Baked Ziti

My family prefers this meal over lasagna. It freezes well and is a winner when I need to take in a meal to a friend. Makes 2 8x8 pans, or one large 9x13.

-Six Sisters Stuff, modified

1 lb. dry rigatoni or ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
½ lb. ground beef (season with salt, pepper, onion powder)
½ lb. ground italian sausage
2 (26 oz.) jars spaghetti sauce (I like Classico)
8 slices provolone cheese
1 ½ cups sour cream
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion, ground beef and sausage over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8x8-inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: ¼ of the pasta, ¼ of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, ½ of sour cream, ¼ of pasta, ¼ mozzarella cheese and ¼ of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.

If freezing, let cool, cover with foil, and place in freezer. To thaw, place in refrigerator at least 24 hours in advance.
If baking immediately, bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.
When baking cold from refrigerator, 45 min.
When baking from frozen, 90-120 min.

Family Pleasing Chicken

The original title of this recipe is Man-Pleasing Chicken - which it is, but it is also me-pleasing and children-pleasing too, so I changed the title to suit me. Super duper easy and yummy! One of those dishes that EVERYONE in my family loves- which doesn't happen very often! And... I get to use the rosemary growing in my garden box. I've served it with mashed potatoes and baked potatoes, but it would probably be really good served with rice.

-Witty in the Kitchen

1 ½ lbs. boneless-skinless chicken thighs

½ cup dijon mustard

¼ cup real maple syrup (don't use Log Cabin for this recipe!)

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar/rice wine vinegar

Fresh rosemary, chopped

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, maple syrup and rice vinegar.

Line 9x13 baking dish with foil. Put chicken thighs in the dish and salt and pepper. Pour mustard mixture over the chicken, turning to coat.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken over and return to oven for 20 more minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sauce and a sprinkling of fresh rosemary.

Pressure Cooker Chili Beans

You CAN cook beans without soaking them first! 

Adapted from Weelicious.com

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bunch cilantro stems, tied together with butcher's twine

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

7 cups water

Salt

Pinto bean seasoning (chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder)

1 lb. hamburger

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Sort and rinse beans. Combine beans, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin and water in a pressure cooker. Following the manufacturer’s directions, cover and lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain and season with pinto bean seasoning as desired.

Allow the steam to release completely (again, following manufacturer’s directions) before opening the pressure cooker lid. Test beans for tenderness - if they still are hard, you can lock the lid back in place and cook the beans for additional time. Stir in tomato paste, browned hamburger, and season with salt (about 1 ½ tsp) and spices. 

Note: If your beans are old, I would recommend using more water.

Creamy Tomato Soup

The kids still love the Campbell's variety, but Brandon and I really enjoyed this soup I made today with our grilled cheese sandwiches. I used yourhomebasedmom.com's version as a starting point and changed it to fit our tastes.

½ cup diced onion

¼ cup butter

2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

1 tsp. salt

¼-½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. prepared pesto

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup cream

In a large pot, saute the onions in butter until tender.

Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda, chicken broth and pesto.

Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Use immersion blender to puree, and then add in half-and-half or cream.

Peach Vanilla Syrup

Forgot to add this recipe after I canned this syrup last year. Yummy!

-thesistersdish.com

5 cups peaches (pureed)

2 cups sugar

2 T. lemon juice

2 t. vanilla

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and stir well. Pour into hot, sterile jars and screw the hot lids and rings on tight.

Process the syrup in a boiling hot water bath for 15 minutes, to make sure that any bacteria is killed. Start timing when the water comes to a full boil. Set jars out and listen for the pop to ensure they have sealed.

Raisin/ Gum-Drop Cake

I can't believe I don't have this one on the blog. This is my dad's favorite cake and my Mom makes it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

-Grandma Pulsipher

Boil the following ingredients together for 10 minutes:

            2 cups sugar

            1 cup shortening

            2 cups raisins

            2 ½ cups water

            2 tsp. cinnamon

            ½ tsp. allspice

            ½ tsp. cloves

            ½ tsp. salt

Sift together and add to first mixture:

4 cups flour

2 level teaspoons baking soda

Add :

1 ½ c. cut up fruit-flavored gumdrops

1 ½ cup broken walnuts

Bake in greased tube pan at 350° for 60-75 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.