Baked Ziti

This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time. I made it this past Saturday morning, and took it to my mother-in-law’s house to bake later that evening. It is very simple to prepare and is quite tasty. I served it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread.

This recipe is slightly modified from allrecipes.com.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound ziti
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef (I used 92/8)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add ziti, and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray. Layer as follows: ziti, half of the meat sauce, provolone cheese, sour cream, ziti, and remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake the ziti in preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and mixture is bubbly. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

I’ve been making this candy during the holiday season for many years now. It’s very easy and has been fool-proof for me. Just remember to work quickly once you add the baking soda. And be careful, because the mixture is hot!

This is very tasty and much lighter in texture than store-bought peanut brittle. It’s great to give as a gift.

Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Servings 24

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 cup salted peanuts
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda

Directions

Coat a jell yroll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a 2 quart glass bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Add peanuts and microwave 3 ½ minutes, then stir in butter and vanilla and microwave for 1 ½ minutes more.

Stir in baking soda until the mixture turns light and foamy. Pour onto the cookie sheet and spread it thinly and evenly. Let cool completely and break into pieces.

Hot & Spicy Pecans

Let me warn you: these nuts are addictive! I like to make them during the holiday season for an appetizer/snack. They are also great to give as a gift. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it has never let me down.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

2 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp ground red pepper
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP chili powder
2 cups pecan halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix butter, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper, salt and garlic powder. Stir in the pecans and gently toss with the chili powder to coat.

Spread coated pecans on a medium baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring the pecans about every 10 minutes.

Savory Black-Eyed Peas

I must admit I used to think that black-eyed peas taste like mud, but then I realized I hadn’t really done anything to season them. I started researching recipes online and let my imagination go wild. I think you’ll see that once you properly season them, black-eyed peas can be delicious! This dish is a hearty dinner, one that works great on a cold winter’s night. Of course, corn bread is the perfect accompaniment to the peas.

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 8

Ingredients

1 pound dry black-eyed peas (sorted and soaked overnight)
Water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chopped ham
2 onions, chopped
2 cans Rotel tomatoes (you choose the heat level)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place black-eyed peas in large pot. Barely cover with water. Stir in ham, onions, garlic, and Rotel tomatoes. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Bring beans to a boil. Cover beans, and simmer on medium-low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until peas are tender.

Parmesan Crab Spread

This is a great recipe for a party. I think it is best when served with toasted baguette slices, but you could serve it with crackers or tortilla chips. I had several recipes for crab dip, so I combined the best of each of them and came up with this recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

1 cup crab meat (if you must, use canned crab, drained and flaked)
1 8 ounce package softened cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
1 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Dried parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix the crab, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Pour into a medium casserole dish and sprinkle with parsley. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the spread is bubbly and golden brown.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

How could this get any better? It’s a combination of two of my most favorite things! When I make this for dinner, I serve it with a tossed salad. At a party, I cut it into squares and serve it with ranch or blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks on the side. Either way, it’s delicious!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8-10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

1 prepared pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1 cup cooked, cubed chicken breast
½ small onion, chopped
½ cup sliced banana peppers, chopped
¾ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
¼ cup melted butter
1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except mozzarella in a large bowl and stir. Evenly spread chicken mixture on the pizza crust. Top with desired amount of mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted completely and crust is crispy.

Grilled Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers

I’ve been making variations of this recipe for years. I just decided to measure everything and write it down for the blog when I was preparing it on Memorial Day. This made a fine accompaniment to the grilled ribeye steaks we enjoyed for dinner.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 medium onions (Vidalia, if you can find them), sliced in 1/4 inch thick half moons
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat. Line a jellyroll pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Add the mushrooms, onions and pepper. Top with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, butter, olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Top with another sheet of non-stick aluminum foil and crimp edges all the way around, creating a packet.

Put packet directly on grill and cook 20-25 minutes, until the veggies are softened. Be careful opening packet as there will be a lot of steam.