Twenty-one years ago, I went to Memphis for Labor Day weekend to play at a music festival and spend time with the guy I had started dating. His birthday was the following week, so I offered to cook him a homemade birthday meal. I went all out with several courses and outfit changes and was as extra as could be. So extra. I can laugh about it now. I wanted to share the main course recipe with y'all, and it struck me that I should make it for my hubster's birthday and record it for our channel. Twenty-one years ago, I made him this meal in hot pants. Now, I'm more of a yoga pants gal. It's a good thing we had a shared love language… Food!

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Pasta Bake

Baked ziti, spaghetti, and even lasagna are essentially pasta bakes. Pasta, sauce, and cheese are the main ingredients; they are all inexpensive and filling and can be made to feed large crowds easily and affordably.

I'm a cheese lover, but to be honest, it's the sauce that makes or breaks a pasta bake. It's got to taste good and be plentiful, or it'll be dry, and nobody wants that.