Successfully transferred my youngest daughter into a Montessori Charter school today. She is so excited. I am very happy to see her excited about school again. She was not thriving at the standard public school. I should have done this a lot sooner.
As promised here is the Baked Ziti recipe.
1 lb ground beef
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 lb ziti
1 large container of Pollo Ricotta cheese
2 large cans of Hunts Spicy & Zesty Sauce (or 32 oz of your favorite sauce)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (more/less to cover the dish)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brown meat stirring frequently, adding one spice in and thoroughly mixing it into the beef before adding the next spice. Drain any excess oil from browned meat. Stir in enough sauce to cover meat. Do not make it soupy.
Prepare ziti but do not overcook, make it al dente (firm)
Layering
In a 9 x 13 glass container cover bottom with sauce. Next spread the pasta. Next spread the meat. Next spread the ricotta cheese. Next spread over another cover of sauce. Next spread over the mozzerella cheese and finally sprinkle the parmesan cheese. Place in oven until the cheese is bubbling. (Approx 20-30 minutes)
For dessert we had brownies. This is the recipe I used. I doubled the recipe and cooked in a 9x13 aluminum pan. We don't like frosting so we used powdered sugar.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-brownies/
Buon Appetito
What a fun day. Went to Home Depot to get supplies to make a tree stand for the kids.
While we were there they had the kid workshop going on and Rosie made herself a nice keepsake box.
Then we got to practice archery shooting. Shout out for my husband and his creativity on making us a great Bow Stand and Arrow and Bow Rack.
We are trying to practice and then go into competition in the Hunter Free Style Class. Wish us luck.
Oh my bread came out very good. I love it in the morning with real butter on it. Yummy.
Boy this day just flew by. Time goes by quickly when your having fun cooking. Since I got my 6qt Artisan Kitchen Aid Mixer in the beginning of January I have used it at least once a day. It surely makes cooking easier and enjoyable. Today I made the Strawberry Pie again. (See recipe & pictures in Day Five). I really think its the best pie ever. I also made Oven Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits. Yummy. Still haven't practiced shooting this week. Very bad girl. Oh well there is always tomorrow.
Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1 cup miracle whip or mayonnaise (I used miracle whip)
2 cups Panko Seasoned Crumbs
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place Panko Crumbs in a large rectangle glass dish
3. Coat chicken pieces with the miracle whip or mayonnaise
4. Place chicken in Panko Crumb dish and coat till well covered
5. Place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish for 45 to 60 minutes. (Check at 45 minutes. Chicken is done when juices run clear)
Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
3 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl
3. Cut in butter and shortening until its somewhat crumbly
4. Gradually stir in (at lowest mixing speed) 3/4 cup buttermilk until all the flour is scraped off the sides of the bowl
5. With slightly floured rolling pin on a slightly floured surface roll out dough to desired thickness & cut into desired biscuit size.
6. Bake in over for approximately 8-10 minutes.
Darn migraine is still lingering on. Didn't sleep all that well last night. Have Scouts & Faith in God for Girls tonight at church. Managed to make Beef Taco's for dinner. It was a hit. Anyone that knows my Rosie knows that she is the pickiest eater on the face of the planet however she ate the Beef Taco's so that accounts for something. No shooting practice again today. Oh well there is always tomorrow.
It was a little chilly this morning (I know it was warm for the rest of the country but for Southwest Florida it was only 53 degrees and that is chilly for us) so I decided to make chili, cornbread and peach cobbler. No shooting practice today oh well there is always tomorrow
Here is my chili recipe:
3 cups diced tomatoes (Not from a can - dice them yourself)
1 can of black beans (La Costena) (Do not drain I use this brand for the broth in the can)
1 can of pinto beans (La Costena) (Do not drain)
1 teaspoon dried oregano1 jalapeno pepper diced (optional or more if you like it really hot n spicy)3 cups yellow onion chopped2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound ground beef2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground mustard
In a 3 quart crock pot combine diced tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, oregano, & jalapeno pepper. Put on low.
Saute onions in olive oil in large frying pan until almost brown over medium heat. Add in minced garlic. Saute till brown. Stirring frequently. Add in ground beef. Keep stirring. As beef browns add in dry spices one at a time stirring them into meat completely before adding in the next spice. (chili powder, cumin, mustard). By now the meat should be completely browned and seasoned.
Drain (there shouldn't be too much to drain if you use lean ground beef) and add to crock pot. Slow cook for about two to three hours.
Here is the link to my Sweet Cornbread Recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/golden-sweet-cornbread/
Here is the link to my Peach Cobbler Recipe: (as noted before I double the recipe for a 6qt crock pot, drain the peaches, let cool for an hour before serving, serve with Vanilla Bean ice cream):
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/357/Easy_Peach_Cobbler56187.shtml
Wow it was a busy day. After getting kids off to school I: Sent off another resume to Paychex. Prepared the Chicken n Dumplings and Biscuits (See Pics & Recipes Below). Practiced Archery with my hubby as you can see we didn't do to shabby. Posted this Blog and trying to learn Pinterest. Not quite understanding that yet. Well there is always tomorrow.
Picture of my Garden isn't showing up well on my background so here it is:
Archery Pics: (Pat's grouping is on the Left. I'm on the Right. He is much better.)
Todays Menu:
Today's agenda consisted of one resume submission to KForce for an accounting position. (Wish me luck) Then I started my cooking adventures for the day. I didn't get to practice shooting today oh well there is always tomorrow.
Menu: Beef Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy & Cornbread. (See Pics). I decided to abandon all of the recipes I found for the Beef Roast and created my own. The Cornbread recipe I used was from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/golden-sweet-cornbread/
Beef Roast Recipe:
4 lb beef roast
1 tablespoon Italian Spice
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cups beef broth
1. Place beef roast in 6qt or larger crock-pot.
2. Use half of the spices above and cover roast turn over and use the remainder of the
spices to cover other side of roast. Pour beef broth over roast.
3. Cook on high for 5 hours. (turn roast over mid-way)
4. Remove roast and chop into desired portions.
5. Prepare brown gravy by using 3 cups of the broth from the crock pot and your favorite brown gravy recipe.
6. Place roast back in crock pot and cover with brown gravy. (Note: leave some gravy to the side for the mashed potatoes)
7. Put crock pot on low heat till tender.
Enjoy.
