thanks now i am hungry!

I used to make baked ziti all the time when my boys were growing up, and added whater I had on hand, chopped sausage or meatballs and some veggies. With some Italian bread and a salad it was a complete hearty meal. Used to wish for leftovers so I could have them the next day for lunch, but the three boys and DH ate everything! May in Jersey

Here is the baked ziti recipe I showed the photo of.. However, I tweak my casserole , every time I make it - I rarely use recipes for anything - but for cakes, and that, oh yes, gotta make those just perfect for the flattering of the figure huh?..
Anyway, back to the ziti - its one of the versatile recipes that you can adjust for your families taste.. *This recipe calls for ham*, which I do not do. I add either sauteed veggies - red bell peppers, onions, fresh mushrooms, and spinach, or if I need meat , I do italian sausage, or kielbasa that is sauteed in some peices, and well drained.

FOR THE SAUCE
2 TBSP butter or margarine
3 TBSP flour
1/8 tsp nutmeg
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste( I am not picky, black pepper does just fine )
2 cups milk, heated

FOR THE PASTA:
1 cup or more - grated cheese: Parmesan, mozarella , ricotta-optional ( or like me, I throw in some small chunks of cream cheese as I like that creamy calorie yummyness -shame on me
7 oz cooked ham, chopped *see my note above*
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
l4 oz short pasta (penne, ditali, maccheroni, ziti, mostaccioli, etc)

FOR THE SAUCE:
HEAT milk the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave and keep hot.
MELT the butter in a saucepan over very low heat till just bubbling.
REMOVE from heat making sure butter does not turn brown or burn.
ADD the 1 T of flour to the butter, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon till smooth - then slowly add the rest of the flour and stir till smooth.
RETURN to medium heat and add 1/4 cup of milk at a time. When milk is absorbed by the butter-flour mixture, add a little more increasing quantities as you go along.
ADD nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring with the sauce at a slow bubble till sauce has the consistency of heavy cream.

At this point I add some marinara sauce, or straight tomato sauce with Italian spices to the white sauce. Usually a cup or two where the color turns it a girlie girl pink, so hide it from your men until it comes out of the oven - they will say " I ain't a girlie girl, and I ain't eatin that!! .. to which I would reply.. Go hungry, cuz I WILL! hehe.

FOR THE PASTA:
COOK the pasta in about 6 quarts of boiling, salted water (about ten minutes). Drain and rinse. Return to large pot where you will mix it all together.
RETURN the sauce to low heat ( if you made it before, and it cooled down ) and add the grated cheeses, stirring until cheese is melted well into the sauce. Add a little at a time to the noodles of your choice, and mix well.. I usually keep some extra sauce to spread on the top if it looks to dry.. The amount of sauce you make will be up to you to mix in - sometimes I need to add more depending on the noodles.

Add more shredded mozarella cheese to the top in a large sprayed casserole dish, and for about 15 minutes , I cover with foil thats also been sprayed with my friend " PAM " because we don't want any missing cheese left on top as it bakes.. After 15 minutes or so, I take it off, and let it finish baking, and gets the cheese a little crusty on top..
PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees F.
I hope it makes sense .. its basically a glorified homemade macaroni and cheese with the white sauce.. I just love to play with my food, so taking after that guy that sings, " I did it MY Way " , I always do it my way..

LOL.. Well, I made it that night, but then my daughter came by, and wanted more of it to take home with her.. So we made it again, and she loves me more today, because of it, lol..

Was this recipe ever posted. I miss not getting a message that something new has been posted. If it's been posted can someone tell me how to find it or send me a PM.

Cant wait to see the recipe posted that looks like some good comfort food type dish !!!

Whoops. Just found it.

okaythat was mean to tease me like that ! LOL especially since I got off work late and ate fast food for dinner !! LOL

Thanks to another board member, I learned how to do this. On the upper right of the home page, Click on Settings, then look under My Account on the left side of the page and click on General Settings, then scroll down the page under messaging and notification and where it says Default Thread Subscription Mode, click on it and select, "Instantly using email". It works for me!!