How To Make Home-Made Pasta Sauce

I have always enjoyed pasta. It was my go-to affordable meal in college, and it continued to be when I was single and making meals just for myself. The issue I have always found, however, is the sauce. Nothing store-bought can ever compare to a home-made sauce. So when my great aunt told us she would be making her yearly batch of pasta sauce, we asked if we could come learn her technique, and maybe sample a little along the way. She put us straight to work, and the process is long and intense (we actually were only present for one of the 3 days that she spent making the sauce) but it is well worth the effort. Read on to learn how to make the amazingly easy, yet delicious home-made pasta sauce.

Ingredients
Since my aunt planned on making enough sauce to last an entire year, she needed a lot of tomatoes. And I mean, A LOT. She had to go to multiple farmers markets to get enough, and ended up purchasing 120 pounds of Roma tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients depend on what type of sauce you would like to make. She makes three different types of sauces: Veal, Sausage and Marinara. Each of them include garlic, onions and Italian spices, added to taste.



Process
First, she spread the tomatoes out so she could easily pick out the bad ones and to let the rest ripen all the way. We worked with small batches, so we would fill up a bucket, wash each tomato separately and then start to slice them into 4 pieces. Those pieces would all be thrown in a large pot to cook down on the stove. After cooking for an hour or two (the tomatoes were mushy and hot), we took an apple grinder and spooned ladles full of the tomato mush into the grinder, and then we slowly ground down the pieces until they were a watery-tomato mix. The mix went straight into another pot set to simmer for hours as the watery part cooked down and the sauce thickened.

While we waited for the sauce to thicken, we started simmering onions, garlic and other spices together in yet another pot. This is also the time when we added in the sausage or veal. When the sauce was thick enough, we started slowly adding it to our onion-garlic-spice-meat mixture, and again let it simmer for a few hours.

Result 
We spent hours preparing the different types of sauce, and at the end of a very long day, we were rewarded with my aunts rarely tasted, yet most delicious, home-made lasagna using, what else, but our home-made pasta sauce!

The flavor is like nothing else and I highly recommend spending a weekend trying this yourself. While the process is time consuming, it is not difficult, and the end result is like nothing you have ever tasted, beyond delicious!

How To Buy An Engagement Ring

One of the most stressful times in a young man's life is buying an engagement ring. Weeks or months of planning, secrecy, and research go into this big purchase and it can be frustrating to figure out what to do. I know how it is. I was once a young man buying an engagement ring and even though I work in the jewelry industry, I was still stressed out about the process.

For those of you who don't know, almost my entire professional life has been spent doing social media, online marketing, and traditional marketing for various parts of the jewelry industry. I went in completely green not knowing a thing about jewelry. Over the years I gathered a lot more knowledge than most men my age so I decided to write it out in hopes that someone running in to this would be helped by it.

Where To Start
If you're at the point where you're going to propose, hopefully you know enough about your woman to know what kind of style she has. She's also probably dropped some hints about what kind of ring she'd like in the future so if you've been paying attention you'll already have some ideas. If you don't know, its OK! A great way to get some info is to ask her friends. Girls love to talk about each other so if you give her friends an excuse to go be sneaky and feel like they're involved, they'll get you all the info you need and then some. Her friends can turn out to be your biggest allies in getting you info about her style preference, ring size, and anything else.

Diamonds
Its pretty easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to selecting a diamond that will be the centerpiece of the engagement ring. There are so many numbers associated with the color, cut, clarity and carat of the diamond. I won't get into the specifics here as a competent sales associate will be able to run you through how each number works. My biggest piece of advice about the diamond is to realize that all of these numbers come from when the diamond was looked at under 10x of magnification. Its important to realize that the difference between a .99ct diamond and a 1.00ct diamond can't even be seen by the naked eye. Remember, neither you or your lady will ever be walking around with a magnifying glass to look at the diamond. Its easy to get caught up in the numbers. Just remember your budget and how the diamond looks are all that really matter.

Setting Style
There are millions of setting styles out there to choose from. This is another area that sounds like it should be stressful. In truth, your gut response is usually the right one. In all of the times I've helped people select jewelry, its usually the first design that catches someones eye that ends up being the winner. When you go in to pick a setting, don't fret too much. Have an open mind and just look for what looks nice.

Metal Type
Another source of frustration can be figuring out which metal to pick for the setting. There are many options out there and each carry their own price. While almost all of the metals look exactly like each other, they all behave differently. Here's a rundown of the basics.

• White Gold - A mix of gold and another metal to make it white. Gold is naturally yellow so some amount of an alloy mix is necessary to achieve the white color. White Gold is almost always plated with Rhodium (another metal) to achieve a white color/look. Occasionally white gold needs to be re-plated as it tends to want to return to its natural yellow color. This can easily be done by most jewelers in a matter of a few minutes. In general gold is a great option and will last a lifetime with proper care.
• Yellow Gold - Gold's natural color. Like white gold it is often alloyed with other metals to strengthen the setting. Completely pure precious metals are often quite soft so some amount of other metals needs to be added to make them stand up to everyday wear. By the way, 14k gold is about 58.4% gold with the rest being "other." 18k gold (more expensive) is around 75% gold with the rest being "other."
• Platinum - A naturally white metal that's more dense than gold and thus heftier. Its also a bit more expensive per ounce than gold however you get more platinum metal per ring than you do with gold. Platinum rings are either 90 or 95% platinum with the rest being an alloy of other metals related to platinum. Its a hypoallergenic metal as well so its great for people who have allergies to gold alloys. As a naturally white metal it will maintain its color for life and need little (if any) maintenance. And finally, its a very strong metal that can take abuse. Its unique in that the more abuse it takes, the stronger it gets. Some of the most famous jewelry in the world is made out of platinum. (In the spirit of full disclosure it should be noted that my wedding band and Sarah's wedding set are all platinum. Its what I chose for our jewelry).

You're not alone in your efforts to buy this important piece of jewelry. Millions of men do it every year and almost all are a little overwhelmed by it. If you keep some of the tips I've written above in mind, you should have an easier time making decisions and ruling out any options that don't make sense for you. Remember, your budget and what looks good to you are the most important things to consider in this process. Everything else is a distant second place. Ultimately, the ring you select will take on an entirely different meaning and form once its on her finger. After she says 'yes' to your proposal, it doesn't matter what the ring is made out of or what the stats are in the diamond. What matters most is that it represents the commitment you've now made to each other. You could have the ugliest ring in the world but the smile and 'yes' from her will make it the most beautiful representation of your relationship.

Now go clear your browsing history so she doesn't catch wind of you researching engagement rings.

Favorite Thing: Brazilian Blowout

I can't say enough about how awesome the Brazilian Blowout is. The improvement in the condition in my hair is a huge plus, not to mention the shorter blow drying time, and less effort needed to make it look nice in the morning.

I was nervous about getting the Brazilian Blowout the first time, but my good friend and hairstylist, Kristen, reassured me it was not dangerous or unhealthy for me or my hair. Read on to see why you too should get one if you want easy to manage, soft, shiny and STRAIGHT hair!

Procedure
The Brazilian Blowout takes about an hour or two to complete the whole process, so it is not a difficult time frame to sit still. Your stylist will apply the straightening cream with a brush like they would hair color. Once it is applied to your entire head of hair, they will blow-dry and then straighten small sections with a extra hot straightener. Once that is done, they will wash your hair and blow dry with their fingers and, your hair is straight!

Pricing
Pricing can run a little steep for a Brazilian Blowout, but I still feel it is worth it. The time I save in the morning blow drying my hair means I get to sleep in a little bit longer, and that is well worth the price. It will also last for a two or three months, so if you spread the pricing out over that time frame, it makes it worth it as well. I also love that my second day hair (I was my hair every other day) still looks amazing and takes almost no effort at all to style in the morning, and it is still as stick-straight as it was the day prior.

Concerns
I have heard a lot about health concerns for this procedure, so I bought them up to Kristen. She said that as long as you are in a well-ventilated salon, there should not be a problem. My scalp has never burned in this process, and the only discomfort is when she is blow drying the hair near the front of my face. The solution? I just close my eyes (which is easier to do when someone is that close to them anyway!)

Bottom Line
I plan to get many more Brazilian Blowouts, and I look forward to just how easy my hair can be in the summertime when it is easy to just walk out of the house with a wet head of hair. On vacations, on business trips, this is amazing and I recommend it to anyone that was not given the gift of silky straight natural hair

Bonus
If you live in the Glendora, CA area (or are willing to do the commute like I am), Kristen (call her here 626-253-2356 or check out her facebook page) has offered to knock $100 off the price of a Brazilian Blowout for anyone mentioning this post. Take advantage and enjoy how beautiful your hair can be!

LEGO Project: Ferrari Enzo

The LEGO Project series is a look through the Second Snack collection of LEGO sets from Thomas’ childhood as well as some modern sets. For years these LEGO bricks and pieces have been laying dormant in plastic bins but with the pooled resources of the Internet, reassembling sets is now a reality.

When Ferrari finally unveiled the Enzo after rumors and photos of the "F60" and "FX" the automotive world went nuts. Ferrari had topped themselves and named a car after their founder. LEGO released two versions of the Enzo in 1:10 scale and 1:17 scale. A couple years ago I picked up the 1:17 scale model of the Enzo. Its a fantastic set with a lot of detail. Its incredibly sturdy being held together by a lot of Technic pieces on the inside, but covered up with many unique red bricks on the outside. The 1:10 scale Enzo is a bit more abstract as its exterior is made up mostly of Technic pieces so I actually prefer the look of the set I picked up.

LEGO and Ferrari... can it get any better than that?

Eating Healthy And Business Trips Don't Mix

Two months into commitment to eating healthier and working out more consistently, I was sent on a business trip. I was honestly quite worried what the lack or exercise, sleep and fresh lunches would to do me over the 7 days I was gone. I know that I had done well with weight loss up until that point, but I felt that I mostly had my diet (and Thomas) to thank for that part, and I was concerned what rich restaurant food would do to me. Not to mention, when I am tired, I eat to stay awake, and I knew that I would not be getting long restful nights of sleep.

While on the trip, I did my best to listen to my body. I would eat if I was hungry, but I would quickly stop if I no longer felt the urge to eat. I made sure to eat breakfast every morning and snack lightly if I was feeling sleeping in the meetings, and I tried my best to stay away from Pepsi, which I have pretty much cut out of my diet entirely. The other thing that concerned me was that my first week back in the office after my trip was brutal. I worked 11 or 12 hour days and barely managed to eat dinner before passing out when I got home. This left no time for me to do any sort of exercise to make up for sitting around the week before. The topper on all this was that I have recently starting taking my anti-depressants again, and their major side effect is weight gain (actually, my therapist told me that it makes the body crave carbs, which I so lovingly complied with the last time I was on this pill).

Last week my work schedule was basically normal and I was able to get 3 days of exercise in, but to be honest, they were not hardcore days by any means. So I was surprised when I weighed myself last night and saw that I had lost another 3 pounds! I am reaching my goal quicker than I ever imagined I would, and I am wondering if I need to come up with a new goal weight.

When I started this in January, I filled out the Happy Weight Calculator based on how I felt back then about treats and snacks. My desires have changed, and now I am wondering if I am going to go below that goal weight by the end of this year. My ultimate goal is just to maintain myself at a healthy weight by keeping active and eating healthier than I have in the past, but not denying myself anything, and instead, eating unhealthy things in moderation.

Just in case anyone is wondering, in January, I weighed 146. My current weight is 139 and my "Happy Weight"is 135.

Meme Monday: Where The Pen Works

Meme Monday brings you a weekly Internet Meme that we have found. Internet Memes are described as something that catches on like wildfire with Internet communities with no outside source of promotion. They exist purely for enjoyment and laughs.