Baked Ziti

This recipe cooks a large amount. Use a 9 X 13 pan to cook this dinner. You will have plenty of leftovers. Serve with a green salad - easy! The leftovers are just as good.

BAKED ZITI

1 lb. pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. sausage, crumbled
28 oz. diced tomatoes
thyme, rosemary, garlic powder and salt
8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. shredded cheese, parmesan

1. Brown crumbled sausage. Add diced tomatoes. Season with thyme and rosemary. Simmer while cooking pasta. (About 10 to 15 minutes.)

2. Mix ricotta with 2 c. mozzarella. Season with garlic and salt.

3. Spread a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer 1/3 pasta, 1/3 cheese and 1/3 sauce. Repeat twice. Sprinkle additional shredded cheese on top.

4. Cover with foil. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

An even simpler version of this recipe is to buy a large jar of spaghetti sauce with your favorite seasonings, skip the ricotta and instead just layer the pasta and sauce with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Easy and delicious. This version without the ricotta and meat is quicker as well - you only need to bake it for about 25 minutes.

Tomato, Basil, Spinach Quiche

Colorful, easy and delicious! Great for a cold winter day if you serve it warm!

Tomato, Basil, and Spinach Quiche

Preheat oven to 400.

1 9 inch pie crust, uncooked
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I use monterey jack)
3 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 large tomato, roughly peeled, seeded and chopped
handful of spinach
1 small onion, sliced
1 T. olive oil
small handful of fresh basil, chopped

1. Saute onion in olive oil. Add spinach. Cover until spinach is just wilted. Set aside.
2. Add tomatoes and basil to pan. Saute.
3. Spread about 1 c. of the cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread onions and spinach over the cheese. Layer tomatoes and basil over the onions.
4. Whisk eggs and milk together. Pour over layers. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese.

Cook at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

I cooked the chicken and chopped the vegetables the night before and put them in the fridge so everything was ready to throw into the crockpot the next day. Use whatever peppers you have in the house. If you don't want it hot, don't use the jalapeno. Colorful peppers add some visual appeal to an otherwise pale dish. Very easy!

Chicken and White Bean Chili

2 lbs. chicken breast, cut in small pieces
1 red pepper, chopped
1 long yellow pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can corn
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
1 c. chicken broth
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
Cilantro for garnish

Cook chicken in a bit of olive oil until slightly browned. Combine chicken with vegetables, broth and seasoning in crockpot. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Tastes great served with cornbread!