Which leads me to a question: Do you have a favorite dish to take to potluck dinners? If so, what is it? Is there a story behind it? I do have a story behind the baked ziti, and it was nearly 10 years ago when my husband was in seminary. We were living in Atlanta, before we had children (I can barely remember what that was like!). Anyways, my husband's cousin lives in a suburb north of Atlanta, and she had invited us over to have dinner with her family. She and her husband had a newborn son at that time - and I think he spent the whole time sleeping in one of those battery-operated baby swings. She made it for us and it was delicious! Needless to say, everytime I think of ziti, I use her recipe. It's super easy and yummy too!
Here's the recipe:
8 oz. ziti, uncooked
3/4 lb ground beef or sausage
28 oz. spaghetti sauce
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella, divided
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Grated parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta and drain. Meanwhile, brown meat and drain. Stir in sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. In small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, and seasonings; set aside. Toss hot pasta with meat sauce. Spoon half of pasta mixture in 9x13 baking dish; spread cheese mixture on top, then layer with remaining pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan on top. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 25 minutes; then 5 more minutes uncovered or until hot and bubbly.
The best thing about this recipe is it's totally foolproof! You can use a different kind of pasta (I used penne because that's what I had on hand), more sauce, less cheese, whatever you want...and it's still good! A perfect dinner for this fall day!
Now, on to the exciting part....lemon drop cookies! I made these yesterday and they are delish!!! They are so easy to make. If you are a lemon lover, you will definitely love these!
Here's the recipe:
Well, that's about all for today. I hope to return with more news tomorrow.
Until then, happy munching!
Muncho Mom
