Tasty Tuesday

It has been hot and humid here. I wanted to make baked ziti the other night, but I really did not want to turn the oven on for any amount of time. I found this recipe and it was the perfect compromise and there was only one pan to wash!

I used cooked ground beef from the freezer. I buy large quantities of ground beef when it's on sale cheap and then cook it up with onions and garlic. I then rinse (to remove the fat) and place one lb portions in bags and freeze. It makes it super easy to throw in casseroles and such.

I added extra garlic (no surprise) and basil and oregano. I also used whole wheat pasta.

Cheesy Skillet Ziti

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or sausage
3 cups dry ziti or penne
1 jar pasta sauce
2 cups water
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Brown the beef in a large skillet. Drain.
2. Stir in the pasta, pasta sauce and water.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 16-18 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
6. Top with the cheese and cover until melted.

I love sweet tea on a hot summer day. But, I'm the only one in the house that drinks iced tea so a large batch of sun tea would take forever to drink. I've started making single batches in a mason jar. I fill it with water, add a couple tea bags, and set it in the sun for an hour or two. It's the perfect amount for me.

The first time I made it I told the boys to watch the jar because I was doing an experiment. Brooks was so funny, he kept coming over to me and whispering in my ear, wanting to know what was going to happen. For some reason, he had it in his mind that it was going to explode! He was very disappointed when he realized that it just changed colors.