Ziti Tacos

I needed something quick, easy and delicious tonight, and this was all three!  I modified this recipe to fit my family's preferences and the ingredients we had on hand. We all loved it, even the kids!  
My husband came up with the name. lol

 Ziti Tacos

1 pound lean ground beef
12 ounces ziti
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced mild green chilies
3 TBL taco seasoning mix (found here)
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
2 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/4 cup chopped green onions (optional garnish)
1 diced avocado (optional garnish)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. About 9 minutes. Drain pasta.  In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat until brown. Mix in tomato soup, diced tomatoes, diced chilies and taco seasoning mix. Stir in pasta.  Spoon mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add grated cheese and olives on top.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with chips, chopped green onions, avocado and sour cream, if desired.

And one more photo because a shot of the cheese giving the noodles a hug is a must, right? lol

Banana-Berry Muffins

I tried these on the kids this morning and all three gave me a big thumbs up. I figured I better share with blog land since the recipe turned out so yummy! Enjoy!!

Banana-Berry Muffins


1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/3 cup of butter (applesauce can be used as a substitute, but I didn't do that today)
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 sugar
3 large overripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen berries (I used a frozen mix with raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium size bowl combine all the dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl combine everything but the berries while mashing up the bananas within the mixture; the bananas should be dime size clumps. Fold in the berries. Fold in the dry ingredients being sure not to over mix. Add muffin mixture to greased, or paper-lined muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Oven temperatures can vary, bake for 18-25 minutes or until the muffins test done. Place on a wire rack for cooling. Enjoy!

I know my little muffin face did.