5 observations and thick tomato sauce

1. I haven't been blogging. I have been feeling kind of blah and then I was felled by a stomach bug. There was a moment, lying with my face pressed against the cool tile of the bathroom floor, when I seriously wondered if I was going to survive. This morning I woke up feeling much better. I even went for a little recuperation run.
2. As I have been a little under the weather, I am off my training schedule. It is frustrating. I'm not one for pushing myself to injury or illness and I stop when I don't feel good. But it's so easy to get discouraged and even though I did run this morning, I can't help feeling bad that it was 5K instead the 8 I have written on my calendar.
3. Have you seen the news here in Panama? It's alarming. The Pan-American highway has been closed by the Ngöbe-Buglé people to protest recent mining legislation. It's becoming more serious by the minute as food spoils, gas stations run out of gas,  and people just become angry. It looks like the government will send in the police at some point today to force them to open the road. It appears to me, that the government hopes that public opinion will be on their side, as the roadblock creates tremendous inconvenience to thousands of people. The thing is, all the images of young indigenous men wielding rocks that they can come up with, will be nothing beside the images of the riot squad confronting protesting women and children. I think they are missing a great opportunity to take the high road and resolve this peacefully. The whole thing just makes me sad.
4. I know this list isn't very cheering, but it matches my mood. I'm fighting discouragement on all fronts lately. It's so easy sometimes to  to see the worst. Thankfully I have wonderful students to cheer me, and my kids, well they are hilarious. And I get a double dose of both today, as camp is over and I have two classes this afternoon.
5. I like this song a lot and I chose this performance over the official video because I love watching Annie play: 

Today's recipe is ridiculously easy and versatile. It may seem overly simple but it's so good. I use this sauce for pizza and it's also good as a pasta sauce. Yesterday I browned some spare ribs before I added the tomatoes and it was delicious. 

Simple thick tomato sauce for pizza or pasta

2-3 tablespoons olive 

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

a pinch of chilli flakes (or more)

1 big can of tomatoes (28 oz)

The main trick with this is to not burn or brown the garlic (you've been warned). 

In a medium sized saucepan, Heat the oil over a low flame. To the hot (but not too hot) oil, add the chili flakes and garlic. Let it sizzle in the oil for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you add them. Stir everything and turn the heat up to medium and bring the sauce to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then partially cover, turn the heat down to minimun and let it simmer slowly for an hour or more if you have time.

The sauce will be thick and delicious.