At Home My Way

  February 5, 2026 -  February is cold.   Cold but bright.   It’s pink, white, and red and sweet!   The days are getting longer and the sun is setting later.   February leaves much of the holiday stress behind.   At work, frantic storms of last minute deadlines were potholes to dodge following   December and January and for Doug and I, there were no winter breaks. There was little time to catch our breath before the next storms arrived.   We enjoyed little time to linger.   Exhaustion.   And then an unexpected trip to Florida to check on my parents turned into a blessing of answered prayers with time to sit and wait, to pray, and not do much of anything else.   To catch late night meals, to enjoy Taco Bell and DQ all in the same night with my mom, the queen of healthy and frugal eating.   (She nearly croaked when she saw the price of two small blizzards.   She had never had one!)   Time to talk and reminisce. ...

  Shells & Sauce WWW.AtHomeMyWay.blogspot.com Printable Recipe / HERE RECIPES AT THE TOP - CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM! 1 Pound Ground Beef 3 teaspoons onion powder (or fresh 1/2 of a chopped onion if you don't have picky eaters like me) 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste + 3 cans of water 1 (8 oz) tomato sauce + 1 can of water (I used home canned 16 oz tomato sauce.) 1 teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon garlic powder (divided) 2 teaspoon dried basil  1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 2 dried bay leaves (REMOVE AFTER COOKING, BUT BEFORE EATING - DO NOT EAT THESE) 1 (16 oz) box of pasta shells 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or butter) Salt & Pepper INSTRUCTIONS: Sauce : Add ground beef to a skillet/dutch oven.  Add salt (about 1 teaspoon) and some pepper.  Add the 3 teaspoons onion powder & 1 teaspoon garlic powder to the cooking meat.  (If using fresh onion, cook in a little oil until clear before adding the ground beef to the skillet.) Cook ground beef until no longer pink.  Drain...