Just Call Me "Ma Ingalls"

I mentioned once before that although I was the biggest fan of the Little House on the Prairie books growing up, I learned during the "Great Plumbing Debacle of 2008" that I'd never hack it as a pioneer. They'd put me on the first stage East, with my trunk of non-sensible shoes and my pink iPod.

I was never more sure of this fact than I was today as I picked a giant bowlful of tomatoes from our "garden" of three tomato plants and brought them inside.

I spent the better part of the morning boiling, coring, skinning, and cooking tomatoes while the girls completely ransacked my living room.

Thankfully, they played happily almost the entire time I was working, but I discovered two small girls amidst a pile of baby dolls, plastic food, and tea cups when I was finished. I bet Laura and Mary Ingalls would have swept the cabin floor and churned some butter while Ma made tomato sauce. I'm just sayin.'

The other thing I discovered was that it takes a heck of a lot of tomatoes just to make up this pitiful amount at the bottom of my pot.


Enough to fill up a gallon zip-loc for the freezer.


Nope, I'm not cut out for life as a pioneer. I don't have the patience!

Ma Ingalls drew water from a well instead of driving (her covered Trailblazer) to the Starbucks drive-thru.

She wore lace-up boots instead of cutesy hot pink pumps, and I'm pretty sure she'd think my make-up makes me look like a "painted lady."

I bet it's rewarding to live on what your own two hands have worked for, but convenience is sometimes nice too. I'll be adding a nice can of store-bought tomato paste to my sauce to thicken it up a bit.

Until then, you can just call me "Ma Ingalls."

To read about my experience with canning, click here.

If you need a good recipe for spaghetti sauce, I have one here.

Visit the always fabulous Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more deliciousness this week!

{Bon Appetit!}