Grams Made Baked Ziti

Everybody loves this easy Italian dinner. Just add a salad and you've got a delicious dinner. This recipe easily serves 6-8 people.

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ouces ziti rigate (or other short pasta)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim Mozzarella
1 can (24-26 ounces) crushed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions, drain and reserve.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half of the Mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.

In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomatoes. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining Mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20-25 minutes.

Grams Made Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos

This is a great recipe for feeding a crowd. It will easily feed 12 ladies. My bunco club loves it. The best part is it cooks in the crock pot while you're doing something else.

5 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts (frozen)
2 cups picante sauce
1 can Mexican corn (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot and add picante sauce. Cook on high for 5 hours. Remove chicken breasts. Shred chicken breasts using 2 forks and return to crock pot. Mixture will seem watery at this point, but the shredded chicken will soak it up. Stir in corn and beans and continue cooking for one hour.

Serve with all the fixings for tacos -- including lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and corn or flour tortillas.

Grams Made Scrambled Eggs with Spinach

When I was a kid, my dad used to make scrambled eggs with spinach for Sunday night supper. I absolutely hated it. But I recently ate a delicious spinach souffle and it reminded me of Dad's dish. I looked around the internet and found a recipe which I have modified to make it similar to what Dad made. Don't be put off by the idea, this is terrific for brunch, dinner or a side dish.

12 ounce package baby spinach (or 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon half and half
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Coarsely chop the baby spinach leaves. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet and cook the onion until crisp tender. Stir in garlic when onions are almost done. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat half and half with eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook and stir so the eggs scramble with the spinach, about 4-5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

To make this recipe as a main course, use 6-8 eggs and increase olive oil if needed.

Grams Made Enchilada Casserole

You can't go wrong with enchiladas, but Grams doesn't have to patience to roll each one individually. Therefore, I turn mine into a casserole. That makes is quick and easy.

12 corn tortillas
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 can diced black olives
1 can enchilada sauce
16 ounces mild picante sauce
4 cups grated Mexican mix cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions start to soften. Add peppers and cook until crisp-tender. Add ground meat and cook until browned. Turn off heat and stir in black olives.

In a wide, shallow bowl, combine enchilada sauce and picante sauce. Dip 6 tortillas into sauce mixture, one at a time, and use them to line the bottom of a 9" x 12" casserole pan.

Top this layer with all of the meat mixture. Next put a layer of cheese using half of the cheese. Top with the other 6 tortillas dipped in sauce mixture.

Pour the remaining sauce over the casserole and top with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, or both.

Grams Made Easy Baked Cod

1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2-3 garlic cloves
zest of one lemon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
4 (6-8 ounce) cod fish fillets
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Line your pan with aluminum foil and lightly brush with olive oil or spray with cooking spray.

Combine parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and coarse salt on the cutting board. Finely chop, then combine with the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate. Brush top of each fillet with olive oil. Press fillet into the crumb mixture.

Place fillets in baking dish, crust-side up. Bake until firm, about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with lemon wedges.

Grams Made Kalamata Lemon Chicken

This is one of the first recipes that Grams made when I finally learned to cook in my mid-fifties. It's still one of my favorites. I always keep these ingredients in my cupboard and freezer so I can always make this.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup dried orzo
1/2 cup drained, pitted Kalamata olives
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1/2 of a lemon, cut into wedges or chunks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried Greek seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 4-quart Dutch oven brown chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, turning once. Stir in orzo, olives, the can of broth, lemon wedges, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover; bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.