Baked Ziti

Saturday Derek and I took a little road trip to Bowling Green to help welcome my friend Ashley's new addition to her family! I love love love babies and could not wait to meet her...as expected she was absolutely perfect and precious. As the welcoming committee I found it fit to take food and make a few gifts for baby Scarlet! They are huge 49ers fans so I found it fitting to make her a 49ers tutu and matching bow for football season!

As far as food goes, I took the new dad and mom chocolate chip cookies, cheese garlic bread and made them baked ziti! Baked ziti is so very easy to make, can feed a crowd, freezes well, and is delicious!


Baked Ziti

What you need:

• 1 box penne pasta
• 1 block cream cheese, room temp. and cubed
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, I like Ragu
• 1 bag shredded pizza cheese
• 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 lb hamburger

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed on box until al dente.
2. While pasta is cooking, in another larger pot brown hamburger and then drain.
3. Add in your pasta sauce. Let simmer until pasta is complete.
4. Once pasta is finished, drain and return to pan add in cubed cream cheese and 1/2 the bad of shredded pizza cheese.
5. Stir until cream cheese is completely melted.
6. Add in sauce mixture and stir well.
7. Place in a 9x13 baking dish and cover with remaining bag and a half of cheese.
8. If you are eating it right away, place in a preheated 350 degree oven until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. If freezing cover and place in freezer.

**When I am making this dish for my house hold I like to saute a small onion, diced, and add to the hamburger and I like to put a can of mushrooms into mine as well. I also use the Ragu super chunky veggie or super chunky mushroom sauce.

Pork, Pork, and more pork....YUM!

Pork it's what's for dinner!!!

Pulled pork is extremely versatile! My favorite this to do is put it in the crock pot early morning and let it cook for about 6 hours on high shred it and separate it out and freeze half for another nights dinner!

For this post I will give you my recipes for making the pulled pork and then recipes for lime pulled pork tacos, cubans, bbq pulled pork, and sides such as homemade guacamole, pico, and different flavors to mix in!

For the starter pulled pork that you will be using in all of your recipes...

You will need:

• 1 medium to large pork loin, fat trimmed off
• 4 limes
• 1 can or bottle of beer or root beer
• 3 TBS season salt
• Pepper to taste
• 3TBS garlic powder

Directions:

1. In a large crock pot, place trimmed pork loin in. You may have to cut in half for it to fit and that is perfectly fine.
2. Pour in the bottle of beer and turn onto high
3. Cook for at least 6 hours.
4. Once cooked, save out 1 cup of the liquid and drain the rest.
5. Using too forks pull the pork in the crock pot and add the reserved liquid back in.
6. Roll the 4 limes on your counter, this helps to make them juicier. Then cut in half and squeeze liquid from each lime half into the pork. Between each full lime mix the pork.
7. After all limes are in, add season salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
8. Mix again.
9. Separate 1/2 the pork into a separate container and freeze for another day!

Different Recipes for Dinner using your Pork!

*PORK TACOS

Pulled pork tacos have become my new favorite...no joke. My poor family has had to eat them once a week for the past 3 weeks! But they are healthy and I make fresh Pico and Guac to go with them and it just doesn't get any better! I am sure you will agree.

What you will need:

• Limes cut into 6 sections each
• Half your pulled pork
• Hard taco shells
• Shredded mexican cheese
• lettuce
• sour cream
• homemade guacamole, recipe to follow
• homemade pico, recipe to follow
• store bought verde salsa, optional but very yummy with these tacos!!

Directions:

1. Easiest directions in the world! Make sure the pork is warm and make your taco however you like it with whatever toppings you like. Combos are limitless. Make sure to squeeze a lime section over the pork after you put it on your taco!

These tacos taste so fresh and they are pretty good for you!

*HOMEMADE PICO

You will need:

• 1 container of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 handful of cilantro chopped finely
• LOTS of salt, makes the juices really come out of the tomatoes
• pepper to taste
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Cut tomatoes into Fourths
2. In a medium bowl, mix tomatoes, salt, pepper, onion, lime, and cilantro and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

*HOMEMADE GUAC

You will need:

1. 4 ripe avocados, cut, pitted, and scooped
2. 1 small onion, diced
3. 1 tomato, diced
4. 1 tsp cumin 
5. Juice of 1 lime
6. 2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, take the pieces of avocado and smash with a fork until chunks are small but not completely smashed.
2. Add in diced onion, tomatoes, lime juice, salt, and cumin.
3. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate until serving

*CUBAN SANDWICH



I was IN LOVE with this cuban restaurant that used to set by our house. It was absolutely amazing...but they closed it! Coco Loco's was no more and I was heart broken. They had so many things that I absolutely loved, fried pork and avocado sandwich, sweet potato fries, and fried plantains to name a few, but my *FAVORITE* was their Cuban Sandwich. Once they closed their doors I decided figure out how to make my own cuban and, I believe, it was a success!! Enjoy!

What you need:

• Thinly sliced swiss cheese
• Sandwich stacker dill pickles
• Stoneground mustard
• Thinly sliced deli ham
• Hoagies
• 2 TBS butter
• Pulled pork

Directions:

1. Slice hoagies in half. On the bottom half place a generous amount of the pork.
2. On top of that place a layer (2-3 pieces) of ham.
3. Next place a slice of swiss cheese.
4. Followed by a pickle...or 2 and then spread the mustard on the top bun.
5. Place the top bun on and lightly butter outside top and bottom bun.
6. Place the sandwich 1 of 2 places...in your George Forman grill/panini press OR in a skillet pressing it down with a heavy pan on top of it to make it flat. 
7. Let cook until each side is lightly browned. Make sure to flip it like a grilled cheese if you use the skillet method.
8. Serve warm with sweet potato fries and ENJOY!!!

**BBQ Pulled Pork

What you need:

• Pulled Pork
• 3 TBS Season Salt
• 3 TBS Garlic powder
• 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• Hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and heat thoroughly.
2. Serve on warm buns

I LOVE to top mine with pickles and onions OR good coleslaw! Enjoy!

By the way...Kroger has Kroger Brand BBQ sauces called cola, Dr.K, and Rootbeer! They are wonderful give them a try!

 
 

 



 

 

 



Yummy Chicken Carbonara

PASTA!!! Who doesn't love pasta dishes...especially easy peasy pasta dishes? Exactly...no one. While it is very easy to make homemade alfredo sauce I will save that for another recipe and teach you how to make this one using store bought ingredients!
This meal take no time to make yet taste like you have slaved for hours! It also feeds a lot of people so you can either opt to have left overs or even make this for a dinner party! Add a salad and garlic bread and wha laa super yummy dinner!

Yummy Chicken Carbonara

You will need:

• 1 box fettuccine
• 1 bag frozen peas
• 1 jar store bought alfredo sauce
• 8 pieces of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 TBS butter

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed
2. In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, put in butter and pieces of bacon. Fry until cooked through but not horribly crispy! Push around pan to keep pieces separate.
3. When bacon is almost cooked, add in 1/2 the bag of frozen peas
4. Once they are cooked through about 6-8 minutes, add alfredo sauce and stir. Let warm through.
5. Drain pasta once it's complete and put back into the pot you cooked it in.
6. Once sauce is warmed through add to pasta and toss enough to make sure all pasta is covered!
7. Serve warm

**I also like to add 1/2 a diced onion to mine and about 4 oz of cut up mushrooms. IF you choose to add either of these you would add them in before you add in the peas and add in 1 extra TBS of butter. Cook for about 2 minutes and then add the peas and cook as directed above!

Yummy Chicken Casserole

I should say yummy and super easy AND you can even freeze it and use it another time chicken casserole!!
It seriously does not get any easier than this recipe and you will have most ingredients on hand! This is awesome for nights at the ball park or nights you worked late; it takes very little time and it won't disappoint.

Yummy Chicken Casserole

You will need:

• 4 cups bow tie noodles, cooked and drained
• 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed (you can even cheat and use canned if you would like just make sure to drain it completely!)
• 1 package of frozen mixed veggies (I use the steamable ones they seem to cook faster but either will work)
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cans cream of chicken
• 1 can cream of celery
• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 1 cup onion, diced (optional)
• salt and pepper to your desired amount
• 2 TBS garlic powder
• 3 TBS butter

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, mixed veggies, milk, soups, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder and butter.
2. Add noodles.
3. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour in mixture.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.

**You can also turn this into 2 8x8 casseroles and eat one and freeze one for later! You can freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer tight container.

Not Your So So Potato Salad

I am NOT normally a potato salad fan...I will occasionally eat the loaded baked potato potato salad if it is done right, by my standards lol, but even that one doesn't normally get my attention, but I have found one that I have tweaked and worked on for a long time and I LOVE it! Hopefully you will adore it too!
Potato salad always seems to make the potlucks and cookouts so why not make it where people actually enjoy eating it!
Hope you enjoy!!

Not Your So So Potato Salad

You will Need:

• 8 medium red potatoes
• 2 hard boiled eggs, cooked, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBS dry ranch powder mix
• 8 stripes of bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 1/2 cup bacon ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Making sure NOT to overcook, place potatoes into a pot of water and bring to boil. When the potatoes are fork tender but NOT mushy drain and set aside.
2. In a bowl, put sour cream salt, pepper, and DRY ranch dressing; mix well.
3. Cut potatoes, that have now dried off and cooled, into bite sizes cubes
4. Add potatoes and eggs into the sour cream mix.
5. Add ranch dressing; if it seems to dry or not to your liking you can add more dressing just remember you can always add more but you can't take it back out! So add carefully :)
6. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or over night to let all your flavors develop together.
7. Add bacon right before serving.

I have even put cherry tomatoes into this right before serving and that put a bright fresh spin on it!

5 Cup Salad

Growing up I LOVED this stuff! If you have never had it don't snarl your nose up at the sour cream part, I know it seems like the odd ball out ingredient but it is wonderful mixed in...promise!
I know this is called 5 cup salad, I left the name the same even though I use more than 5 cups haha!

5 Cup Salad

You will need:

• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained very very well
• 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained very very well
• 2 cups mini marshmallows, you can use the multi colored or white ones
• maraschino cherries drained and sliced in half, as many as you like if you don't like these leave them out!
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cool whip

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate AT LEAST 4 hours up to overnight before serving!

Wedding Potatoes

Okay, okay so these potatoes have absolutely nothing to do with a wedding BUT most people refer to these as "funeral" potatoes and that was a bit morbid for me so I decided to cheer the name up a bit! I think everyone has their own recipe for these type of potatoes, but if you don't or you'd like a new one I think mine is extremely yummy...and no worries, I am not being partial! ;)

Wedding Potatoes

What you need:

• 2 lb of frozen cubed potatoes
• 3 cups shredded shredded Velvetta cheese, divided ( I buy mine at Kroger)
• 2 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 small onion, diced (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste (you know what you like)
• corn flakes OR Doritos, smashed to top with

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, pepper, onion, and 2 cups of Velvetta cheese.
3. Once mixed completely, stir in potatoes.
4. In a seperate bowl, mix remaining cheese and either crushed corn flakes or Doritos, whichever you have chosen, and set to the side.
5. Pour the potato mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes. Make sure to check your potatoes...crunchy potatoes are a fail!
6. After it bakes for 45 minutes, take it out and cover the top with the Dorito/corn flake cheese mixture. Place back into the over for a remaining 15 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden.