It's getting cold in this part of the country and there is nothing like a good plate of spaghetti to warm you up.

My brother called me Sunday night to ask me how to make lasagna, so it gave me a craving for some. But since I make my own sauce, its a two step process. I made the sauce this week and there will be a lasagna recipe soon to follow.

Ingredients:

• Three medium cans of tomato sauce.
• A medium can of tomato paste.
• Hamburger meat, at least a couple of pounds if you like a meaty sauce like I do.
• A package of sweet Italian sausage.
• A bottle of Italian salad dressing.
• About a cup of Italian seasoning, available on the seasoning aisle as a blended seasoning.
• A cup of sugar.
• A clove of garlic.

Spray a large pot with Pam or other non-stick spray. I prefer the "High Heat" spray that Pam makes.

Pour the tomato sauce and paste into a large pot and stir to dissolve the tomato paste. Using the tomato sauce can, add about one and half cans of water.

Put the pot over medium heat.

Crumble up the meat and add to pot. Remove the casing from the sausage, crumble and add to pot.

Be consistent about stirring the pot because it will stick to the bottom and burn.

Add the Italian dressing to the pot.

I add about a cup of Italian seasoning, but if you're unsure about how it will taste, add half a cup and then keeping adding until its flavored to your liking. Stir well every time you add the seasoning because it needs to be evenly distributed.

Add the diced garlic clove.

Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring consistently to prevent burning. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes to cook the meat and sausage.

Add the cup of sugar and stir, this will reduce the bitterness created by the tomatoes and meat.

The trick to making a good spaghetti sauce, in my opinion is a lot of tasting. Don't be afraid to add more of any ingredient. Sometimes the Italian sausage you pick up will throw the other flavors off. The pot I made this weekend had a somewhat citrus taste, so I added some more Italian seasoning to compensate.

-Ginger