Delicious Baked Ziti...!!!

Bonjour Foodies,

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
3 pounds plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 15 tomatoes)
1 - 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces uncooked ziti
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Recipe:
1. In a Dutch oven, I ended up using a normal pot because I don't own a dutch oven. I cooked the beef and the onion over medium heat until the meat was no longer pink. Then drain your beef. Afterwards stir in tomatoes (I did not put the tomatoes in mine), salt, basil, and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Since I didn't add the tomatoes to mine, I did not do this step. 

2. Cook the ziti according to the package directions and drain. Place in a large bowl Stir in sauce (I prefer to make homemade sauce but a jar of sauce will do just fine) and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Move to a baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese. 

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until heated all the way through. 

I had a lot of fun making this dish and I think my family rather enjoyed it. I also think the only way I could of improved the dish was with some homemade sauce and more mozzarella cheese. I rather like cheese. I think next time I will add a different kind of cheese along with the mozzarella. I'm thinking cheddar or some type of three cheese combo pack. Yeah, that sounds really good. I love cheese so much. 

Shepherd Pie Stuffed Baked Red Potatoes...!!!

Bonjour Foodies,

                                                Ingredients:

 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup of beef stock
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small chopped onion
1 bag of mixed frozen veggies
1 bag of three cheese mix, shredded
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon of A1 sauce
5 pounds of red potatoes
8 tablespoons of butter or 1 stick of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
A dash of ground garlic powder to taste




Recipe:

1. Peel, wash, and cut into the fourths the red potatoes. I set two of them aside to make the baked potatoes. Fill a pot with water, add some salt to help start the boiling process, and throw in the potatoes into the water. Bring the water to a boil and let the potatoes cook until tender. This usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Next I saute the onions in olive oil until tender. I then add the ground beef and cook it until it is no longer pink. I drain the excess fat from the beef and put it back into the pan. I add the beef broth, A1 sauce, and the Worcestershire sauce. Then prepare the potatoes to be mashed, adding the milk, salt, pepper, and butter as needed until you are satisfied with the texture and creaminess of your mashed potatoes. I like mine to be buttery.

3. I baked my potatoes in the microwave. The recipe called for them to be put in for ten minutes but I feel like that may have been almost too much time. The second one I put in for about six minutes and it seemed better. I believe I may have overcooked my baked potatoes so they weren't as good as I was hoping they would be. I dug the middle of the potato out with a spoon and created a nice little crater for my shepherds pie to be placed.

4. I put the shepherd's pie inside the baked potato and put mashed potatoes on top. I then put the rest of the meat in another glass baking dish and covered with the mashed potatoes. I put them in the oven for about 15 minutes and then pulled them out to add the cheese on top. I popped them back in the oven for another 15 minutes, which is probably why my baked potatoes were overcooked. I cooked them way too long. In my defense this was my first time making baked potatoes with something inside of them other than the potato itself.

5. I baked this dish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I had a lot of fun making this dish. I hope you all try it. It tastes amazing and the cheese always add an extra boost of flavor. My boyfriend and I love cheese and this recipe brings that to the table every time we make it.

Expecting in the New Year...!!!

Hey Y'all,

My boyfriend and I have been so busy preparing for the new year. We have a lot going on right now. One of those things happens to be growing inside my tummy as we speak. We found out a few months ago, maybe around October that we were pregnant. I honestly had no idea that I was pregnant. I just thought that all the things going on in my life were messing up my cycle. I never thought I was pregnant. I'm sure a lot of you are probably wondering how I couldn't know I was pregnant. The answer is pretty simple, it can happen. I wasn't really showing for most of the pregnancy, not until maybe late October to early November is when I really started to look pregnant. My boyfriend took me in December for an ultrasound.

The ultrasound was really cool. It was kind of freaky to though. The nice lady performing our ultrasound was showing us all the different parts of the baby growing inside of me. In all honestly, the baby looked like a giant mass of blobs that were very difficult to distinguish from one another. I would never of known that I was looking at the babies feet or hands if the lady wasn't there to guide us through the ultrasound. Also, while at the ultrasound, we got to find out the babies gender. This was the most exciting part of the ultrasound for me. She told us that we were having a little girl. According to my boyfriend, Andrew, he said I got the biggest of smiles on my face and looked so happy about finding out I was carrying a little girl inside of me. I was hoping that my first baby was going to be a little girl. Of course this lead us down the path of choosing a name for our little princess. We've decided to name her Violet Anne. I wanted to name her Violet because I think the name in itself is not very popular nowadays. I choose Anne as her middle name because of a friend I have who treats me like a daughter and has always been there for me when I needed someone to talk to. I'm very lucky to have the family and friends in my life that I have. They've all been super supportive since news of my pregnancy got wind to them. I feel so blessed to have as much support as I do.

The doctors have told us that we are due the 22nd of this month. I'm super excited to meet my daughter and to become a mother. I'm also terrified of becoming a mother because its an entirely new experience for me. I hope I am a good mother. I know I won't be perfect but I'll do my very best. I know my boyfriend is worried about being a good dad. But in all honesty, he shouldn't be. I think he will make a great father to our little one. I can't wait to watch him step into the role of father. I'm excited to start this new life together. I'm excited to see where this big step leads us.

Our next doctor appointment is on Friday. I'm sure I'll have more news to share with you all then.