Once you’ve had homemade tomato sauce, there’s just no turning back. Jarred tomatoes sauces like Ragu and Prego will never be able to measure up =P Standing in the pasta aisle at the supermarket, with those crystal clear glass jars filled with pre-made sauce glaring back at you, you might just be tempted by their convenience, but only for a second. Because after that one second, that unbeatable taste of homemade pasta sauce… the rich, bold tomato flavor, personalized with your own selection of fresh herbs and spices… will come back to you. And just as your hand is about to reach over and grab the pre-made stuff, you jerk back…because you’ve had a taste of the good life and that jarred stuff will no longer do 
Now, if I lived in Italy and it was summertime, I’d go out and get myself some fresh San Marzano tomatoes on the vine to make the most delicious tomato sauce ever, but I do live in Los Angeles, which is several countries and an entire ocean away. But, of course, that’s not gonna stop me from making my own tomato sauce, since I’m still able to get my hands on some lovely canned San Marzano tomatoes right at my neighborhood grocery store. Now, that’s just a 10-minute walk away from home =)
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With a bucket full of salt and a handful of spices you can turn any meat into deliciously cured meat and pancetta is surely no exception. Similar to bacon, Italian pancetta is made from salt-cured pork belly, but it’s usually rolled up like a jelly roll and left to dry unsmoked. Sliced thin and pan-fried to a crisp, pancetta adds extreme flavor to just about anything, especially pasta sauces. Mixed into stuffing, topped on a gourmet slider, or tossed into macaroni & cheese… the possibilities are endless!
Before I decided to go to culinary school in Paris, I worked for a defense company, where I sat in front of the computer all day either in my office or down in the basement labs, which I always lovingly refer to as the dungeons. Needless to say, life wasn’t exactly all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, but there was something at work that always brought a smile to my face… my darling, little 
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