Wednesday and Thursday: Days 21 & 22

Wednesday was a bit crazy. I knew what I wanted to make for small group: Baked Ziti. I knew that I had almost everything for it. What I didn't know was that it would take three visits to the store to complete my list. Here's the recipe and I'll explain as we go.

Baked Ziti (from my "Church Suppers" cookbook)
Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil (I used regular and YES, the cheese totally stuck to it)
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
4 cups (32 oz jar) pasta sauce (I used a a 28 oz can and 1 small tomato sauce can)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
1 package (16 oz) ziti pasta, cooked and drained (I used macaroni elbows. Can you BELIEVE I didn't have any ziti?!?!)
1 package (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (required a trip to Walmart)
1 container (16 oz) ricotta cheese OR cottage cheese (required a trip to Target, only to discover they didn't have it and therefore also required a trip to Publix)
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ground beef, pasta sauce and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning. Stir pasta into meat sauce; spread half of mixture evenly in pan. Top with half of mozzarella cheese.
Combine ricotta cheese, egg, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and remaining Italian seasoning; spread over mozzarella cheese in pan. Spread remaining pasta mixture over ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Cover with foil with non-stick side toward food. (Maybe spray with Pam if you're using regular foil. But...in the event it sticks you can later peel it off and it makes a great snack.)
Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil cover and continue baking 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes prior to serving.
Serves 8.

Although I beg to differ on the serving amount. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough so I DOUBLED the recipe. Bad. Move. I now have not one, but TWO dishes of baked ziti in my refrigerator...AFTER we ate the first one. Seriously. It makes a lot.

Thursday (today) has been quiet. I was scheduled to give my mother a knitting lesson so she brought breakfast over...an Egg McMuffin from McDonald's (Which I paid for later. Paid dearly. My poor sensitive digestive system.) Lunch was a small salad and....drum roll, please...BAKED ZITI! Ryan will be taking a huge container of it to work tomorrow for lunch.

While on the Publix run I happened to grab a tray of fresh squash (or as Ryan calls it "squish") and okra. This morning I pulled out a pork tenderloin and threw it in the slow cooker. Now THAT'S an appliance I love. My MIL bought it for me the Christmas before Ryan and I were married. I remember thinking, "A crockpot?" But...that thing is WONDERFUL. I always watched my mom with her avocado green crockpot with its white outlines of fruits and vegetables and always thought it was not only ugly but a pain. You mainly only cooked soups in it and cleaning it was a chore. But...my slow cooker is da bomb, yo. It's shallow, has a timer and heat settings, AND (this is the best part) looks beautiful in the dishwasher. I might venture to say it's one of my favorite gifts. And yes, it's an appliance, but I probably use it once a week. Love it. Anyway, we dined on pork tenderloin (with half an onion soup mix sprinkled on it), okra, squash, and a potato diced and sauteed. That'll do pig, that'll do.

For dessert tonight we also has a cake. One of those Pepperidge Farm cakes. The three layer golden cake with chocolate icing. Of course, the icing is so sweet that you have to drink a gallon of water, but it's so good. :-)

Tomorrow I have no idea what we're planning. I know what Ryan's having for lunch, though. :-)