Baked Ziti for Sunday... and another day.

I have been so so so busy... both of my parents are having surgery within these two weeks, my high school reunion was this weekend, two communions, birthday parties, two crazy kids... you know the drill. So I wanted to make something that would have leftovers.

Baked Ziti to the rescue!

My sauce came out yummy today so I am going to record the recipe. Let's call it,

Marinara Sauce

One red onion, chopped
One yellow pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 carrot pealed and chopped fine (I actually use my peeler to make thin strips and then chop those)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
4 cans of petite diced tomatoes
Kosher salt, sugar, oregano, parsley, basil, pepper... to taste
One bay leaf
2 table spoons of olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pot.

Saute chopped veggies until tender. Add some salt and some sugar.

Add crushed tomatoes and two cans of the diced.

Puree with a hand blender.

Add the last two cans of tomatoes. Add spices to taste, including some more salt and sugar.

Simmer for a few hours. I put some in a tupperware for another night, and used the rest for...

Baked Ziti

One pint of part skim ricotta, seasoned
One hunk of Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
1 1/2 boxes of ziti
about half of the sauce above

For Ricotta-
One egg
a tablespoon of garlic powder
a tablespoon of onion powder
a pinch of salt

Mix all those things together and then add the cheese, stir and set aside till ready to use.

Ladle some sauce into a large lasagna pan to coat the bottom. Boil salted water and prepare pasta according to directions. Put drained pasta into the pan and pour a few cups of sauce on top, stir to coat, add ricotta and fold into pasta mixture, adding more sauce if needed. Lay the slices of Mozzarella cheese on top and bake at 350 until bubbly and hot.

Sunday Dinner- Fajitas and Love

Growing up, we never ate dinner as a family. Well, rarely, and always at a restaurant. We didn't all fit in our tiny kitchen and mom wasn't much of a cook. She is and was a wonderful mother, but this was not a strong suit. I always dreamed of having big Sunday dinners where friends and family came to the table and shared a bounty of foods and a bounty of love. I don't quite do it like that, but we make attempts. So tonight, Fajitas, rice, beans, and some taco meat thrown in for the kids who wont do the fajita filling. Left over Orange Scented Chocolate Chip Cake for dessert. Perfect.

I marinated some skirt steak last night in garlic, soy sauce, honey, black pepper, and red wine vinegar. I will grill it in my grill pan and slice thin. Serve with sauteed onions and pepper sprinkled with chipotle chili powder, refried beans, and white rice.

We will sit around the table, beg our little one to eat, plead with the big girl to sit on her butt and eat over the table, try to get my Mother in Law to talk about her day, and try to help daddy wind down from a day at the auto service station fixing my flat tire and working all afternoon (it is still tax season alas), and I will try to take at least one moment to appreciate the gift of the Sunday Dinner.

Oooh I changed my mind, I am going to skip the refried beans and make something I love.... A can of beans, a can of corn both drained, and a half and onion chopped, all sauteed in salted butter. Yummy Yum Yum.