classic baked mostaccioli

i won't normally tell a story behind a recipe, but i just have to on this one. i clipped this recipe out of the paper and made it for my husband (he was my boyfriend at the time) when he came to visit me in college. i think i won his heart with it, through his stomach, of course! :-)

1 (1 pound) package of mostaccioli, uncooked
1 pound sausage or lean ground beef, cooked and drained
2 (26 ounce) jars of pasta sauce
4 cups (1 pound) shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped parsley

preheat oven to 350. prepare mostaccioli as package directs. in large bowl, combine mostaccioli, sausage, pasta sauce and 2 cups cheese; mix well. turn into greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish, cover. bake 45 minutes or until hot and bubble. uncover, top with remaining 2 cups cheese and parsley. bake 10 minutes longer. refrigerate leftovers.

makes 12-15 servings.

Honeycomb Treat Toss

4 cups Honeycomb cereal

2 cups chocolate teddy graham snacks

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 c cocktail peanuts

directions:

mix all ingredients.

store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

makes about 8 cups or 16, 1/2 cup servings.

from the kitchen of: kraft foods

Crunchy Apple Rings

apples

peanut butter

fruit and nut trail mix

directions:

core an apple and slice into rings.

spread peanut butter on top of rings.

top with trail mix

from the kitchen of: kraft foods

The Origin of Aprons and Attitudes

In life, I have found that how I look significantly affects my attitude. So, I've made it a personal goal to wear stylish aprons while I'm in the daily grind of meal preparation. Wearing a cute apron really helps improve my attitude in the kitchen!

I know aprons originated from a practical standpoint, but that doesn't mean they had to lack style. I'm so glad designers began offering aprons fashioned in the latest trends. Just like clothing, I believe an apron should reflect personality. I wear aprons for practical reasons too, but I always opt for cute and practical rather than the plain variety. The cute part is what really influences my attitude!

When I wear an apron, a mini-transformation takes place in me. Just wearing the apron itself puts me in the right mindset for cooking. It's almost like I take myself more seriously when I have one on. Like a player in uniform - I am dressed and ready to perform. But wearing a cute apron - now that takes my attitude and performance to a whole new level. It puts a smile on my face too, which is always reflected in the end result. I love going to my apron drawer to find just the right "uniform" to uplift my spirit on that particular day.

Once the cute apron is on, my experience in the kitchen instantly improves. I especially need this pick-me-up at the dinner hour. While dinner is obviously a necessity, unfortunately it's also my lowest point in the day as far as energy is concerned. So I need all the help I can get to be happy and stay organized at meal time - hence, the creation of Aprons and Attitudes.

I envision this blog to simply be a place where I will store all the recipes I've gathered over the years (that aren't already online elsewhere). Some are from family, some are from friends, and some are from other sources. Regardless of their origin, all are recipes I want to keep and share with those who are interested.

I'm in the process of trying to organize all my recipes on delicious.com. Check them out here. And if you find some you like: be clean...be cute...go cook!