Make-It Monday Returns

OLIVE GARDEN FIVE CHEESE ZITI AL FORNO

Serves: 10

FOR THE ZITI SAUCE
4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups alfredo sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
3 tablespoons Fontina cheese , shredded
1 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

FOR THE ZITI TOPPING

3 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded  

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons romano cheese , grated
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese , grated
1 tablespoon fresh garlic , chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley , chopped

REMAINING INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry ziti pasta
1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded

Directions:

1. PREPARE THE ZITI SAUCE:.
2. Combining all ingredients for the Ziti Sauce in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. PREPARE THE ZITI TOPPING:.
4. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients for the Ziti Topping.
5. Add the garlic, oil, and parsley and mix until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. WHEN READY TO PREPARE THE WHOLE DISH:.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish or large casserole with non-stick spray.
8. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
9. Pour 1/2 cup of prepared ziti sauce into the prepared dish, and spread it evenly over the bottom using a spoon.
10. When pasta has finished cooking, drain the water and pour the hot pasta into the bowl of remaining sauce. Mix thoroughly; pour into the baking dish.
11. Spread 1 cup of shredded mozzarella over the pasta and sauce mixture.
12. Top the mozzarella with the prepared Ziti Topping, spreading evenly.
13. Place pan on center oven rack and bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes.
14. Remove and serve immediately.

From: Olive Garden Restaurant.

I made this last week and it was delicious!! It was very close to the real thing, for all those who love it at the Olive Garden! I would recommend trying it. It seems like it is complicated when you just browse what it takes, but it is actually really easy and well worth it!

2011 in a Nutshell

I did this for 2009, but skipped 2010 for some reason, but here goes.

1.What did you do in 2011 that you've never done before?


I tried Ice Fishing for the first time and caught a fish!

2. Did you make New Year's Resolutions and will you make more for next year?


Just the usual - work out more and eat better. I have been doing really good this week.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


Tiffany Lister had a baby girl - Tacie.

Andrea Patrick had another baby boy - Marlowe.

Ginger Moyah had another baby boy - Elijah.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Grandpa Wilde passed away in November.

5. What places have you visited?


Mexico

Jasper National Park

6. What was your biggest achievement in 2011?


I got a "promotion" at work, which means an actual office upstairs and a pay raise!


7. Did you suffer any illnesses or injuries?


I didn't, but Tyler burned his hand on the stove element.


8. What was the best thing you bought?


A new car stereo with bluetooth for phone calls!

9. Where did most of your money go?


To Day Home!


10. What songs will remind you of 2011?


Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez


11. What do you wish you had done more of?


Working out.


12. What do you wish you would've done less of?


Watching TV.


13. What was your favorite T.V. show?

14. What was the best book you read in 2011?

It was a little smutty in a few parts, but I loved the story and couldn't put it down.


15. What was your favorite film of the year?

I cried like a baby in this movie, and I had already read the book!


16. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?


I honestly can't remember what I did on my birthday. I don't think we did anything special. We probably went to Olive Garden for dinner or something. I turned 31.


17. Who was the best person you met?


Jordan and Amy Szoke - Canadian Motorbike Racers.

Christmas Catch-up

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything on here! We are still alive and doing well. Tyler is talking in full sentences now and is as fun as ever. We had a great Christmas break. Trevor went back to school on the 2nd and I go back to work on the 9th. We went down to my parents on the 23rd and came back up to Edmonton on the 28th so that we could go to Trevor's brother Kori's baptism. It was really nice. I am very happy for him.

My brother Steve gets home from his mission next Wednesday, the 11th. I am very excited to be able to go home again and see him. Tyler was only 6 months old when he left, so it will basically be his first time meeting him, which should be fun.

Here are a bunch of pictures to catch you up on what we've been up to, which hasn't been that much really!

Trevor was a little bored one day, so he decided to take some pictures of Tyler while he was eating noodles. He got some pretty good ones. Here are just a couple for you.

Tyler and Trevor got matching haircuts, done by Trevor.

Here's me and Tyler just messing around.

Tyler got some Green Lantern pyjamas for Christmas, and absolutely loves them.

He also got this bomber jacket for Christmas. I think Trevor and I like it a lot more than he does.

Did anyone else love these toys when they were little? Tyler got it in his present from Dayhome.

Jasper Trip

We went to Jasper for the weekend with Russell, Andrea, Beck and Marlowe. Beck and Tyler had a great time together. The whole weekend was a lot of fun. It was very relaxing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a few days. We stayed at the Tonquin Inn, which had a couple of outdoor hot tubs and a pretty big indoor pool. 

 We went on a little walk around Maligne Canyon. It was beautiful. There were some really nice waterfalls and awesome views from the bridges.

We also went to Athabasca Falls. Unfortunately, we didn't' get any good pictures of the falls, but this is a nice shot from the parking lot that Trevor got.

Make-It Monday

We are still cooking, don't worry! We just got back from a wonderful weekend in Jasper (pictures to come later). It was a lot of fun! Today's recipe came from the back of a pack of Kraft Shredded cheese, and I love it.

MACARONI & CHEESE

2 cups uncooked macaroni
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3 cups Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook noodles as directed. Cook onions in butter on med heat 3 min or until tender (we prefer ours to be a little carmelized). Add flour, cook & stir 1 min. Add milk, cook 5 min, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, simmer 10 min. Stir in 2 cups cheese. Add macaroni. bake in greased casserole dish @ 350 F for 20 minutes.

**I don't always bake mine, and it is just as good, if not a little better?!

Picture Post

I haven't really posted much for a quite a while. Time just keeps getting away from me. This post is full of pictures of Tyler.

We went out to the Patrick's on Labour Day weekend and went out on the boat. The weather was beautiful.

Tyler rides his bike in this parking lot next to our complex all the time. There is no through traffic, which is unlike our complex, so all of the kids ride their bikes here. He met a lot of different friends here. He was very fast on his bike by the end of the season, and was lifting his feet and gliding everywhere.

This is Ella from Day Home. She left our Dayhome at the beginning of September. They moved to Hay Lakes, so she now goes to a Dayhome in Leduc, which is actually run by someone that we know. Crazy. Tyler was very sad when she left. He still asks everyday if Ella is going to be at Dayhome, and when I asked who he played with for the first couple of weeks after she left, he always said Ella.

This is our neighbour Miriam. She is really good at playing with Tyler. It is quite handy having her around because she will watch him outside while I cook dinner and what not. They dug out this hole and then filled it in one day, and had a great time doing it.

Tyler comes home from Dayhome in this outfit every once in a while. He loves it because he thinks that those used to be Ella's pants. This is a set of backup clothes that they have for when he has too many accidents in his own backup clothes.

Here is Tyler with Grandma and Grandpa Scott when we were down for Thanksgiving. He sure loves his Grandparents.

Tyler loved holding Tacie on the weekend. He was very good at it, and was so proud of himself whenever we let him do it.

Lightsaber Battles

Lately, we haven't been up to too much. Trevor has been fairly busy with school, and me with work. My boss was gone to Vietnam for 2 weeks, so I was working a lot of hours while he was away. Things are slowing down at work now, so that is nice. We are lucky and haven't had any snow yet, unlike those in Southern Alberta. The weather has actually been really nice this Fall.  Now that I've said that, we'll probably get hit, but whatever.

Happy Halloween

This is just a quick post so you can see pictures of our little Dragon. He loved being a dragon. They had dress-up day at Day Home and they said he had a blast. He was roaring at everyone. He was super happy all day.

We went trick or treating around our complex and filled this bucket almost 3 times. He said Trick or Treat at every door, as well as Happy Halloween. It was so cute.