Monday, August 24, 2009

Baked Ziti




This recipe serves a ton of people (or 10-12) so it is great for pot-lucks. For our family, I bake it in two 8x8 casseroles and freeze one. I love the provolone cheese and the sour cream, they really make this Ziti stand out from others. Enjoy!




1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese



Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Monday, August 17, 2009

BLT Dip




This dip is probably the most fat you could eat in a sitting which means it is awesome! Beware, once your start, you can't stop! Enjoy!


1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream (I use light)
1 pound bacon, fried, drained and crumbled
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 chopped tomato


Combine ingredients, except for tomato and chill until cold. Top dip with tomatoes before serving. Serve with garlic pita chips.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Rattlesnake Pasta


I love the "Rattlesnake Pasta" at 54th Street Bar & Grill so I gave it a try at home. It came out well, although, it may not be exact, but it was an awesome dinner anyways. Note that this is not a kid-friendly dinner, at least not for my kids, so they were served penne with a little butter. It was spicy!


1 TBS Olive Oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh cayenne pepper
1 fresh serrano pepper
1 red pepper sliced
1 pint cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (not the green can kind)
A couple shakes of ground cayenne pepper (sauce should be a pinkish color, the more the spicier)
A shake of dried Red pepper flakes (crushed red pepper)
Corn Starch, only if not as thick as you would like
Grilled chicken or shrimp, seasoned with spices of choice
1/2 box Penne pasta (or whatever you have)


Heat oil in skillet at a medium heat. Saute garlic, fresh (whole) cayenne pepper and red pepper in oil until browned. Be careful not to burn garlic. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta. Add whole serrano pepper to boiling water with pasta.

Add cream to skillet, cooking slowly over medium-low heat, do not boil. Add ground cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, and parmesan to cream. Stir until heated through. Remove serrano from boiling water. Let it cool to touch and then chop. Add chopped serrano to cream sauce. If not as thick as would like, add 1 TBS starch to 1 TBS cold water in separate bowl. Then add to cream sauce and stir well. Remove cayenne pepper from sauce and throw away. Drain pasta and serve with sauce and chicken/shrimp.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Banana Pudding



There's nothing like cool banana pudding on a warm Summer's day.


(2) 3 oz. pkgs. instant French Vanilla Pudding
3 cups cold milk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. Cool Whip, divided
1 (5 oz) pkg. vanilla wafers
4-5 bananas

Prepare pudding mix using 3 cups milk. Fold in condensed milk and 1 cup whipped topping. Layer vanilla wafers in a 9x13 pan. Top with banana slices. Cover with pudding mixture. Cover with remaining whipped topping. Cover and chill. Enjoy!