Deep Dish Pasta Pizza Pie

Deep Dish Pasta Pizza Pie

I have had this bookmark from the Noblepig.com for a similar recipe and today I decided to make it. I cannot begin to tell you how EASY this recipe is.

Today was my first day at work after my 2 year review that went AWESOME! I was in a great mood and my boss topped it off by sending me to my old dept. to help out (I miss it!). I stopped at The Butera on the way home from work and picked up the ingredients that I THOUGHT were in the recipe. When I got home, the Internet was down so I totally winged the recipe and it turned out great.

Before we start...you need a 9in spring form pan for this recipe...1lb of noodles fit perfectly. This recipe is totally flexible. You can make it without meat or ricotta. Basically you can make it however you want!

You need...
1 1lb bag of rigatoni noodles (the tubes that are flat on both ends)
1 lg can of tomato sauce OR crushed tomatoes (I think the big cans are 32oz, not chunky at all)
1 small container of ricotta cheese (about 16oz)
1 small 2c. bag of shredded mozz cheese
1lb of ground beef (or loose Italian sausage)
a bunch of basil leaves, chopped (use as many as you want...I used about 20 leaves!)
salt,pepper,oregano,garlic powder to taste (or real garlic which I forgot)


Simple...
Cook noodles 3/4 of the way, drain, set aside.
Brown 1lb of meat and try to break it up as small as possible.
In a small pot add the can of tomatoes, meat, basil, salt, pepper, garlic...eyeball it!
Spray a 9 inch springform with cooking spray and line the sides with strips of parchment paper or tinfoil to make removal less sticky.
Place noodles, on end, in the pan...1lb should fill 9in pan perfectly.
Spoon half the sauce mix over the pasta and push into noodles with a flat spoon...bang the pan on the counter to force the sauce down...this takes patience, but it is possible.
Spoon ricotta cheese over noodles and do same thing...again, patience and banging.
Spoon remaining sauce over noodles and do same thing...you should be able to get 80% of sauce in noodles...bang on counter ALOT and it will work!
Top with mozz cheese and put in oven at 350 for approx 30min. or until it looks nice and crispy on the edges...I put it under the broiler for the last few minutes.

Pop the springform pan open and, lo and behold, you have a Deep Dish Pasta Pizza Pie!

Ania wants to talk Deodorant

crazypinkturtles.blogspot.com

I have yet to find a deodorant that I can honestly say, "I LOVE IT! EVERYONE BUY THIS DEODORANT!" Actually, I did, but it has mysteriously disappeared from all store shelves without as much as a goodbye :( So here are my thoughts on deodorant...


My old favorite was, what I called, Degree "click,click". Once upon a time Degree made a soft solid deodorant in 3 scents. Powder scent was the only one I would use because the smell other two made me nauseous when it was hot out. It was a white deodorant, but after you rub it into your pits until it disappeared you were guaranteed to not sweat all day AND left you smelling like a baby butt (after diaper change). I would say that I was 110% happy with this deodorant. - I think they still make a men's version, but I am not to keen on the scents. UPDATE: Found it on DRUGSTORE.COM!

Secret makes a soft solid deodorant which I have used a few times...but was nothing compared to degree. My armpits would still sweat on a hot day! TMI? I would say that I was 80% happy with this deodorant.

Dove makes Clinical Strength deodorant. I have used prescription deodorant (see next example) before and this definitely does not compare, BUT, it is still great. You are supposed to apply it at night and it is supposed to work the whole next day. It does. Now, my mom insists that it works just as well if you put it on the same day like normal, but I don't agree. This is my new favorite deodorant and I would say that I am 95% happy with it.

DriSol is a prescription deodorant that was all the rage when I was in high school and college. All you had to do was ask the doc to give you a prescription. DriSol was a liquid deodorant that came in a bottle and you dab the product on your armpits. If you follow the directions, you literally do not sweat AT ALL the entire next day. With something so good there is always a bad side...this stuff stings! You definitely want to make sure that you have not shaved your armpits within the previous 24 hours...which means that you might have some stubbly pits during the summer season...but at least they will be dry. The directions also recommend that you wrap you armpits in saranwrap overnight or in a tight t-shirt...i remember I used to sleep with my arms in the air until it soaked in. I would say that I am 150% happy with the deodorant, but only 50% happy with the stinging and wrapping involved in the process.

My cousin Amie started selling Melaleuca products last year. Melaleuca is sort of like Amway, they sell everything from cereal to vitamins to makeup, to laundry detergent...its all organic. Their original scented products are to DIE FOR so I tried the deodorant and I am pretty happy with that. It is a solid white deodorant, so I don't think it will work for the summer, but It was a trusty stick of deodorant all winter. I would say that I am 90% happy with it.



Spray Deodorant. I forgot how bad for the environment this was right after I got a can of Arrid XX. I tried it and feel guilty that I LOVE it! Nevermind the 5 minutes of coughing after applying it...it works dude.

I'm in the market for a new stick for the summer...ideas?

Nothing domestic going on here.

crazypinkturtles.blogspot.com

I would like to send a shout-out to my friend Carol Hoffman who has bookmarked my blog on her computer at work.  I guess I will have to impress now :)

I have nothing for you.  Have done nothing all weekend and LOVE IT! Actually, I saw UP with my friends daughter and it was great, sad, but great.  I do have some exciting news for all my Martha Stewarty people out there...

Erics mother bought the "Martha Stewart Craft Encyclo - frickin - pedia"!!!!  One word, AWESOME!  I need to get a copy ASAP!!

I have a itch to do something super crafty this week...I will have to think of something.

Chocolate Reeses PB Cup cake and Cheesecake Dip

For those of you who use Stumble Upon, you know what an addiction it is. I have tons of bookmarked pages on my computer with recipes/projects that people have blogged about...love it...so I thought I would start one.

I signed up for birthdays this month at work. This person brings in a treat to celebrate all the birthdays of the month. This was my month, Chocolate Chip Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cake and Cheesecake Dip.

Yesterday at work I was majorly hot-flashing...why? I went home sick and was worried I would be unable to make any treats. I took a 4 hour nap then woke up and ran to the Dominicks (you will notice that we call it "the Dominicks" and "the Jewels"...we are definitely from Chicago). I never make a list, but this time I did...only to forget the peanut butter. I had to run into Aldi and grab that. Got home, cooked, and went to bed...here is the outcome and recipes.

Chocolate Chip Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

I am totally not a baker...so I definitely like to use the cake-in-a-box.

Cake

1 box cake, follow directions

Frosting

1 jar of peanut butter

1 pint of whipping cream

about 2 cups of powdered sugar

Make the cake according to the directions. I made a small sheet cake this time...but you can also cut the sheet cake in half and stack the 2 halves on top of each other with frosting in the middle and make a small layer cake OR you can make 2 layer cakes and stack them on each other and make a big sheet layer cake...mmmm. Let the cake cool.

With an electric mixer mix the jar of peanut butter and the pint of whipping cream...slowly add the sugar and keep tasting until it reaches the right consistency and tastes right to you.

This is a huge batch of frosting so I would halve it for 1 box of cake mix...but what are you going to to with an extra half a pint of whipping cream?

Frost the cake and sprinkle with crushed Reeses peanut butter cup minis. I usually take a bunch and cut them in half and ring the border of the cake. If you make a tall cake, you can put the crushed cups on the outside too. You can also sprinkle some mini chips on to too.

Cheesecake Dip

This is a variation of a recipe for a cheesecake ball. I am pretty sure it will taste the same whether it is is ball form or in a bowl...but I don't know :)

1, 8oz package of cream cheese (you can use fat free if you want)

1 stick of butter, softened

1/2c. brown sugar

1 1/4c. powdered sugar
1tsp. Vanilla

2/3 c. mini chocolate chips (or however many you want!)

Mix everything together, top with extra mini chips, chill, serve with graham crackers, cookies, cracked sugar ice cream cones, wafer cookies, nilla wafers...anything that sounds good!

Its 2009...time to start a blog!

What should I blog about?

I dont know. I have an interesting family that does many blogworthy things. I love to cook AND take pictures of what I cook. I like to do projects AND take pictures of my projects. I have A LOT of animals that do crazy things.

I have a bizillion things to blog about, so lets start.

But where?

My name is Emily Louise Klarkowski. I am 26 years old and live with my parents, 6 cats, 2 dogs, and hamster (more on the animals later). I have 3 younger brothers named Nate, Jacob, and Calvin. I also have a boyfriend named Eric and we have been dating 4 years...lets just get married already you say? More about that later.

Long story short...I graduated from Western Illinois University in 2004, moved to Florida to work at a beach resort, did that for 9 months, hurricane came...made me homeless. Moved back with my parents, moved out with my boyfriend for a few months, and moved back with my parents. Since Florida I attended grad school for a week, worked with fake gangbangers in St. Charles, waitressed, nannied, substitute taught highschool, and most recently work in a hospital...dont ask.

I mainly wanted to start this blog because I am always starting projects and recipes and would love an outlet to share them with people...with a sprinkle of my crazy life.

Crazy Pink Turtles? I have loved turtles my whole life (explains the stupid tattoo) and also the color pink. Plus, there werent many options left :)

ALSO... I use a lot if these --> "..." because I am really bad at punctuation...so dont get annoyed :)

ALSO ALSO...Feel free to leave a comment...you dont need to sign up for anything :)