Specs
Favorite vacation:
Croatia, Amalfi Coast and Barcelona and Chicago with family for a baseball game – Go Cubs!
First job:
Worked at my uncle’s hot dog restaurant called Sneaky Pete’s in Birmingham, AL. One menu item was the junkyard dog – mustard, onions, kraut, hot beef, chili, cheese, coleslaw and secret sauce.
Favorite restaurant:
Too many to name, Desi Vega’s Steakhouse always treats us like VIPs and they let the boys make their own ice cream sundaes.
Hobbies:
I am the #1 playmate for my kids.
Interesting fact:
I was an equipment manager (football and baseball) in college at UAB and earned a scholarship. It enabled my brother to get his foot in the door and he has been an NFL equipment manager for over 20 years with the Tennessee Titans.
Fun facts:
People think I am from New Orleans. I have been here since 2001, but I'm originally from Birmingham, AL. I met my wife, Natalie, on a sales call – she was the bookkeeper and marketing director for Jack Sutton Fine Jewelry. Yes, she became a client…

John’s Pasta Sauce Recipe (we call the sauce Sugo)

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John’s Pasta Sauce Recipe (we call the sauce Sugo)

This is actually my grandmother’s recipe:
Meatballs
1 lb. ground chuck
1 c bread crumbs
¼ grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Garlic powder, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, salt and pepper
Grated onion
Mix all ingredients and shape into balls – bake in oven at 400 until golden brown

Eggs
Yes, we hard boil about eight eggs. Peel and set aside – you will drop in sauce when once it is ready to go – life changing.

Sugo
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 jar Ragu or Prego
1 purple onion
3 cloves garlic
Same spices as meatballs
2 tsp light brown sugar
Stew meat
In a large pot, blend tomato paste, sauce and Ragu. Add 3 quarts of water, spices, sugar, salt and pepper. Put stove on high. Meanwhile, dice onion and garlic, saute in frying pan until transparent, then add to pot. Brown stew meat in same pan, then add to pot as well. Add baked meatballs once the sauce is boiling so they don’t stick. Add eggs as well. Continue to boil on medium heat for about 3 hours – you may need to add some water. Stir occasionally, reduce heat to low in last 30 min.

Boil pasta – I tend to like angel hair… just follow directions on package.
After pasta is done, take about a half a cup of the sugo and add to entire pot of pasta, mix it in… gives is a reddish/orange tint. Plate your pasta, add sugo, a couple of meatballs and some stew meat, sprinkle with parmesan. Second helping is a little pasta, a meatball and an egg – sprinkle with parmesan.
NOTE – I don’t usually measure spices, just kind of eyeball it… I will add a baked ziti recipe in the future. I like to make the sugo at night and then eat it the next day – so much better on day 2 and 3.
Enjoy!

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