Baked Ziti

5 lb. ground beef
1 T. onion powder
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. dried parsley flakes
3 lb. ziti pasta (penne or mostociolli works, too)
8 lb. bottle of Ragu pasta sauce
8 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (almost done), drain. Cook ground beef with onion powder, oregano, and parsley until beef is no longer pink. Drain well. Stir pasta sauce into meat and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour pasta, parmesan cheese and 2 c. of mozzarella into the sauce. Mix well. Pour into greased pan and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake about 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and pasta is bubbly. Serve with french bread! About 25-30 servings, depending upon serving size.
This is a favorite of the kids at school and it doesn't cost too much either. You can skimp on the ground beef, if you need to and no one will notice. Also, you may not need all of the pasta sauce, it just depends upon your taste. This is also a dish that can easily be made the day before and then bake it on serving day to save some time.

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon butter
1 jar tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Serve over Angel Hair Pasta. This is DELICIOUS!

Baked Oatmeal

I have never had anything like this before in my life. I am not even an oatmeal fan. However, I was looking for something to add into the morning breakfast rotation for the kids. This is amazing! It comes out somewhat like the consistency of a soft, moist granola. You could eat it plain, with a spoon. But, I spooned it into a bowl and stirred in a little milk with it. It was really great! I'm going to store it in the fridge and in the morning try to microwave individual servings with a little milk and see how it turns out. A whole recipe will last us several days if it works like I hope. Try this, you will not be disappointed!

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in dried cranberries. Spread into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.