Baked Ziti w/ Italian Sausage

I made this several years ago and just thought about making it again. It's easy and very good. Not exactly low-calorie, but hey- you gotta live sometime right?

This recipe is modified from Allrecipes.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 diced onion
1 diced red bell pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, one drained, and one with liquid
3 (3 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound dry ziti pasta
Handful of fresh mushrooms, coursely chopped
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage with bell pepper and onion until sausage is evenly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, and oregano. Simmer while preparing pasta.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a 3 quart baking dish, layer ziti and sauce mixture.

5. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle top with cheeses. Return to the oven for five minutes.

French Dip Sandwiches

So I've been trying to find good crockpot recipes to break in our slow cooker. I told the hubs that I had found a french dip recipe using chuck roast. (He orders a French dip sandwich every time there's one on the menu!) He said why not just use deli roast beef. Who was I to complain about him making my job 100x easier???

This was so easy, quick, and very tasty. It's a good after-work meal.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pkg deli-sliced roast beef
2 bolillo bread rolls (or any other deli bread roll)
1 can French onion soup
1 can beef broth
2 slices provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Stir together broth and soup in a small pot. Heat over medium heat until piping hot.

2. Halve the bread rolls. Using tongs, dip the roast beef into the soup mixture, then place on bread. Top w/ provolone.

3. Put the sandwiches, open face, into a toaster oven and toast until the cheese is nice and melty

Crockpot Mu Shu Chicken

The husband LOVES mu shu chicken. This was really tasty. We haven't found the perfect bottled hoisin sauce yet, but the chicken this recipe makes was outrageously tender and juicy. The recipe is from a Better Homes and Gardens slow cooker cookbook called Better Than Mom's.

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
8 taco-sized flour tortillas
1/2 cup bottled hoisin sauce
2 cups prepackaged cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage & carrot)

DIRECTIONS
1. Put chicken in a 3.5-4 quart slow cooker and season w/ salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix water, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Pour over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-3.5 hours

3. Remove chicken w/ a slotted spoon. Skin and debone. Shred chicken meat with two forks and return to the cooker. Heat on low until heated through.

4. Serve by spreading tortillas w/ 1 tbs hoisin sauce. Top w/ chicken and cole slaw mix. Roll up and enjoy!