Baked Ziti

I got this recipe from SuperCook because I had lots of good ingredients in the house, but just no idea what to make.  I could have made this much more elaborate, but stuck with just the few ingredients and it turned out very well.  This is a good recipe that will also been good to eat for lunches (I like foods that I want to eat more than just the one night I make it).

BAKED ZITI

8 oz. Ziti pasta (you could also use Penne)

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 jar pasta sauce

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta & drain.

Combine sauce, mozzarella and ricotta (I did this in the baking dish so I wouldn't have to dirty a bowl)

Add pasta & mix well (I found that using tongs does the job perfectly)

Pour into baking dish (if you haven't already)

Top with parmesan cheese

Cover with aluminum foil

Bake for 30 minutes at 375.

Egg Noodle Slaw

My dad used to make this dish when I was younger, but it's one of those things I always forgot about. It's a little more time consuming than most of my dishes, but still pretty easy, and well worth it. Mostly, it just takes time to chop everything (especially the cabbage), but it is so yummy once it's all together.
EGG NOODLE SLAW

8 oz. medium egg noodles

3 c. shredded cabbage

½ c. celery, chopped

½ c. cucumber, sliced

½ c. cheddar cheese, grated

1 pkg. ham or turkey, sliced

Cook noodles & drain.

Combine noodles with other ingredients.

DRESSING

(This makes a lot of dressing. I made the whole recipe & used about 3/4 of it.)

1 c. plain yogurt

¼ c. EVOO

2 T. white vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. dry mustard

¼ tsp. white pepper

Whisk together all ingredients.

Pour over noodle mixture.

Mix well.

Sprinkle dish with paprika (optional).

Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Kraft Recipes. I've never made any type of enchilada before- in fact I've only eaten them once or twice in my life. But, these were extremely easy to make & were a hit in the Willis house. It's recipes like these that I am thrilled to add to my repertoire because it's easy & tasty & unlike most other things I cook.
Due to the snow storm we had, the grocery store was relatively bare yesterday, so please excuse the canned chicken & pre-packaged lettuce. I'm not proud, but it's what was available. CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. sour cream
1-1/2 c. Colby & Monterey Jack cheese
1 c. salsa
2 T. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
10 tortillas- mine were too big, so I had to cut them- I'll buy smaller ones next time.
1 c. shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

Mix chicken, sour cream, 1 c. of cheese, 1/4 c. of salsa, cilantro & cumin until well blended
Spoon about 1/4 c. of the chicken mixture onto center of each tortilla; roll up.
(I had some extra chicken mixture, and realized it would make a good chicken salad sandwich or wrap- the chicken is already cooked, so the mixture is tasty just the way it is!)
Place, seam side down, in baking dish.
Top with remaining 3/4 c. salsa; cover.
Bake 30 minutes at 350.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese.
Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Top with lettuce & tomato before serving.

Chicken & Apples

Oh my goodness! This is a brand new recipe that is ridiculously easy & incredibly delicious...my favorite! I subscribe to a couple of recipe e-mail lists, but until now I haven't had a lot of time to go through the e-mails that are chocked full of what look like great recipes. Now that I'm staying home I'm starting to wade through those e-mails (which, thankfully I have saved in folder), and this is evidence of one such recipe. I got this one from My Recipes.
Seriously- it was so easy and so good!
CHICKEN & APPLES
5 c. chopped, peeled apples (I used 4 Braeburn apples- next time I'll probably use 5)
1 t. sage (I didn't have any, so I left it out, but would like to use it or thyme next time)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (Stephen asked for more of this next time)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 chicken thighs, skinned

Combine first 5 ingredients plus 1/4 tsp. salt.
Spread apple mixture onto baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam
Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt & pepper
Arrange chicken on top of apple mixture
Bake at 475 for 25 minutes

The original recipe says you should then mash the apples into an apple sauce, but I left them chunky.