Heee! Yum. Thud. (Died just imagining eating.)

It all sounds delicious, stew. I'll have some of that pasta for dinner, please.

I love cheese sticks. My hairdresser bought some from Sonic and she gave me a couple the last time I was in the salon. I flashed back to Red Lobster cheese sticks. They serve cheese sticks as a main entree at my kids' school. This is why I'm packing their lunches this year. Yummy but not so healthy.

SO HUNGRY.

I've read that the best homemade tomato sauce is based on butter, but I gotta say, it frightens me. Not because of the health factor but because butter and tomatoes... cooked together... I dunno. What is the consistency of the sauce like? Does it look greasy? Does it taste buttery? I'm curious.

The variation that I do is 1/2 to 3/4 of a stick of butter, a can of crushed tomatoes, half an onion (not chopped or anything, just put half an onion in the pan), and a bit of salt, put everything in the pan at the same time, and simmer for 45 minutes.

YUM!

It does taste buttery, but it's not greasy (well, once you stir it). A lot of recipes for other pasta sauces also suggest throwing in a tablespoon of butter at the end, once it's cooked, to add richness. Which is also YUM. (That tends to work best with sauces that have meat or fish in them, I think.)

(Oh, I forgot: Remove the onion before adding pasta! You don't have to eat the half onion!)

It didn't look greasy at all (until I chilled it afterwards and you could see the butter). It's about 1/2 cup butter to 2 cups of tomato. I want to compare it to a tomato cream sauce, but without the mellowing that cream gives. The tomato tang is still strong, and the sauce is rich but not overwhelmingly so.

Hmm. I still have one eyebrow raised. But I do like tomato-cream sauce/rosé sauce... maybe I should try this out.

Worst case scenario you're out one stick of butter, a can of tomatoes, a couple of cloves of garlic. Mmmmmm.

It's so quick is what's crazy. The sauce is done by the time the pasta is. Try it and report back!

(occhi--the onion option sounds yum, too!)

The sauce is also fantastic with gnocchi.

I love love love the combination of butter and tomatoes.

My absolute favorite pasta sauce ever, though, is equal portions of onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and black olives, all coarsely chopped, with a generous amount of minced garlic, in olive oil and butter. Basically, the recipe starts with a stick of butter, and you add olive oil as needed. Also, whatever herbs you prefer and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese while still in the pan. We like oregano, thyme, black pepper, and basil.

I've been known to add chopped fresh tomatoes, chicken, and shrimp, depending on what's in the fridge.

One of the nice things is that the ingredients are all things I tend to keep on hand. Added bonus is that, in it's plainest form, it's vegetarian.

I have to recommend a green salad and good bread if you have it, to keep the heart attacks at bay.