and herbs than spaghetti sauce. The simplest sauce for pizza you could make is tomato sauce, garlic, basil, and oregano. Spaghetti sauce can be made with big chunks of tomato, or smooth, but usually has vegetables or italian sausage added to it, along with the traditional herbs and spices used in most italian cooking.

So there. With my curiosity finally satisfied, I decided to make spaghetti, food sent from heaven above, with a new recipe. When I watched the food movie No Reservations last night and saw aaron eckhart eating spaghetti, I couldn't wait any longer and I decided to make some.
Well ok, that's a lie, I went and happily slept for 9 hours, ate breakfast, did some stuff around the house, then I made it. So really I did wait much longer than I wanted, but who cares, I made it eventually.

I didn't make the spaghetti from scratch this time, because I was just focusing on the sauce itself. But! I will next time, I promise. I started out with some roughly chopped onions cooking in some olive oil in the skillet, along with some fresh Gilroy garlic. I added a can of tomato sauce, and a can of chopped cooked tomatoes and let those hang out for awhile and get to know eachother. Then I threw some otehr good stuff in, steamed chopped carrots, mushrooms, fresh basil, fresh oregano, pepper, and a few other things. I simmered it up and meanwhile cooked some whole wheat spaghetti. I threw them all together in a bowl and tossed on some fresh parmesan, and there ya go. Man it was gooooood. One of the best bowls of spaghetti I've had in my life. I wish you all could have eaten it too.

I had also been wanting to try a new bread, something other than my oh-so-good garlic bread that I love so much, so I brought out our trusty Joy of Cooking book, and picked out a bread. I decided to make brioche, which I'd never even heard of before, but the book made it sound pretty dang good. I'm not even sure, but I think it might be italian bread? Sounds like it anyways. I had actually started making the bread to go with the spaghetti, but I was stupid and once again didn't read my bread recipe all the way through to see how long it needed to rise and all that jazz. I thought it'd just be a standard 3 hr. rise in all, but no! After rising for an hour and a half, you had to let it chill out in the fridge for 4-12 hours! Well I was already half-way into making it, so I figured on having it with dinner instead. I was skeptical when I saw how sticky and wet the dough was, but the book warned to avoid the temptation of adding extra flour, so I pushed my doubts aside and stuck it in the fridge. After waiting 5 excruciating hours filled with anticipation, anxiety, and out-right constipation of thoughts reeling in my head about this bread, I was pleasently surprised to find that chilling the dough took the stickyness out of it and firmed it up quite a bit. I divided it into four balls, stuck them side-by-side in a bread pan like kids on a rollercoaster, and baked it in our oven (have I mentioned that oven is brand-spanking new and I love it?) It wasn't done when the book said it would be (how dare they!) so I baked it for 20 minutes longer. Of course my timing was perfect *wins*. I took some pics while it cooled and finally cut it open when I couldn't stand it anymore. It was amazing. SO good. It was unbelevably light, a slight sweetness on the edge, an extremely pleasent flaky crust, and filled with an overall irresistable butteryness that melted in your mouth. I had some with butter on it, but honestly, the rich butter taste to the bread was more than enough. It was truly inspiring. We ended up just eating the loaf for dinner, there's just 3 measly slices left. My brother said it was so delicious, it should be illegal. He was right. It IS illegal. Dudes, if you haven't had brioche before, I command you as your favorite mad baker woman to eat some before your day is over, even if it means baking it yourself. Ask, I WILL give you the recipe. I want everyone to have this.

I'm sorry. I know I ramble about all this, but I still have more to say, so keep going :D

*ahem*

So the first thing we made in our new oven were oven sandwiches, made with fresh tomatoes from our garden, fresh sweet basil, also from our garden, some cheddar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Oh and they were made on my mom's sandwich bread which is always delicious. We used our brand-new broiler INSIDE the oven, not under it! :D It was exciting. Hm. Now that I'm writing this I realize that I already wrote about these. Oh well, you get to see pics this time around.

I suppose I should update you all in the status of Laurel and I's bakery-opening is coming along. Laurel and I's...is that real grammer? *shrugs*

Laurel is going for her small business degree still at College of the Sequias, she's got a few semesters left still, two I think. I was planning on doing the same, but I haven't fully made up my mind yet. I might just go for a certificate in business, which would be a two-semester program (versus the four-semester program of a degree). I would have no problem going for the degree...if I were a different person. I am not a school person. I like it just fine and all, but it's really not my cup of tea. I'm grateful for it and the things I've learned, without it I'd be even more hopeless at subjects like maths...ecchh...but I really don't want to spend any extra un-needed time there. Laurel is awesome. She excells in school and revels in it. That's a good thing too, or else neither of us would have any idea what we were doing with the business aspect of owning a bakery :P

Anyways, I'm taking a few classes this fall at COS, hopefully I can still get all the ones I wanted before they fill...we'll see. I'm going to see a counselor, which is pointless if you ask me, so he can tell me the classes I need to take to get what I want. Which is dumb because I know what I want. But I can't register until I see one. Blah. So yeah that's Wednesday, which is also when I'm taking my placement test, which I'm NOT excited about. But whatev.

That's enough talk about non-food related subjects! I'm off to sleep...eventually..not yet...but soon...to have dreams of illegal brioche and whatever else my freaky mind decides to make me dream. Sleep well, whoever you are reading this, and leave me comments dudes.

~lacey

"Oh, God above, if heaven has a taste it must be an egg with butter and salt, and after the egg is there anything in the world lovelier than fresh warm bread and a mug of sweet golden tea?"
Frank McCourt-Angela's Ashes