Baked Ziti

My friend Angie came to my house and made this dish for my family (and hers) just after the birth of my third child. It was sooooo good - the nice firmness of the pasta, with the somehow creamily tamed zesty tomato sauce. Mmmm...  I've made it for a number of large gathering occasions, to good reviews. I usually double the recipe.

1 lb pasta (ziti, penne)
1 large can or jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 brick of cream cheese
1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese (ok, start with 2 cups, go from there)

Look at the box of pasta, and follow the instructions to cook it to Al Dente.

Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add it to a saucepan along with the spaghetti sauce. Heat the mixture until the cream cheese is completely melted. Taste the sauce. If it's too rich for your taste, open another jar of spaghetti sauce and add a little at a time until it tastes good to you.

Mix together the pasta, sauce and two cups of shredded cheese. Top with more shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Green Beans with Tomato Sauce

I have seen Jamie Oliver do green beans with a tomato sauce, and thought it was plain icky until I tried it. Wow. Yet another way to make my kids' favorite veggie. No, this isn't Jamie's recipe...

2 cans Green Beans (or one quart home canned)
8 oz pizza sauce (use the rest to dip bread sticks in)
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper (optional)

Add red pepper to sauce. Taste! There's no other way to make sure it's not too hot.

Put Green Beans in a microwave safe bowl. Add sauce over the top. Stir. Microwave until heated through.