Lazy-Ass Pasta Bake

I considered making Giada deLauretiis' Spicy Baked Macaroni since, you know, it's winter break, and I have time. Unfortunately, I got back from the movies a little too late and went with this quickie version posted on Slashfood by Marissa McClellan instead. It's a little annoying that the recipe's not written out in standard-ish, easy-to-follow recipe format, but I guess it is so easy it might look a little silly written out like a recipe! Anyway, I bolded the ingredients before printing and that helped a bit.

I am totally pleased with the recipe! I especially like that it's got spinach in it. Plus it is the easiest pasta bake recipe ever. I cooked the pasta and mixed the sauce and then had to head out to yoga. Then when I came back, Kea assembled it in the pan and baked it. So it's convenient in that sense too. Hurrah!

And this is why I had leftover ricotta in my fridge.

A couple weeks ago, I made Pizzagna, courtesy of Rachael Ray. It was sooo good--even though I used cheap ass Kroger mozzarella. I also used olives instead of bell pepper because Kea doesn't like bell peppers.

Other lessons learned:
-I would slice the mozzarella thinner next time because when I microwaved leftovers, it got sort of chewy and had to be eaten in one big mozzarella bite (rather than a little in each bite along with some pasta and sauce). And I am all about balance.
-Sometimes the broiler works faster than you think it will--but burnt mozzarella still tastes good. Also, burnt oregano smells like pot.

I am also realizing that Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals dirty a lot of dishes. I guess the speed comes from preparing each piece separately and simultaneously, which means dirtying nearly every dish in my kitchen. (To be fair, my kitchen is fairly small and minimally stocked.)