Confessions' Classics

Today, I'm bringing back some of the recipes I've posted here, particularly early on. It's an extremely shortened blog, though. Enjoy!

BAKED ZITI

This was originally posted on April 2, 2010. Great for a yummy, easy meal.

What to fix when you've just gotten home from work and you want something good, hot and with a minimum amount of effort? Baked Ziti fits the bill on all three counts. And if you're like me, chances are you have all the makings in your cupboard and fridge.

Here's what it takes:

16 ounce box of ziti
26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar-full of water
2 C shredded cheese

Okay, I can hear you asking, "What brand of spaghetti sauce? What type of sauce? And the cheese...Cheddar? Mozzarella? Can it be the stuff already shredded and in a bag or does it have to be a block of cheese that I grate and measure?" Here's the good part: Use what you have.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Dump the dried ziti into the pan. (No, no, do NOT cook the ziti first. Dump the ziti uncooked straight from the box.) Pour the spaghetti sauce into the pan and add one jar-full of water into the pan. Stir to mix. Add most of the shredded cheese, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of cheese. Stir to mix. Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 5 minutes for a total time of 40 minutes.

Serve with a salad and possibly garlic bread.

See? Simple, hot, good and with at minimum amount of energy. What could be better for an after-work dinner?

JASON'S B-B-Q GLUTEN

One of the recipes originally posted on January 16, 2013. This is from my oldest son. Rather than reword any of this, the recipe is included exactly as he wrote it out for me, with one slight omission. (This stuff is definitely good.)

Ingredients:

5 lb. whole wheat flour

2 onions

1/2 creamy peanut butter

2 bottles of B-B-Q sauce

1 stick butter

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons paprika

Huge bowl

Take whole wheat flour, empty into Big Bowl. Add enough water to knead into dough ball. Knead really well. I repeat, knead really well. For at least 10 minutes. Fill huge ass bowl with water, put dough ball under water for 2 hours. Pour off water and drowned roaches. Knead doughball under cold running water for 10 minutes or more. Water should be clear. You are washing out the starch and bran. You know it’s ready when stringy and it sticks together and is bouncy. Melt 1 stick butter and fry 2 chopped onions until clear. Dump onto Gluten. Add salt, paprika, and peanut butter. Mix with hands completely. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking pan with non-stick spray. Pinch off pieces bigger than a golf ball. Take piece and fold it and twist it and lay it down in pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip over and bake for 10 more. Pour B-B-Q sauce and bake 10 more minutes, then flip and pour more B-B-Q sauce and bake 10 more minutes. It’s done—enjoy.

(Xtra note—be careful when you first mix wheat and water. Don’t add too much water. Make a hard dough ball. It might take 20 minutes to knead it.)

TWO SANDWICHES

This originally posted on January 11, 2013. For a number of years, my dad had a job that required a lot of travel. This was after my folks had split up, so the idea of being paid to travel the world on their dime seemed very appealing.

After one business trip, Dad sent me a short note; in it, he wrote, "In Canada I had two sandwiches which were new and delicious." The first one ended with, "GOOD!" Both sandwiches are definitely that.

BANANA-HAM SANDWICH

French bread, cut along long axis, without crust

1 cold banana

thinly sliced ham

Roll bread & thinly sliced ham around cold banana; deep fry about 15 seconds in very hot fat. Hot on outside & cold on the inside.

HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH

Ham & cheese on French bread but the bread is dropped in egg & fried (a la French Toast).