Spaghetti
Sauce and Parmesan Rolls Recipes From Kissed
A Guest
Post by Kimberly Loth
When I write, I
pull a lot of small details from my own life. One of the things my sister said
when she read the book was, “Hey, you put my favorite meal in there.” It’s one
of my favorites too. I thought I’d share the recipe with you.
Food is important
to my main character because her father so rigidly controls every aspect of her
life, including what she eats. Here is a small excerpt from when she’s finally
had enough.
A dish of
spaghetti with meatballs and a plate of huge yeasty rolls rolled in Parmesan
cheese sat on the table. When my mother served me, she gave me noodles with a
bit of sauce. No meatballs, no roll. I finished my noodles and my stomach
grumbled. Hunger still lingered. Without thinking I grabbed a roll and took a
big bite. Mother’s eyes flashed toward me, but she didn’t say anything. The
tense silence thickened. I chewed slowly savoring the taste of the bread. Then,
emboldened by the fact that no one said anything I reached across and dished a
few more noodles on my plate. But, when I reached for the meatballs my father
grabbed my wrist.
He spoke
without looking up from his plate that so engrossed him. “What the hell do you
think you are doing?”
I grimaced
from the pain but answered. “Eating, Father.”
He
squeezed. “You eat only what you are given.”
Fury
burned within me, my vision blurred and I could taste blood on my lips. Father’s
tyranny was coming to an end. It was time for him to understand exactly what it
meant to provide a proper home.
“You don’t give me enough. Most of this will go to the dogs. I deserve
better than that.”
He let go
of my wrist and stood glowering over me. His hand snapped back and he slapped
me. My cheek stung, but I’d had worse.
“Never
speak to me like that. You’ll do well to learn that before you go live with the
Yerdins. I am kind compared to them. If you speak to Dwayne or his father like
that you will find your arm broken. I am your father and you will do what I
say.”
I met his
gaze with defiance and knowing he wouldn’t be the first to back down, lowered
my eyes to the table, seeing only the bowl full of yummy meatballs. I grabbed
one with my hand and shoved it in my mouth, letting the juice drip down my
chin. Then, I grabbed another. Father didn’t move and Mother continued to eat
as if nothing unusual were happening.
With
sauce-covered hands I upended the spaghetti bowl and threw the rolls across the
room. One hit mother in the head, the parmesan cheese leaving white specks in
her hair. She still did not change her methodical eating, but a tiny smile
crept over her lips.
Before
escaping to my room I looked at my father. “I’ll eat what I want. And I won’t
go live with the Yerdins. I’d rather die.” Then I ran to my room and slammed
the door. I found a towel and cleaned the food off my face and hands. Spaghetti
sauce stains. Would my fingers still be orange tomorrow?
Parmesan
Rolls (super easy)
Buy Rhodes Rolls or
any other frozen roll that needs to rise. After they rise, roll in butter and
then parmesan cheese. Follow the baking directions on frozen roll package.
DeVito’s
Spaghetti Sauce
I had to ask my
mother permission to post this one. This recipe has been in the family for
years. It comes from my stepdad’s Italian family. I have to admit, food was
better after my mom married him.
When I make
spaghetti sauce, I normally double the recipe and then freeze the sauce in
gallon size freezer bags. I put enough in each bag for one meal.
Spaghetti
Sauce
3 large cans of
tomatoes (blend and strain through colander-you don’t want seeds or skin, it
will make it acidy)
6 small cans of
tomato paste
1 1/2 cans of water
to each can of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to
taste
2 level tsp of
sweet basil
Dash or 2 of
oregano
Garlic powder to
taste (I used a lot)
2 tsp of parsley
flakes
1 tsp celery flakes
or 1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 cup grated
parmesan cheese
2 or 3 tbsp brown
sugar (This takes away some of the acidity. I typically will add more as the
day goes on if I need it.)
Use some beef or
pork for flavoring. Brown or seer meat
before putting into the sauce. (I use a chuck roast and a small pork roast. In
the last hour I add breakfast sausages with skin or meatballs. I prefer the
sausages. I used to use only one package of sausage but now my kids fight over
them so we use three).
Simmer at slow roll
with lid ajar to allow for slow evaporation for 6 to 8 hours. (Yep, it’s an all
day project. I usually do it when I have a good book to read. I can use the
sauce as an excuse to do nothing but read and stir.)
Stir frequently to
keep from sticking on bottom of pan. (This is where the sauce can go really
bad. I’ve ruined my share of spaghetti sauce by not stirring often enough. If
you do neglect it and realize it is stuck to the bottom, don’t scrape it off.
The rest of the sauce will taste fine. If you do scrape it off, your sauce will
have a burned taste.)
Kissed (The Thorn
Chronicles)
by Kimberly
Loth
Naomi is rescued
from her impending nuptials by the mysterious Kai who sends her off to Vegas
with a sweet kiss and a promise of only a short time apart. But there Naomi
meets Puck, a boy with wine colored hair and kisses that rival Kai’s. Soon
Naomi is swept into a glamorous world where kisses hold power and not is all is
at it first appears. Soon she must choose, freedom but heartache or love and
captivity.
About the
Author
Kimberly Loth can’t
decide where she wants to settle down. She’s lived in Michigan, Illinois,
Missouri, Utah, California, Oregon, and South Carolina. She finally decided to
make the leap and leave the U.S. behind for a few years. Currently, she lives
in Cairo, Egypt with her husband and two kids.
She is a high
school math teacher by day (please don’t hold that against her) and YA author
by night. She loves romantic movies, chocolate, roses, and crazy adventures.
Kissed is her first novel.
Connect
with the Author
About the Author
