Yummy All-Purpose Tomato Sauce

[adapted from Quick, Cheap & Easy Seasoned Tomato Sauce at Hillbilly Housewife.com


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely minced (or 2 tablespoons onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cloves minced garlic
12 oz tomato paste
18 oz filled with water (1 1/2 cans if using a 12 oz can, 3 cans if using a 6 oz can)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in medium sauce pan. Saute onion, minced garlic and garlic powder for no more than two minutes. If using onion powder rather than minced onion, saute for less time. Add tomato paste and 12 oz of water. Stir until tomato paste is smooth. Add remaining water. (If you like a thinner sauce, add more water.) Add remaining ingredients (basil, oregano, sugar, salt), stir through. Cover and simmer for no less than 10 minutes. You may have to add more water if you let sauce simmer for more than four hours.

Lemon Garlic Pork Chops

[adapted from Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken]


3 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup lemon juice
10 - 12 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup white wine OR apple juice

Season pork chops with salt and poultry seasoning. Put pork chops in crock pot. Mix minced garlic with wine and lemon juice; pour mixture over pork chops. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


note: this works well with chicken, too (obviously)