My Recent Posting Hiatus

OK, so most of you know that I got laid off a little over a week ago. I know that everything will be fine, but I think that I have finally "landed" somewhere. By this, I mean that I went through a little bit of panic, a little bit of frantic damage control (uber-budgeting, resume updating, networking, etc), a day of "I don't want to get out of bed", and everything in between. Anyhow, I am still a little nervous, as anyone would be, but I feel "OK" with everything and am ready to move forward with whatever God is leading me too, and have seen that after a week, this budget is quite doable for now. I also have to say that Friday was the first day that I actually ENJOYED the day. I worked out, I cleaned, I ran errands (Costco stock-up trip with price comparisons from chain stores included), and still got to feel like I was somehow on vacation! ...Not to mention it was a BEAUTIFUL day.

I don't mean to leave Richard out of this (or this post), at all either, I know I'm sounding (and OK, being) all "me, me, me" right now, but this is as much about him as me, I know. He is very compassionate with my freakishness (as he always is), and reassures me that everything will be fine. As I've said before, I am so very blessed to have such a wonderful husband and partner who puts up with me and more than that LOVES ME SO.

OK, so what I'm saying is that you might see the posts get a little different here. I will be using a few more ingredients over and over thanks to Costco. I am going to see what all I can do with using some basic staples I bought and just filling in where I can. There will be a LOT more free form recipes, and less structure. Probably nothing too groundbreaking, but I can assure you they will be cheap to make!

I don't even know what to call this recipe, because it's actually something I've made a few times before, but have finally fine tuned it into something I consider a "keeper". There is absolutely NOTHING groundbreaking about it and feel like a dope posting it, but it's so good it warrants a post (probably in Richard's and my top 3). It's one of those things that I don't have to go t the grocery store to make because I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand (minus the pasta - until my latest Costco trip that had a variety pack of Barillia Plus pasta - the whole grain pasta plus all this extra good for you stuff). I guess it's just my take on baked ziti, but I really think that it is probably the best use for whole grain pasta, that tends to be a little tougher and bland than normal pasta. In this dish, the flavors really meld and since the pasta is twice cooked, is very tender without going mushy. OK, onto my WTVO ("white trash version of") Baked Ziti. I will make a few more comments than normal too...


This is also a time that I have to plug my favorite pan EVER. I love my cookware, and when my mom bought my this piece I can't believe I considered returning it because I thought that I wouldn't use it that much. Basically, it is a saute pan (on steroids), as well as great for baking (lid can go in the oven), and ooooh so easy to store the left overs because of the lack of a long handle. I now understand why Calphalon calls it the "Everyday Pan". I use this pan so much, and now that I have it, this dish (among others), becomes a one dish meal (minus the pan to boil the pasta).

WTVO Baked Ziti

First off, this makes a whopper amount, but this freezes really well and I have like to take half of it to eat on and the other half I freeze in lunch size portions (take it out of the freezer and leave it out until lunchtime and just heat as normal (by that time, it's just cold). I also freeze a portion large enough for dinner for Richard and I (the key to defrosting/reheating a larger portion is to cut it into several pieces before actually freezing).

• olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 1 bell pepper, chopped (This is key, for some reason, this just tastes like everything else if you don't use the bell pepper, so don't skip it)


• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (If they are jumbo, use less)


• 1-1.5 lbs ground turkey (All the manufacturers seem to make these packs different sizes, so just whatever you happen to buy)


• 2-3 links of sweet/mild Italian sausage (OK, this is what I SWEAR BY when making anything Italian. Even just a little bit added to your ground beef or turkey makes such a huge difference in flavor of the dish. I buy whatever is the cheapest or on sale at the time and then depending on the # of links, just freeze the pack in a freezer bag and use as I need)


• 1 can of Hunts or Del Monte spaghetti sauce (They are the cheapest by far, and work quite well in recipes. I like the traditional, or the herb, garlic, etc. - just don't mess with the meat or cheese flavors)


• 1 can of tomato sauce (I like a lot of sauce, so I use the 16 oz and not the 8 oz)


• 2-3 tbs Italian seasoning (I love thyme and basil, so I go with 2 tbs and then some extra of the thyme and basil separately)


• 1/4 c sugar (This cuts the whang of the tomato sauce)


• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (Not the fancy shredded kind, just the cheap kind in the shaker)


• 1 box of Barillia Plus rigatoni


• 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded


• Italian blend cheese

Saute onion in olive oil while chopping the bell pepper. Add bell pepper and garlic to onion and continue to saute for about 3 minutes. Add turkey and sausage to skillet to brown (i just squeeze the sausage like a tube of toothpaste into the pan). Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce sugar and spices to meat.

Preheat oven to 350 and simmer sauce while cooking pasta according to directions. Add parmesan cheese to sauce then stir in the coked and drained pasta. Mix all ingredients well and level the top of the mixture in the pan. Top with mozzarella and Italian cheese blend. Cover the dish with the fabulous oven safe lid, and bake until cheese is bubbly and mixture has set (about 15-20 minutes). I let sit for about 15 minutes before serving, because I like for it to firm up a little.

And for those who want "make ahead" dish, just do all of it besides the baking ahead of time and refrigerate until time for baking. You can just up the temp to about 375 and cook about 10 minutes longer.

...Like I said, there's nothing ground breaking about this, but it's healthy and really good. It puts mid-week spaghetti to shame and doesn't take half the time of lasagna.