To Fresh, New Beginnings {Homemade Pizza Sauce}

First I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me! I made it through to the TOP 5 in BOTH of the categories - Best Food Blog AND Best Company Blog! Clearly without ALL of you this wouldn't have happened!





The voting isn't over yet - Voting for those left in the Top 5 continues until January 16, 2011.

I will get further details to you by the end of the day regarding text voting (via my Facebook page) which is unlimited!









Back to the blog post

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Happy 2011!

It seems we always wait until the start of a new year before we decide to make a really important change... I guess it's the same as waiting to start a diet (God Forbid) a the beginning of the week, or starting to study (holiday all month!) at the beginning of the hour rather than in the middle.

It's like we're programmed that making a change or doing something important will happen much better at the beginning of a new time period.





Well, I'm just like that. For 2011, I'm not going on a diet. I'm not going to stop eating what I want, I'm not going to start wearing my hair a different way...I'm finished wish resolutions like those. 





The ones that either we don't stick to, or just  simply don't work. The truth is, I didn't really make any resolutions; I made a plan for 2011. Things that I want to achieve, or change to make me a better me.











FOOD RELATED RESOLUTIONS

Last year, I ran into a bit of a disaster when it came down to studying. Fast food became my best friend. I used to hate fast food...and now the thought of not ordering fries seems foreign. 

Now I realize, It's not so much the fast food I hate, but that I stopped cooking. I bought breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road. Yech, it was a big problem. I went from my faculty to the library and bought food in between. This year I want to do things a lot more differently:





1. Everyone knows I bake from scratch, but I've devised a plan that I will be cooking a lot more. That includes a lot more cooking on this blog; I love cooking, but I never made time for it. I'm sorta forcing in the time now.





2. I will be utilising nature a lot more. We actually grow a lot of herbs at my house, including a lot of vegetables; I will be using them! Including in this blog post; I used natural parsley etc to make the pizza sauce. It wasn't hard, and using fresh ingredients makes such a huge difference to bottled ones. 





3.  I'm not going to cut out junk food entirely, but I will be looking to a lot more other delicious and easy options. The reason why I ran to Burger King or Wendy's so easily during study term was because, let's face it,  it's already made. And the simply sandwich you made in the morning just isn't as satisfying and comforting after 8 hours of studying on and off. I want to provide a healthier but still delicious option for myself, and for you!





4. Do you know that little changes such as making things at home actually save you a lot more money? That's my 4th food resolution - to stop spending money on pre-bought cooking items when I can just make it at home. 





For example, I love to make homemade pizza. But, a bottle of pizza sauce is (Jamaican dollars) about $300 maybe. Except, to buy a can of tomato paste, is $60. Plus I have all the other ingredients to make the pizza sauce and it comes up to the same amount quantity wise. See the price difference? 





This year, I'll help you save money, cook better and of course baking, + eat great food while helping myself at the same time. Let me be honest - I may slip up but I'm determined to step out of the "pack a sandwich" zone and into some more delicious meals.





Where better to start with yummy, homemade, and natural than homemade pizza sauce?









Easiest Ever Homemade Pizza Sauce





6 oz. of tomato paste

6 oz. of water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoons of oregano

1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese





Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste, water and olive oil to heat. Using a spatula or spoon, stir ingredients together frequently until incorporated and begins to boil a little for about 1 minute.





Add salt and pepper to taste and incorporate. Then add the rest of the ingredients, leaving a little parsley behind. Stir ingredients and lower heat to low. Cover the pot and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes to 8 minutes, checking to make sure the basil and parsley don't burn. If it's too thick for you, you can add more water by the tablespoon.





Garnish with remaining parsley.