Tuesday, April 28, 2009

HELP!, and YUM

So when did Google stop providing a video upload option? That is how I've always put video on my blog, and now it's gone. Can anyone suggest a good, easy alternative for putting videos on my blog??? Pretty please???

Also, I've been meaning to share one of my favorite new dinner recipes. It's Baked Ziti, from FoodNetwork.com. I love the flavor in this, great flavor but not too overpowering. It's easy, and makes a ton. You must try it. It's divine.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried ziti pasta (penne works too)
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 1/2 cups Quick Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
  • 1 pound fresh mozzarella, half cut into 1/2-inch cubes and half thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch red pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain.

Toss the cooked pasta with the marinara sauce, cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Transfer the pasta to an oiled 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Cover the top of the pasta with the sliced mozzarella, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quick Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound sweet and or spicy Italian sausages, casing removed and crumbled

1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped

Sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

Sprig fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Use now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Copyright 2004 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Yield: about 5 cups

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

7 comments:

Wendie said...

Google owns both YouTube and Picasa now so the Google video was redundant. I believe you can upload with Picasa for free and still host on your blog. Here's the link:
http://picasa.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55661

Hope this helps. Ziti looks yummy!

The Crace's said...

Your Ziti recipe would be a great recipe to sneak in veggies. Yours is very similar to what I made tonight and Jared had no idea there was purred broc, peas, and gr beans in the sauce :) I also had some carrots that needed to be used so I diced those up small and threw them in. They added a nice flavor to the sauce as well.

Lori said...

I love anything with italian sausage in it! I will have to try this one.

Lara said...

Sounds yummy! My kids love pasta- I will have to make this one day.
I have no idea about the video- Wendie sounds like she knows what she is talking about!

Colleen said...

Flickr.com also has video now. I use them for my photos and videos.

That recipe sounds yummy, I'll have to try it!

Kristi said...

mmm... Love a good recipe share. Thanks!

I'm no help with the video loading, way too techno for me! ;)

Kristina said...

I love that recipe. Super easy and yummy. I use the video button on the blogger post screen-right next to the photo button. Works fine for me!