Month: June 2016

Baked Ziti is one of those dishes that most of my family has always enjoyed – everyone but Munchkin. Since he really dislikes it when made traditionally, I rarely served it. But then I came across a recipe on AllRecipes that I thought might make him like it more. It called for Provolone instead of Ricotta; other than that, it was practically the same. So I made it one night, and it was a huge hit! We all like baked ziti this way much better than the “lasagna but with bite size noodles” way. Enjoy!

Baked Ziti

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey (or a wide variety of chunky vegetables – mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc)
• 1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce (or equivalent homemade)
• 1 pound bite-size pasta, any shape
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 6 tbsp sour cream
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Brown meat or cook vegetables until done. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer while the pasta cooks.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, draining it at the lowest recommended cooking time. You’ll be baking it after this, so even if you prefer softer pasta, drain it now. It will continue to cook in the oven.
3. Add pasta to sauce and combine well.
4. In a 13×9 baking dish coated with cooking spray, add half the pasta. Layer the provolone slices over the top, then top each one with a tablespoon of sour cream. Spread the sour cream evenly over the whole dish.
5. Add the other half of the pasta. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or 425 F for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the whole dish is hot and bubbly.

Blessings,

There are probably as many recipes for fish cakes as there are cooks who make them. I recently came across one for salmon cakes that included Rice Krispies, but we didn’t have any on hand. I decided to try making it using bread crumbs instead, since the cereal was the only ingredient we didn’t already have. When I got it all mixed together, I could tell they were going to try to fall apart on me (which seems to happen all the time with fish cake recipes as they’re written), so I added a little bit of mayonnaise to help them hold together better. It worked like a charm! Now these delicious patties are one of our favorite easy go-to lunches; it’s not much harder than a sandwich (especially in my house where everyone likes a different kind), but it gives us a nice hot lunch that feels more like a meal than a lot of other options. I hope you like it too.

If you don’t like salmon, or just don’t have any in the house, this could be made just as easily with tuna.

Salmon Cakes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Makes 9 patties

• 5 cans salmon (5 ounces each), drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp dill weed
• 1 tsp mustard
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
2. Mix in bread crumbs, dill weed, and mustard to create a slurry.
3. Add salmon and combine well.
4. Stir in mayo to create a paste-like mixture (think meatballs or meatloaf).
5. Shape mixture into balls, then flatten into patties. I usually get 9 decent sized cakes from this recipe, but you could easily make smaller ones for a side dish instead of these main-dish sized ones.
6. Saute in hot oil 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown and heated through.

Blessings,