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Three Cheese Baked Ziti

This is by far my favorite. It was yummy and everyone loved it. The only thing it needs more pasta sauce then it says! So if you make this add enough sauce to coat the ziti noodles. This can serve up to 10 people or more. So if you have too many left overs freeze the rest! 


The Recipe:


1 Container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 box (16 ounces) ziti pasta, cooked and drained
1 jar (1 pound 10 ounces) RAGU Chunky Pasta Sauce (They have many flavors to pick from the grocery store, I used Mama's Special)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces) (I also added and Italian blend of cheeses)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cooking pasta following what it says to do on the box. Then in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

2. In another bowl, thoroughly combine pasta and Ragu pasta sauce.

3. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, spoon 1/2 of the pasta mixture; evenly top with ricotta cheese mixture, then remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 mins or until heated through. Serve, if desired, with additional heated pasta sauce.


This Recipe came from the cookbook Simple 1-2-3 One Dish

Bread in a Salad? No way!

I learned about this salad at a party I went to awhile back. I just remembered it out of the blue when I was looking for something to make with the baked spaghetti. It isn't the most healthy salad with the bread but very delicious. It didn't call for lettuce but I think it is a must because if not it would be very small. You can find the basil and thyme in the produce section of your local grocery store. You can also just not use thyme too. You won't notice its gone. I have made this salad with everything it says and also only with bread, croûtons, tomatoes and basil and romaine lettuce and just the kraft dressing balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil. It is good both ways! They say it's best to use stale or a few days old bread. But fresh is fine, just toast a few slices and break apart and put in the salad.  Feel free to make this salad your own. :D 

Recipe for Mid-Summer Bread Salad
Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh basil
1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (We also added a kraft dressing Balsamic Vinaigrette with Olive oil)
Also we added Romaine Lettuce
Directions

Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl.
Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.


This recipe came from All Recipes

Leaving a comment

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Baked Spaghetti Delish!

So this was my first time ever boiling noodles. Did you know that on almost every box of noodles they don't tell you what setting you are suppose to put the stove on. I was stupid and instead of looking it up on Google like I should of I just kept it on high. The noodles came out okay except for the ones stuck in the bottom of the pot! *face palm* So I just did look it up and will post the instructions along with the recipe. With cooking there will always be little mistakes. Okay now to review the dish! I thought it was very yummy and really easy to make. You basically just start making regular spaghetti but just throw it in a casserole dish and put it in the oven. Now I have to say I cooked my first ground beef in a skillet. I am so proud of myself. :) I also loved that you can use any spaghetti sauce you want for this. I was in awe at the grocery store from all the choices! I ended up with Ragu's Parmesan and Romano. I know they say use a 16 once jar but a little more wouldn't hurt it. I felt there wasn't enough sauce with just a 16 ounce. Next time I will add much more. When me and Jeremy got done there was so much left that we decided to take it to my parents house and serve it to my parents and grandparents. I also made a bread salad which I will post the recipe for that. We also just bought some Italian bread and used the mix of Italian cheeses we got for the grocery store and butter slices and added the cheese and put the bread in the oven to just melt the cheese. A great way to fix up Italian Bread! 

Here are the instructions for boiling noodles! 

1. 
   
   1
   In your 3 quart pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
2. 
   
   Step2
   Add a teaspoon of kosher salt and a big drop of olive oil.
3. 
   
   Step3
   Throw in your noodles and with a fork, gently bend the noodles so they are all fully immersed in the water.
4. 
   
   Step4
   Boil for 1 minute
5. 
   
   Step5
   Turn your burner to its lowest setting, place the lid on the pot and let sit for 10 minutes

The Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (we used Ragu Parmesan and Romano)
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup shredded Natural Italian Mix 4 Cheese (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Romano)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In large skillet, cook hamburger until brown. Mix spaghetti sauce into skillet. Reduce heat and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Mix in pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Mix together spaghetti and meat mixture, pour into 9x13 pan. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

This spaghetti serves about 10 people. We have four slices left from the 6 people who ate it. :D So if you make it freeze the rest you don't eat!


I got this recipe from All Recipes

Pizza Pie Meatloaf

Mmm a Meatloaf that is Italian! It really got me and my love's attention. Which Jeremy just loves meatloaf anyways. But I love Italian so it was the perfect mix for us. When we ate this I was in shock of how it does taste like a pizza. It has a very cheesy taste to it. I would just put a little less oregano in it. I was unsure if it was the cheese I was tasting or the Oregano. Don't get me wrong it was good but it felt like maybe the Oregano was overpowering. The tomatoes though with melted cheese on them were a nice touch. We choose to not add the peppers because we both don't like them much but I am sure it will be good with them too. This recipe was very popular with my Facebook friends. So many people have tried this or are going too. And some made it their own, which makes me so happy! 

Now on to the Recipe!!

2 Pounds Ground Beef (We used the lean kind)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup French's Worcestershire Sauce ( or any kind really)
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 Plum tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper (Didn't add the pepper)
1 1/2 cups French's French Fried Onions


Preheat oven to 350F. Combine beef, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire and oregano in large bowl; stir with fork until well blended (or mix with your hands)

Place meat mixture into round pizza pan with edge or pie plate and shape into 9x1 inch round. Bake 35 mins or until no longer pink in center and internal temperature reads 160F. Drain fat.

Top with remaining tomato sauce (1/2 cup), slice tomato, green bell pepper strips, mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup) and French Fired Onions (1/4 cup). Bake 5 mins or until cheese is melted and onions are golden. Cut into wedges to serve.

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 40


This Recipe came from the book Simple 1-2-3 One Dish

Nom Nom Nom

So I was told by my love, Jeremy, to make a blog to post my recipes on instead of doing the Facebook notes. I figured I give it a try. This is much prettier then the plan note option they give you. He got the idea from when we watched Julie and Julia (Great movie) and she made a blog with her recipes and talking about how each meal turned out. I don't think my blog will be as popular as hers but this will be for family and friends to read. I will still post the recipes on Facebook but if you want more detail about each then come look at this blog. :) I really hope you all enjoy this. Have fun using my recipes and get to cooking!