Halloween and Baked Ziti

That sounds like a good combination to me! I found more Halloween books when I was looking through my cookbooks. So in case you didn't see enough yesterday, here are some more today! Martha Stewart brought Halloween back and made it the second most popular holiday in the USA. She has collaborated with the Grandinroad catalog and if you have not seen it yet, google it and go have a look. They have the best Halloween stuff out there!


Ahhhh...the enchantment of Mabon. As soon as it cools off here, one of the first things I will be making is a Mabon cake. I got the recipe from a Norwegian witch about 15 years ago. It is magical and instantly became a family favorite. I will post it step by step when I make it.


Now I just need a pumpkin!


Two would be better.


I just returned from the grocery store and bought the first of the Fall/Halloween magazines. I will show you them tomorrow.


This is a sweet little book filled with Halloween poems.


I'm sure I have others which I have not unearthed yet.


I got a baked ziti request from the Blog Tech. So while he sat at a baseball game yesterday, I whipped some up for him. I usually use a ragu to make this but this time I made a marinara from things in my garden. I sauteed Vidalia onions and my own garlic, lots of fresh herbs and finally tomatoes. After simmering until it began to thicken, I used my immersion blender to make it nice and smooth.


Then I boiled some penne until it still had a bit of a bite to it because it will continue to cook in the oven.


I mixed it with a bit of the sauce.


And then added diced cheese. I use up whatever I have around. This was Fontina and provolone.


I put a layer of it in each casserole.


Then topped it with additional sauce.


I mixed ricotta cheese with some Parmesan and spread it over the pasta.


Then I topped it with the remaining pasta.


Added more sauce.



Then sprinkled a bit more Parmesan on top.


I baked them at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.


Mmmmmm....these are very good!


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Comments

Debbie said…
Oh my God Halloween must be so much fun at your place!!!!!!! I wanna come!
brokenteepee said…
Mmm, now this is a thought. I just made some ricotta.
Cool book collection, did not know that so many pumpkin cookbooks existed. That is great, I love squash and pumpkin!

And now, as always when I visit your blog....I am now really hungry :)

Cheers!

Cheers!
Unknown said…
I wanted to know if you have seen the movie trick r treat (2008). It is my favorite halloween movie other than Sleepy Hallow. What is your favorite movie if you have one?
i am laughing...again...i have most of these books too...and the pasta is so good....

hey...in a minute i am posting a photo of baby artichokes...can't think of what to do with them other than frying them as an appetizer. having my brother tonight...he loves them...i saw in Rao's batter fried vegetables...

any other ideas?

guess what...it is HOT and WINDY here today..in the 90's...i can hear my brown corn rustling in the wind
:-)
Halloween must be terrific over at Yours :-) It´s not hard to see that it is Your holiday :-)

I´ve never heard of or seen ziti before but it looks easy enough and delkicious enough for me to try it :-) Anything with that much cheese in it must be delicious :-)

Have a great day now!
Christer.
I am looking forward to Fall this year and visiting your blog!

This morning I woke up and realized I should have deleted my last comment to you. I should not have used that word...not good. I apologize. No need to get upset at ignorance I guess...makes me look bad! :)

What great books you have collected!

Mona
Another Pasta Goddess recipe that I will be printing out. Looking forward to the Mabon Cake!

Peace,
Chris.............
Danni said…
My supermarket hasn't had any Halloween magazines yet, but I'm betting the bookstore just might! :D Thanks for giving me a place to go for some afternoon shopping after work. ;)
You have quite the collection! I have that Martha Stewart book, and use it every year... love it :) Oh! And I really want that Halloween poetry book! So cool! ♥
AlphaBetsy said…
I'm so sad because I can not find my Silver RavenWolf Halloween book...I will have to purchase a new copy. I also need to purchase the Mabon book by Ellen Dugan. You are getting me so excited for Halloween!!
Melissa said…
Your getting me excited about halloween. We have a tradition in our home. My cousin and various friends gather at my home. We dress the kids and trick or treat a few blocks down to my parents. It's usually quite cold out. She has her house all decked out for the holiday. A mammoth pot of ziti, tossed salad, garlic bread and halloween decorated cupcakes are awaiting for us to eat. Once we warm up and fill our bellies she sends the kids with special (large) bags of candy to walk back down a few blocks to our home. At the end of the day we are all tired, and the kids have covered the entire island.
Teresa said…
My that does look pretty good. Wish I had time to cook.
Guillaume said…
Cool Halloween books. I need more of those.
Anonymous said…
Just wanted to say I am new here and love your blog...what size are your pans? and do you mix anything into the ricotta??? looks wonderful...

Sheri
LisaDay said…
Delicious looking as always.

Love the books.

LisaDay
Sharon Lovejoy said…
Autumn in the air. Waves crashing onto ledge. Ziti coming out of the cupboard.

Love,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
Sharlene T. said…
Baked Ziti for dinner... thanks... was wondering what to fix... great books, as usual... come visit when you can...

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