Our Un-Valentine's Day

I'm not sure if I have shared this here before or not, but Matt and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day.  We made that decision at the very beginning of our relationship and have stuck with it.  Neither of us need candy and he hates buying flowers because they die.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's a cute holiday and I happily hang hearts and "XOXO" decor in my home.  But it's weird to us to give gifts to show that we love each other.  But for everyone else who celebrated...I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!  Including my parents who had their very first date on Valentine's Day, 35 years ago!  So wild!

But anyway, I asked him if there was anything special that he wanted for dinner and he tells me, "Spaghetti."  Seriously?!  So to go the extra mile to try and make plain old spaghetti more snazzy, I decided to forgo the jar sauce and make my own!  You will laugh at how easy and versatile this is!

You will need:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 small yellow squash, sliced into little half moons
1 box frozen broccoli, defrosted
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 14 oz. can sliced stewed tomatoes (or diced)
Italian Seasoning (I didn't measure this, just sprinkled around the pan a couple of times)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large pan, over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions for about 5 minutes, until tender and translucent.  Then add your squash, cook for about 5 minutes.  Dump in broccoli and all of your canned tomato products (if using sliced stewed tomatoes, break them up a bit with your spoon).  Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, S&P and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  DONE!

Cook what ever pasta you like and serve!  Feel free to change up or omit the vegetables, or add ground beef or sausage (I would cook your meat after the onion step).  This has been the star of my lasagna the last 2 times I've made it!  You can also use fresh herbs too, I just forgot to buy them this time, but basil and parsley are yummy in this sauce :o)

We snuggled for a bit and before he rolled over he whispered in my ear, "Happy Monday, love you..."  Hehe, yes honey, Happy Monday :o)