Baked Ziti

If you are looking for a really easy weeknight meal, and you love pasta like I do...then this is the meal for you. You only need a few ingredients; penne pasta noodles, a jar of marinara sauce, sausage or ground turkey (I usually use the sweet italian chicken sausage from Trader Joes), mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I also add chopped mushrooms if I have any in the fridge. Cook the noodles to al dente. I brown the sausage in my cast iron skillet, add the marinara sauce, then add the cooked noodles, mix it all together top with as much cheese as you like and then put it under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling. And of course, I always have garlic bread with it. Yum!

BBQ and Rockband

My honey playing the drums in Rockband.

Last night our friends had us over for a BBQ and to play Rockband. I was a little nervous about singing but the game is really fun and after a glass of champagne I didn't care how I sounded. They made BBQ chicken and salad. I brought rice pilaf and beer biscuits. Plus, we had plenty of chips and dip to snack on which is my favorite snack. Yum!
The rice pilaf I made is a recipe I'm trying to recreate from childhood. My dad passed away when I was in middle school and I'll always remember how much I loved his rice pilaf. He was Armenian and I've been searching for the recipe online. I think I got pretty close last night. The noodles I bought were too thin and I didn't brown them long enough in the butter but the flavor was good.
Here is the recipe:
3 C hot chicken stock
1 1/2 C long white grain rice
1 1/2 C uncooked noodles broken into 1-2 inch pieces (I used angel hair pasta)
1/2 C diced onion
1/2 C unsalted butter
salt to taste
Cook the noodles and onion in the butter until noodles are golden brown and onions are tender, be careful not to burn the butter. Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Add hot chicken stock, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer, cover with lid until rice is cooked and all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and salt to taste. Yum!
While I was at Trader Joes I picked up a box of Beer Batter Mix and I have to say I was disappointed. The biscuits were plain and really doughy. I won't be buying it again. Paula Dean has a great recipe for Bubba's Beer Biscuits so I'll continue to make those instead.

Blog Alert- Sunny Anderson

To my fellow foodie bloggers...you probably watch the Food Network as I do and tonight I found out that Sunny Anderson has her own blog. Here is the link http://sunnyanderson.blogspot.com/

Chopped Salad

Do you love my salad forks? Our friends got them for us in Hawaii.

Yes, there are more croutons than lettuce leaves in my bowl of salad.
I LOVE croutons.

Whenever we go to the restaurant Bucca Di Beppo, my hubby and I always order the antipasto chopped salad. I was craving it today so I thought I'd try and make my own version. I chopped up romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, salami, provolone cheese and some green onions. I tossed it with my favorite croutons from Trader Joes and zesty italian dressing. Yum!

A Toast to My Sister

My sister used to make grasshopper pie when I was little. It was my very favorite dessert. As an adult I now realize it was probably because there was liquor in the pie. LOL, just kidding I loved the mintyness and the cookie crust. She is a great baker and I've had many cakes, cookies and treats at her house but she doesn't enjoy the cooking process. Making dinner isn't her ideal way to spend an evening.
For New Year's Eve my aunt and uncle surprised us with a visit. This meant we'd be having dinner at my sister's house (she has all the kids) and when I asked what we'd be having, she said "spaghetti." Sure enough, when I got to her house in the evening she had spaghetti sauce simmering in the crockpot, a tossed salad, garlic bread and there was even wine. Yum!
We had a wonderful time with our family for the celebration and we all managed to stay awake to watch the ball drop.
Thank you to my sister for hosting a great night.

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

A fellow blogger posted a twist on a bread recipe by Ina Garten recently and since I had leftover zucchini and carrots last night I thought I'd try my own version. Here is the original recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/date-nut-spice-bread-recipe/index.html
I omitted the dates/liqueur and used 1 C grated carrots and 1 C grated zucchini. I also used 1 C whole wheat flour and 1 C all-purpose flour instead of 2 C of all-purpose. These muffins are moist and have a great orange flavor. Perfect for a quick breakfast this morning.

Andria's Seafood

Cajun Chicken Sandwich with fries. I get tartar sauce on the side for the fries. Yum!

Clam chowder, which my husband sprinkles with hot sauce, pepper and lots of oyster crackers.

One of my favorite weekend eateries is Andria's Seafood in Ventura. It's right on the harbor, very causal and the food is always good. The line may look dauntingly long when you first arrive, but it goes fast. If you've never been I recommend the clam chowder in a bread bowl or the cajun chicken sandwich (grilled). We have friends who swear by the fish & chips, but I find it a little greasy. This is a dog friendly place, so snag a table outside if you plan to bring your puppy along. If you have a little room left after lunch, make sure to stop by Coastal Cone for some ice cream which is especially good since we've been experiencing warm 70 degree weather this winter in southern CA. Now I'm ready for my food coma nap.