Ingredients
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 ½ cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add
ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
Step 2
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium
heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a
9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese,
sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining
sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Step 4
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses
are melted.
FROM CHAPTER EIGHT
If
Charlie was surprised to see Chloe following him into the cabin carrying bags
of groceries, she had the grace not to show it.
“I
bought enough to invite the Palmers as well,” Zach offered as an explanation as
he set down the groceries. “Where’s Heath?”
Charlie
put her finger to her lips and pointed at the sofa where the baby lay curled into
a blanket, his thumb still in his mouth.
Zach
wondered if Charlie’s babies would look like Heath and the thought hit him like
a blow to the gut which took him completely by surprise. He fussed over the
bags of groceries to hide his feelings that he didn’t have time to diagnose.
“My
Grandma Alfonsie was half Italian.” Zach pulled out a box of pasta, a container
of Ricotta cheese, six tomatoes, a bushel of mushrooms and a sprig of fresh
basil.
“This
is not a Wonder Weight recipe, I take it,” Charlie said.
“And
I’m making a chocolate cake with Oreo frosting,” Chloe announced and she
proudly pulled out a box of Betty Baker’s fudge cake mix, a can of pre-made
frosting, and a box of Oreos. “Also, not a Wonder Weight recipe.” Chloe
wrinkled her nose at Zach as if sharing a joke. “I think women who are
constantly dieting are so boring.”
“But
health conscious,” Zach said, noticing how Chloe’s words had made Charlie’s
back stiffen.
“Did
you buy any vegetables?” Charlie asked.
“Who
needs vegetables?” Chloe poked out her tongue.
“I
do,” Zach said. “Grandma’s baked ziti wouldn’t be the same without the green
beans in brown butter sauce.”
Charlie
looked as if she wanted to kiss him, which is exactly the look Zach was going
for.
“Do
you want me to make the beans?” Charlie asked.
“Sure,”
Zach said. “Chloe, why don’t you go and invite Mr. and Mrs. Palmer?”
“But
the cake? Shouldn’t I get started on it right away?”
“The
blender would wake the baby,” Zach told her.
Chloe
looked as if she wanted to argue, but after a moment of battling indecision,
she shrugged and went out the door, closing it harder than she needed to.
“Do
you think she was trying to wake Heath?” Charlie asked, staring at the door.
“I
don’t know what she was trying to do,” Zach said, although, he had his suspicions.
“Oh,
I think I know,” Charlie said with a laugh.
“What?”
She
bumped him with her hip. “Don’t play naïve. It doesn’t suit you.”
“How
do you know what suits me?”
She
reached around him and pulled something out of a drawer. Shaking out an apron that
looked like a giant red lobster, she held it up in front of him. “This suits
you.” She put it on him and tied the strings behind his back. “There,” she
announced. “You look Mainely.”
“Mainely?”
“It’s
an old family joke. This apron is the one my grandpa wears when he cooks. Your
grandmother is from Italy, mine is from New England.” She glanced at the
package of Oreos. “I wonder if Chloe is from Candy Land.”
“So
sweet she makes my teeth hurt.”
“Maybe
to you,” Charlie muttered under her breath.
“You
don’t like Chloe?” Zach asked.
“It
doesn’t matter what I like,” Charlie said.
“I’m
guessing Dr. Palmer isn’t going to think much of her after this weekend.”
“Why
would you think that?”
Zach
bit his lip trying to decide what to say. Should he tell Charlie that Chloe
tried to kiss him once at the pond and then again at the grocery store?
“She
came onto you, didn’t she?” Charlie asked. “You have to tell Christian!”
Why?
Because then Palmer would drop Chloe and possibly try and pick up Charlie? The
thought made him ill. Charlie was way too good for Palmer. Why couldn’t she see
that?
“He
needs to figure it out for himself,” Zach told her.
“Why
is she here? If she doesn’t like him, why did she come?” Charlie began to snip
at the beans one at a time.
He
thought about telling Charlie that a woman like her would never understand a woman
like Chloe. But then he decided he would much rather show Charlie how to cut up
the beans than discuss Chloe.
“Here,”
he said. “Let me show you how it’s done.” He positioned himself behind her, brought
his arms around her and placed his hand hers.
“What?
Your grandma has a secret way of bean cutting?”
“Yeah,
doesn’t yours?” He lined up the beans in rows and edged closer to breathe in
Charlie’s warm scent. With his hand over hers, he showed her how to trim the
beans with just a couple strokes. “See?”
If
he kissed her neck, what would she do?
No comments:
Post a Comment