Spaghetti Sauce

The weekend is going splendidly but I thought I would take a break while the pumpkin is roasting to share my spaghetti sauce recipe. It came from a once-a-month type cookbook of my mom's.

You'll need:

• 1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage. You can add more or less depending on how meaty you like your sauce. Also, the sausage you choose can really influence the outcome of the sauce. Last time I used a hot and spicy bratwurst style sausage (stripped from the casings) I had gotten on sale and it was quite a bit different from anything I had made before, but really good. Find something you like and stick with it, or experiment with whatever is cheap and you always get a different style.
  
• 3/4 c. finely chopped onion
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 52 oz crushed tomatoes in puree - This part of the recipe baffles me because I normally only buy cans in 14.5 oz or 28 oz denominations, neither of which makes it possible to easily get to 52 so I get close (56, or 58) and call it a day. (Don't use any with herbs added because they typically add sugar too)
  
• 1 c water
• 2 cloves garlic (or more)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T sugar (Optional)
  
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 t dried oregano
• 2 T chopped parsley ( I normally use a couple tsp of dried instead, and I have also used fresh basil when it was available, work with what you have)
  
• 1 tsp salt
  

In a large pot, cook the sausage and the onion until the sausage is brown. Add everything else, bring to a boil then reduce, cover and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring every once in a while. Make sure you have something available to snack on because if you have to smell that goodness for 2 hours and have a bare cupboard, you will be sad, trust me on that one. Cool and freeze. It makes about 6 cups.