The summer after my freshman year in college I went back home to Delaware and worked at a fabulous restaurant – Iron Hill Brewery in Newark, DE. I was a hostess there, and met some really fun people. One of the guys lived right upstairs. He’d take that little light-up thing you’re given when waiting for a table and go up and play video games until his first table of the day/night arrived, then we’d buzz him to come down. Okay he rarely did that, but it was a great idea he had.
Once I went back to JMU, he promised to visit shortly after and did, with a friend. Naturally since this was only my sophomore year in college, there wasn’t much alcohol in my apartment when the boys arrived. Not to be kept sober for long, and without directions (of course) they went off on a search around town for a liquor store. I’m not positive we mentioned to them beforehand that Virginia only has “ABC” stores for liquor, and beer and wine in supermarkets. At any rate, they eventually returned with everything they assumed girls would love – flavored vodka, apple-tini mix, cosmo mix – the best houseguests girls could ask for! Naturally we had to repay our weary travelers with a good meal. I’d already prepared to make baked ziti, but since we didn’t have pans I bought the toss-out aluminum kind, figuring easy clean-up with a huge group was best. It’s a pretty easy affair, baked ziti, and I put it all together when the boys were off driving around in search of vodka, so we could just pop it in the oven later on. This gave cause for suspicion, however. Did I really cook? Did this 19-year-old just make a delicious, bubbling hot baked ziti, or did she pick it up, as the aluminum tray would have you believe? I’m not sure I succeeded in convincing the boys that I actually made that dinner, but at least we ate well.
Baked Ziti (enough for 12)
Two aluminum 9 x 13” pans from a grocery store or Wal-Mart
two large bottles of spaghetti sauce
2 boxes of ziti – cooked, drained
2 pounds ground beef
3 garlic cloves
1 huge onion or two non-fair placing ones
2 bags of shredded mozzarella
the makings for a big Caesar salad – put together and have handy in the fridge when ready.
Heat up some oil in a big skillet. Take the garlic out of the peel and put the flat of the knife on it, then pound your fist once to crush the garlic. Chops in both directions until minced, and throw in the oil.
Take the skin off the onion and cut off both ends. Cut the onion in half, set one half aside. Cut the other half in slices, then chop, repeat to the other half. Throw in pan.
Ask blood-sensitive roommate to leave the room. I wonder if she ever did get comfortable handling raw meat. Take out ground beef, remove from package and pat blood off with paper towels. Salt and pepper the meat. Push the onion and garlic to the edges of the pan and add the ground beef.
This may be against “real” chef rules, but the easiest way I’ve found to brown a large hung of ground beef is just to skim the top off, over and over again, and flip it. Flip the beef, it looks brown, skim off that little layer of brown, and flip. I think you’re supposed to get in there and chop it all up and constantly mix it around, but let’s face it, college kids are going to walk away at some point and this way is foolproof.
Drain any liquid from the pan, and mix in the tomato sauce. Once it is warmed, mix into noodles in the pans. Bake covered at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Take of top, add mozzarella cheese, and bake until melted and bubbly, about another 10 minutes.
Enjoy with the salad and some easy garlic bread.