Baked Ziti

We love pasta and it's on our menu at least once a week. Usually, we go with the same few meals and just alternate them every week but this week I decided to go with something different. We had a box of ziti in the closet waiting to be used with a recipe on the back waiting to be tried. Baked Ziti was very easy to make but it was incredibly satisfying. It reminded me of my moms amazing lasagna without the meat. It was rich, creamy, and super cheesy!

1 box of ziti, cooked

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

15 oz. ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp parsley

1 egg

1 Tsp oregano

1/2 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp salt

1/4 Tsp black pepper

3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, stir together hot pasta, 1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parsley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a 13x9x2- inch baking dish, spoon pasta mixture in. Top with the remaining 1-1/2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad is another easy recipe that I wasn't sure if I should blog or not. But then I realized that I had to go and search out a recipe for it so others might be as clueless as I was. I knew the basics: pasta, veggies, and some type of dressing. But I wasn't sure what else to add to give it a little more variety. I'm sure this is by no means an original recipe but it's what sounded good on the Fourth!

1 box of pasta

1 red pepper

1 green pepper (we used 2 since we had them on hand)

1 yellow pepper

Purple onion

Pepperoni to taste

1 cheese brick ( we used colby jack)

1 bottle of Italian Dressing

Boil pasta. Chop all veggies, pepperoni and cheese to a small size of your choosing. Throw chopped ingredients and pasta in a bowl and mix well. Next, add enough dressing to coat all and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so the dressing can "soak" in. Add more as needed if necessary. Enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July!

Fireworks between San Diego and Coronado Island

Image from stripst3r.com

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone is having a fun and safe Fourth! The hubby and I are spending some time out by the pool, grilling out, and then watching fireworks down at the beach. Here's our menu-its very traditional but very delicious.

Side Dishes:

Pasta Salad

Potato Salad

Fruit and Veggie Kabobs

Main Dishes:

Hamburgers

BBQ Chicken

Dessert:

Cupcakes

"Sparklers"-http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pretzel-Sparklers

BBQ Potato Chip Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken, so I'm always looking for new ways to change it up. I found this recipe and immediately knew it would be a hit. The hubby loves potato chips and we had a bag that was almost used up so the crumbs were perfect for the coating!

3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 cup BBQ Potato Chips (crushed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Brush chicken with ranch dressing.
Dip chicken in crushed chips.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe from tinytyrantskitchen.blogspot.com