So here it goes!

Garlic French bread Recipe:

1 Loaf of French bread or Italian Bread

1/2 cup of Butter or Margarine

Generous Sprinkling of Garlic Powder (There is no set amount to use as much or as little as you want.)

2 tbsps. Of Fresh or Dried Parsley

Instructions
With a serrated knife cut the French bread or Italian bread in half once lengthwise and cut in half again. This will leave you with 4 pieces.

Mix your butter. If you use real butter please make sure its softened. Let it sit on the counter for 10 min. If you use margarine you can start adding the other ingredients right away.

In a bowl add your butter, garlic and parsley. You can use a hand mixer, mix by hand or you can use a food processor. Mix well until your compound butter is completely incorporated.

On a cookie sheet place all four pieces of bread evenly on the sheet. Cook in the oven on 400. Allow it to bake for 10 min. Take it out of the oven spread each piece with the compound butter and place back in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then remove. Bake for longer if you want a crispier bread. I had to make mine softer for my father.




Baked Ziti Recipe:


3 10oz Bags of Penne Pasta
4 Jars of Classic Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 Onions
1 1/2 Bell Peppers
3 tbsp. Italian Seasonings
2 tbsps Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsps Hot Sauce
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 Bay Leaf
2 tbsp Basil
2 tbsp Parsley
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
3 Hot Italian Sausage Links
1 4lb Pk of 73/27 Ground Beef
4 cups Mozzarella/Provolone Blend Cheese
All seasonings can and should be adjusted to your tastes!

Instructions
Cook your penne pasta for 10 minutes. It will not be done but it will finish cooking in the oven so under cooking is fine. Add plenty of salt and oil to your water. This will keep the pasta from sticking and give it plenty of flavor. Cook off and then drain.

Cooking the Meat
Take your Italian sausage and remove it from the casing. Drop into a big bowl. Add your ground beef and thoroughly mix together.

Add to a cast iron pan and cook. There will be an abundance of oil coming from the meat. Drain it out. You don't want your meat swimming in oil. Season your meat liberally with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add your onions and bell pepper right into the meat.

 

Stir and cook. You'll see the onions and bell pepper soften. When the meat is browned turn off the heat.


Cooking the Sauce
Unless you want to make your own sauce buy classic tomato sauce. Its pretty bland so you can doctor it up to your tastes.

Add salt, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, Italian seasoning, the bay leaf, parsley, hot sauce, and crushed red pepper to the sauce. Let it simmer and boil for 5 minutes. Taste your sauce. If your sauce is bland, acidic and has a strong tomato flavor add more salt and sugar.




Add a little at a time. If you add too much you'll end up with a sweet sauce for your ziti and that’s not good. You can also add more of your other seasonings. Make it so that it fits your tastes. Play around with it experiment!

Mixing
Now you can start to create your Baked Ziti. This can be done in 2 Methods:

1st Method is Layering:
Mix your penne, meat, and sauce in the pot. Let it rest for a couple minutes. You want the pasta to soak up the sauce. Get your casserole dish or roasting pan and create the first layer of ziti. Add your cheese to the top. Then add another layer of ziti, top the layer off with cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minute. Once the ziti is bubbling and the cheese is completely melted remove from the oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes then serve.

2nd Method is Fill the Pan and Top with Cheese:
Mix your penne and sauce up in a large roasting pan or casserole dish. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. This will let the flavors marry and the pasta cook. Add the cheese to the top of the ziti. Sprinkle it liberally place back in the oven until cheese is melted. Remove let it rest for 5 minutes and then serve. (I opted for the 2nd Method)




Serve with a light salad: Romaine lettuce & cherry tomatoes, lemon vinaigrette or Caesar dressing, and homemade garlic bread. And a big pitcher of Sweet Tea!