Baked Ziti

This is per request of Melanie and Beverly:

Ingredients

• 2lb beef, 1 onion chopped: brown and drain
• 2 26 oz jars of fav. spaghetti sauce, mix with above and simmer for 30 min. I add a tbsp of sugar to cut the acidity
• 1 lb dry ziti-- cook by directions, toss with 3 tbsp olive oil so it doesn't stick
• 6 oz sliced provolone cheese
• 4 cups mozerella cheese
• 2 cups sour cream (I use light)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

Layers:

• a small amount of meat sauce to prevent sticking
• 1/2 of ziti
• all of provolone cheese
• all of sour cream
• 2 cups mozerella
• rest of ziti
• meat sauce
• top with rest of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If its been refrigerated, let it come to room temp on counter first (30-45 minutes). ITS DELICIOUS!!!!!!

This freezes well. If freezing, Just adjust the baking time to about an hour and let it thaw for a while.


I put this into two different casserole dishes. We eat one that night and freeze the other for the future.

Mexican Dinner

Okay so this meal has a lot of dishes but none of them are too hard. I made it for mom and dad the other night and it was a hit. They were my guinea pigs :) I will give you all the recipe's and then tell you which order I did them in. Don't be scared!

Re fried Beans
These really are a cinch to make. I don't have the exact measurements so it is a little bit of a tasting game but I will try my best.

Rinse 2 cups of pinto beans and pick out the bad looking ones. Soak them overnight in your crock pot bowl (mine is about a 4 quart crock pot). You will use 8 cups cold water for this. I normally start soaking mine around 8ish. You could do it sooner or later if you want but they need about eight hours to soak.

Between 8 and 10 in the morning boil 12 cups of water (I tend to lean more towards the 8:00). Drain your soaked beans and rinse them again (the more you rinse the less gas they will produce in your tummy :)). Put rinsed beans back into your crock pot and add boiling water till just about to the top of the pot. Turn on high and forget about it until 4:00 (you can adjust the times depending on when you want to eat). At 4:00 turn off the crock pot and drain and rinse the beans again. I put them back into the crock pot bowl to keep them warm. Now mash them up and add water until it is the consistency that you want.

For the spices I add: (these are all approximate guesses sorry)
1-2 tsp. garlic salt (they can be over salted so less is better at first)
2 tsp. cumin
1-2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. chili powder
a small bunch of cilantro chopped
2 tsp. oregano
1 small can green chilies
1 tsp. lime juice
You may need to add more spices than this. I found I added more of the cumin and chili powder and lime juice. Now the beans are done! Simple right?

Enchilada Sauce

2 Tbs. butter
1/4 c flour
4 c boiling water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/4 c tomato sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. cumin
3 Tbs. chili powder

Melt butter in skillet (I use a ten inch skillet). Add flour, whisking constantly, and stir until mixture turns brown (this will take a few minutes be patient). Dissolve bouillon in water and bring to a boil. Gradually stir the water mixture into browned butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in tomato sauce and spices. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

These are so yummy!

Boil water 2 cups to be safe

In a bowl mix
1 tsp. salt
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c shortening (cut this in until crumbly)
Now add your boiling water a little at a time until it is the consistency of a pie crust. Rest covered for 2 hours. Grab a tablespoon silverware and scoop out some dough. Roll into a ball (about the size of a golf ball) and flatten with your hand on a floured surface. Continue to roll it out with a rolling pin until desired thickness. The thinner the better. Cook on a griddle or pan for 30 seconds or so (until it starts to brown) flip and cook again. You are done!

Green Chili Rice

This is the Cafe Rio version I got from Mel a while back.

3 c minute rice
3 c water
3 Tbs chicken bouillon
1 Tbs butter
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 can green chilies
1/2 c chopped onion

In a saucepan, saute butter, garlic and onions. In a pan, bring water and chicken bouillon to boil and add rice. Boil until tender (about 5 min) and add the rest of the ingredients. You may need to add a little more water. Cover and simmer if necessary.

Okay that is everything beside chips and salsa.

To assemble. I make the re fried beans first. Then the tortillas. Before I roll them out I cook the enchilada sauce. When the sauce is simmering for 10 minutes I roll and cook the tortillas. Then I assemble it all into a 9x13 greased pan. Spread some sauce onto the bottom of the pan. Then start rolling your tortillas with the re fried beans. Squish as many as you can. The tortillas are delicate so be careful not to puncture a hole but it is okay if you do. I was able to squish 13 tortillas into my pan. Cover with more sauce. You will have extra sauce but be generous. Next I put equal amounts of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese on top. Whatever floats your boat though. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge until ready to put into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, chopped onion, and salsa. Have the rice as a side dish and corn if you want. You could put the rice in with the tortillas but I like it out. Break open the chips and enjoy! Sorry this is so long. I thought it was so yummy though.

Best Sugar Cookies Ever

I got this recipe from a friend in my ward. They seriously are so yummy. And they turn out perfect every time. Sorry no picture, you'll just have to imagine how wonderful they are. :) Click here for the companion frosting recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups butter, softened not melted
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Cake 6-8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Creamy Chicken with Bacon & Penne

We had this last night for dinner and it was really good. And it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We ate it with a Ceasar salad and garlic bread. This was a great meal. Hope you guys enjoy it too!
INGREDIENTS:
4 slices bacon (we used turkey bacon)
4 small Boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
2 cups Penne pasta, uncooked (or any other kind of pasta you would like)
4 oz Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Green onions, chopped

WRAP 1 bacon slice around each chicken breast. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard drippings in skillet.

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook cream cheese spread and broth in skillet until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened and well blended, stirring constantly with whisk. Stir in tomatoes and onions; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add sauce; mix lightly. Serve topped with chicken.

***I started off by boiling my water. Then I wrapped the bacon around my chicken and got that cooking. Once my chicken was done, I drained my pan and started with the cream cheese and broth mixture. By the time that was done my noodles were all boiled. So I drained my noodles, dumped the cream cheese mixture in and served with the chicken. Super easy.

Grilled Spinach Alfredo Pizza

This was heaven.

This is so simple.

Make your favorite pizza dough recipe.

Roll the pizza dough out to desired size. I recommend you do personal size pizza. Make sure the pizza is well floured so it doesn't stick to the grill.

Spray the grill with PAM grill spray.

Grill one side of the pizza until crispy. Take it off the grill.

Flip it so the grilled side is up and raw side is down. Put your toppings on it.



You can do whatever toppings you like:

We like alfredo sauce.

I add minced garlic. If you use raw, be sure to cook it in a skillet first...unless you like raw garlic. The last time I made this, I cooked up some fresh garlic and it was very good. I also add basil or italian seasoning.

Topping ideas: grilled chicken and tomatoes a mozzerella cheese. Other ideas are mushrooms, red peppers, olives...

We also like traditional flavors with red pizza sauce (canadian bacon, pepperoni, plain cheese, etc.)

You really need to try grilling pizza. It was amazing.