As a girl with Italian roots, it would be a sin if I didn’t have some culinary skills to brag about. I grew up in a household where every night was accompanied by a delicious meal crafted by my mom.

Now that I have made the leap of independence into college (and don’t have my mom to cook for me every night) I have taken it upon myself to set aside time every night to work on my slicing, dicing, and mixing skills.

With the help of my recipe book filled with pasta, chicken, and fish dishes, I plan to cook something a little more elaborate then the ever-popular college student go to meal — Macaroni and Cheese.

I think I’ve even fooled my roommates into thinking I should be the next Rachel Ray on the Food Network.

When they find me leaning over a steaming pot of pasta or with my head poking into the oven basting a chicken breast, they throw out words like culinary goddess or professional cook. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit.

For a true test of my culinary skills this week, as a tribute to my homeland, I plan on concocting homemade Marinara sauce.

I remember the reaction I got when I told my roommates that I was going to make homemade sauce for our raviolis that night, they looked at me with a blank stare, minds blown.

While Ragu or "jar sauce" may be in their vocabulary, it is not part of mine. So I thought it was time for them to taste the real deal.

As I started combining the ingredients of my great grandfather’s recipe that has been passed down to every generation in my family, the "ohhs" and "ahhs" from my roomies began … it’s amazing what a little sautéed garlic can do for a meal.

In order for all the flavors to be mixed in the sauce properly, you have to cook it on low heat for the whole day.

Once the sauce is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon and is a burgundy color, it is ready to eat.

While it may seem time consuming, this sauce is an easy way to get the delicious taste of authentic Marinara without having to go to a restaurant.

Once you eat this, you’ll never want to use jar sauce again.

If you’re cooking Raviolis like I am, they are done when they float to the top. Drain your pasta, and add a couple spoon fulls of your sauce to the empty pot.

Mix the pasta in and leave extra sauce out for topping. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top and it’s ready to eat.

This is guaranteed to give Ragu a run for its money.

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:

2 18oz. cans of tomato paste

1 lb. of ground meat (beef or sausage)

1 head of garlic

3 wooden spoons full of salt

3 wooden spoons full of sugar

1 wooden spoon full of pepper

1 wooden spoon full of basil

1 wooden spoon full of oregano