Alysha Russo's recipe for marinara sauce started with a craving more than two and a half years ago. A mother of two boys, Russo, 38, who works part-time at her children's school, hadn't yet nailed down the ingredients but could practically taste the perfect sauce. "It should be thick and slightly sweet, and have a deep, rich tomato flavor," she says from her home in Angola, Indiana.

Russo, a longtime Cooking Light reader, turned to CookingLight.com's online community for help. She described what she wanted, and not very long after submitting her request, people responded with tips for making marinara. Despite its name, which translates to "sailor style," there's nothing fishy about marinara. It's a nuts-and-bolts tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and herbs.

The bulletin board hummed with ideas to help Russo. One "BB-er" (our affectionate name for CookingLight.com bulletin board users) suggested caramelizing onions before adding the tomatoes. Several other helpful hints followed: Instead of mincing, crush the garlic with the side of a knife to heighten its flavor, and then simmer the sauce slowly. Armed with loads of advice, Russo went into her kitchen and, after only one try, produced the marinara. "I didn't have to do a whole lot of adjusting," she says.

By the time this savory sauce arrived in the Cooking Light Test Kitchens, it was already the buzz with bulletin board users who were incorporating it into many of their favorite recipes. One woman thought the sauce was so fantastic it should be called Marinara Magnifica. "The name sounded pretty good to me," says Russo, who always makes extra so she's never without a couple of containers of it in her freezer.

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