So, I was sitting on my couch wondering what to make for dinner out of what I had on hand and I finally got the recipe in my head. Typically I make baked ziti but I just so happen to not have ziti noodles I have penne so I m going to use that instead. This recipe was created off the top of my head and it was delicious!
Material
1 10 inch frying pan
Medium to Large Pot
9x13 inch dish
Spatula
Knife
Bowl
Spoon
Pairings: Beer or Wine; Garlic bread
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup green pepper
1 lb pasta (penne or ziti)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (your choice)
6 ounces of your favorite cheese (I used 3 ounces mozzarella and 3 ounces provolone)
1/2 cup Parmesan, to top
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
optional* Italian seasoning to sprinkle on top
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat up pan thoroughly
2. While the pan is heating cut up the onion and green pepper. Add the ground beef, onion, green pepper, salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the ground beef is browned, but not over done
3. While the ground beef is cooking boil some water and make the pasta, al dente; Drain
4. When the ground beef is done dump the sauce in the pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes on low to marry the flavors. After about 10 minutes add the pasta to the sauce mixture and mix very thoroughly, making sure to get all of the pasta mixed
5. Add half the pasta into the 9x13 pan, sprinkle half of the parmesan, making sure that it's evenly covered in cheese. Add the other half of pasta on top, adding the rest of the parmesan in an even coat
6. Add 6 ounces of cheese in an even layer on top. Wrap pan loosely in aluminum and bake for 20 minutes. Take the aluminum off and bake an additional 5-10 minutes (I don't like brown cheese so I take mine out at 5 minutes)
7. Let rest for a few minutes and serve
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
The Ride Along, Hardees and the Freakout
A long time ago, about 2007, I went into an office for an interview for a job. The job was a marketing company and I thought this would be an excellent entry level position for me. So, I put on my best professional outfit, curled my hair, put on my makeup and put on my heels and went to the interview. I met a charming but very young man at the interview and to my shock he was the hiring manager. We chatted for a while and he said based off just personality he would love to offer me a position. To get the job, however, there was something called a ride along that I needed to get through to be offered formal employment.
The job was marketing in the way of going from company to company and pitching idea's on how they could save money. Or this is what I was told. I came back the next day for the ride along and was on the ride along with 3 men. I wasn't all that comfortable with being out with three men I didn't know without any supervision but I was made to feel comfortable. On the ride along we went to a neighborhood and parked, then got out of the car and persisted to walk around the entire neighborhood knocking on doors and selling coupons to McDonald's and Pizza Hut. The price of the coupon books were decent when compared to the amount of the coupons but I wasn't told about this aspect of the job. I was under the impression from the hiring manager that we would be going from business to business. I didn't know about the neighborhood walking so I didn't dress for the job, I had on velvet and it was 105 degrees outside. I was burning up and had no water or anything on me.
As the day went on I got more and more overheated. I felt very sick but I still tried to fight through and continue on the ride along. I was told that at any point I could say that I wanted to stop if I didn't think the job would work for me. After 4 1/2 hours of walking around neighborhood after neighborhood and getting cramped and borderline feeling like I was going to pass out I finally said I was going to not accept the job and I chose to want to go back to the office to go home. The driver of the car understood and was more than happy to take me back to the company. One of the other guys we were riding with was very mad that I didn't want the job and stated that I was taking money out of his kids mouth because I wanted to go back to the office across town. I was told that I could stop and leave at any point so I was quite confused as to why he was acting like this and felt that if he knew this could be a possibility he should have driven his own car but his reaction was very unprofessional and further increased my want to go home and decline the job.
The driver of the car appeared to be a little scared of the dude in the back seat and never once opened his mouth to correct his coworker. He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't. So, the plan was that they were going to take me to Hardees (a fast food burger restaurant for those who may not know what that is) and I would have to find my own way back across town. I was about 35 minutes off from the office and the city where I lived. I ended up having to call my then boyfriend and he came to pick me up. They probably should have thought their decision out a bit more because when my boyfriend got there he got a stick out of the trunk and charged at the car yelling at them about how they had no right to bring me that far out from my home only to try and abandon me to find my own transportation home. He was livid! The guys were so scared that they rolled the window up and locked their doors. I say good for them! None of them were real men!
When I got home I logged on to a website (I forgot which one it was) and looked the company up. They had a crap ton of complaints about how the interviewees were treated with the ride along and how it's all a large scam. I saw that someone actually sued the creator of the company. I believe the company shut down or changed their name. There was rumor that they were called something else before but they got so many complaints that they changed their name even though they were still doing the same thing. This was my very first real job interview and it was definitely memorable, I don't think I would ever forget how I was treated or the name of the company. Makes me wonder how the people I was riding with got hired. People will put up with anything when they need money, fortunately I have never been one of them.
The job was marketing in the way of going from company to company and pitching idea's on how they could save money. Or this is what I was told. I came back the next day for the ride along and was on the ride along with 3 men. I wasn't all that comfortable with being out with three men I didn't know without any supervision but I was made to feel comfortable. On the ride along we went to a neighborhood and parked, then got out of the car and persisted to walk around the entire neighborhood knocking on doors and selling coupons to McDonald's and Pizza Hut. The price of the coupon books were decent when compared to the amount of the coupons but I wasn't told about this aspect of the job. I was under the impression from the hiring manager that we would be going from business to business. I didn't know about the neighborhood walking so I didn't dress for the job, I had on velvet and it was 105 degrees outside. I was burning up and had no water or anything on me.
As the day went on I got more and more overheated. I felt very sick but I still tried to fight through and continue on the ride along. I was told that at any point I could say that I wanted to stop if I didn't think the job would work for me. After 4 1/2 hours of walking around neighborhood after neighborhood and getting cramped and borderline feeling like I was going to pass out I finally said I was going to not accept the job and I chose to want to go back to the office to go home. The driver of the car understood and was more than happy to take me back to the company. One of the other guys we were riding with was very mad that I didn't want the job and stated that I was taking money out of his kids mouth because I wanted to go back to the office across town. I was told that I could stop and leave at any point so I was quite confused as to why he was acting like this and felt that if he knew this could be a possibility he should have driven his own car but his reaction was very unprofessional and further increased my want to go home and decline the job.
The driver of the car appeared to be a little scared of the dude in the back seat and never once opened his mouth to correct his coworker. He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't. So, the plan was that they were going to take me to Hardees (a fast food burger restaurant for those who may not know what that is) and I would have to find my own way back across town. I was about 35 minutes off from the office and the city where I lived. I ended up having to call my then boyfriend and he came to pick me up. They probably should have thought their decision out a bit more because when my boyfriend got there he got a stick out of the trunk and charged at the car yelling at them about how they had no right to bring me that far out from my home only to try and abandon me to find my own transportation home. He was livid! The guys were so scared that they rolled the window up and locked their doors. I say good for them! None of them were real men!
When I got home I logged on to a website (I forgot which one it was) and looked the company up. They had a crap ton of complaints about how the interviewees were treated with the ride along and how it's all a large scam. I saw that someone actually sued the creator of the company. I believe the company shut down or changed their name. There was rumor that they were called something else before but they got so many complaints that they changed their name even though they were still doing the same thing. This was my very first real job interview and it was definitely memorable, I don't think I would ever forget how I was treated or the name of the company. Makes me wonder how the people I was riding with got hired. People will put up with anything when they need money, fortunately I have never been one of them.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Witchy Post: Natural Room Fresheners
At times we all get fragrances in the home that are, how shall I say it...less than savory. Be it the trash got taken out way too late, you cooked something that was very heavy and it leaves a lingering fragrance that's not as flattering as the first day, you may have cats, kids, etc. You don't want to burn incense or candles if little kids are around and you don't want to keep purchasing Glade plug-ins because the refills are astronomical (and they are). What can you do to freshen the house? Stove-top freshener!
What Do You Need?
A small sauce pan, the smaller the better
Water
Spices
*optional* Fruit
What you would do is add all the ingredients together in the pan add add the water until just about to the top. Bring the ingredients to a boil then turn it down low and let it simmer for as long as you need or until the water runs out. I am not super rich, not even a little rich, so I didn't have anything fancy like cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans so I used ground cinnamon, allspice, a little vanilla extract, and a little ginger. The
fragrance is nice and it's pushing the unsavory fragrances out, which is a large plus. You can use oranges, apples, or whatever fragrant fruits you have around. I do have apples and could have used them but I am saving them for eating; my Granny Smith's aren't all that cheap and I'm on a serious budget. This is very versatile and I encourage you to experiment with different spices to find what you like. Have fun with it!
A small sauce pan, the smaller the better
Water
Spices
*optional* Fruit
What you would do is add all the ingredients together in the pan add add the water until just about to the top. Bring the ingredients to a boil then turn it down low and let it simmer for as long as you need or until the water runs out. I am not super rich, not even a little rich, so I didn't have anything fancy like cinnamon sticks or vanilla beans so I used ground cinnamon, allspice, a little vanilla extract, and a little ginger. The fragrance is nice and it's pushing the unsavory fragrances out, which is a large plus. You can use oranges, apples, or whatever fragrant fruits you have around. I do have apples and could have used them but I am saving them for eating; my Granny Smith's aren't all that cheap and I'm on a serious budget. This is very versatile and I encourage you to experiment with different spices to find what you like. Have fun with it!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Foodie Post: Pizza Pockets
I came across a recipe on food.com about pizza pockets and I got intrigued. I made them for dinner tonight and they were amazingly good, a lot better than I thought they were going to be. I did add Italian seasoning and onion to the pockets, which really made this taste like actual pizza. This recipe is very versatile so change or add ingredients as you see fit.
Materials:
Cookie Sheet
Small Bowl
Knife
Spoon
Ingredients:
3 Flour Tortillas
30 small pepperoni (15 normal size)
1/3 cup onion, strips
1/3 cup mozzarella
6 slices provolone
6 teaspoons olive oil
6 teaspoons Italian seasonings
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take a tortilla, brush 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the tortilla. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Italian seasoning over the tortilla. Layer 2 slices provolone cheese, 10 pepperoni (5 normal size), sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella, sprinkle with 1/3 of the onion.
3. Fold burrito-style, making sure to tuck both ends of the pocket. Place seam side down on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the other two tortillas and the remaining ingredients.
4. Brush/spoon olive oil on top of the pockets, evenly.
5. Cook in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until tortillas have browned slightly but making sure to not make them too dark.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy with your favorite beverage. Tastes amazing with beer!
Materials:
Cookie Sheet
Small Bowl
Knife
Spoon
Ingredients:
3 Flour Tortillas
30 small pepperoni (15 normal size)
1/3 cup onion, strips
1/3 cup mozzarella
6 slices provolone
6 teaspoons olive oil
6 teaspoons Italian seasonings
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take a tortilla, brush 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the tortilla. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Italian seasoning over the tortilla. Layer 2 slices provolone cheese, 10 pepperoni (5 normal size), sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella, sprinkle with 1/3 of the onion.
3. Fold burrito-style, making sure to tuck both ends of the pocket. Place seam side down on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the other two tortillas and the remaining ingredients.
4. Brush/spoon olive oil on top of the pockets, evenly.
5. Cook in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until tortillas have browned slightly but making sure to not make them too dark.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy with your favorite beverage. Tastes amazing with beer!
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