Baked Ziti

There are a few recipes that are sacred to any Italian family. This is one of them. By popular demand, here is my family's recipe for baked ziti. 

Preheat the over to 350 degrees

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil 

Cook the ziti until very al dente, approximately 7 to 8 minutes 

(Note: the pasta will continue cooking in the oven)

Drain the ziti and run under cool water.

Place the ziti back into the pot

Add 4 to 5 cups of ricotta cheese to the cooled ziti

Add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Add a heavy palm full of dried parsley flakes

Add a half a cup of pecorino romano cheese, one beaten egg, 

a teaspoon of salt, and a half a teaspoon of pepper

Add 4 to 5 ladles of tomato sauce

Mix together

Place ziti in a prepared baking dish

 Top the ziti with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Cover the ziti with tin foil

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes (or until cheese is melted and ziti is warmed through). 
Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes. 

 Remove from the oven

 Top with remaining tomato sauce and serve

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Grandma's Sour Cream Cake

Preheat the over to 350 degrees

With an electric mixer, combine 1 box of yellow cake mix, 1 package of instant pudding vanilla,           4 eggs, a half cup vegetable oil, and 8 ounces sour cream

Mix for approximately 5 minutes, until cake batter is thick and increases in size.

 **Note: Mixing the batter for 5 minutes is extremely important if you want a light and airy cake** 

Place batter in a greased 13x9 pan.

Chop a half a cup of walnuts.

Top cake with a half a cup of chopped walnuts, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Bake for 28-30 minutes until golden.

Cool and Enjoy! 

Mini-Cheesecakes

Here’s my nod to my grandmother’s recipe:

Mae's Mini-Cheesecakes

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees fahrenheit

With an electric mixer, cream together 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and 2 eggs 

In a prepared pan, place one vanilla wafer in a cupcake tin (graham crackers would also be great!)

Fill the cupcake tin halfway with the cheese mixture

Bake for 18 minutes (until the top is slightly golden and beginning to crack) 

Let the mini-cheesecakes cool on a cooling rack

Top the mini-cheesecakes with pie filling

(I like cherry, but you can pick whatever flavor you like.)

  

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and serve!