Think Thanksgiving and Dream

So I'm just way too tired right now. But I am excited for Thanksgiving! I'm getting food ready--including making the bread cubes for stuffing--checking recipe ingredients with those in the pantry, and dreaming of doing absolutely nothing related to school on at least one weekday!

So since I'm dreaming of Thanksgiving, check out "Dream" sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

Penne Casserole: Dream

I have always loved this recipe!  I love lasagna but sometimes when I make it, somehow it just doesn't come out right after all that work of dividing ingredients between layers and making sure to not tear the long noodles!

However, Penne Casserole always comes out right--every time!  It's fast and easy.  Don't let the "casserole" part put you off.  It's the easy-to-make, comfort cousin of lasagna!

I literally have dreams about this casserole I love it that much...okay that's an exaggeration.  But I do crave it often.  And I do love the song "Dream" sung by Dean Martin, so enjoy!

PENNE CASSEROLE

2/3 cup Simply Kraft Fat Free Cottage Cheese

1/3 cup low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, grated

1/3 cup Kraft Natural Finely Shredded Italian Parmesan Cheese

1 pound Barilla Penne Pasta or Barilla Mezze Penne

1 1/2 pounds spicy sausage, cooked and drained

2 jars Classico Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook Penne for 9 minutes (Mezze Penne for 7 minutes).  Undercooking keeps the pasta from becoming mushy in the pasta sauce as it bakes in the oven.

Meanwhile, combine the three cheeses in a large bowl.

Drain pasta and immediately add to cheese mixture in bowl and mix until the cheese is melted over the pasta.

In a 9 x 18 (or a 9 x 13) pan spread enough pasta sauce to barely cover the bottom of the pan.  Put half of the pasta/cheese mixture in the pan.  Empty the partially used jar of sauce over the pasta.  Add half of the sausage.  Add the rest of the pasta, sauce, and sausage in that order.

Cover with Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil.  Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Dreams, Wishes, and Cinderella

Birthday wishes are special, right?

Birthdays are days for wishes, right?  And birthday wishes are special, aren't they?

As a rational human being, I try not to wish.  Dictionary.com defines wish as "to want; desire; long for...."  I've functioned more on work and sweat, and the belief that to get where I want to go, I have to work long and hard, not just long for something to happen.

Where does Cinderella come in all of this?  When I was three, we had a VCR (state-of-the-art technology then) and a videotape of Disney's Cinderella.  I watched it over and over again, day after day.  My older brother remembers being sick one day and he ended up watching it with me three times in a row.  I think he wished (he he) that he was in school instead.

Usually, I'm somewhat controlled in my responses to music.  I have my favorite songs, but in general, strong emotion tied to lyrics or musical phrases does not move me to a changed emotional state--and even more rare is when I'm moved to tears.

Yet, the simplest of melodies and phrases often surprise me.  Ironically, the songs with which I experience the most emotion are from the Disney movies I watched in my childhood.

I have four contenders for the most emotionally moving songs from my childhood:

• "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" (Cinderella)
• "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid)
• "Belle (Reprise)" (Beauty and the Beast)
• "Reflection" (Mulan)

I think the one I feel most keenly about is "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid.  But today's post is on wishing, so I'll highlight "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes."  All of them still move me to tears--not for brilliance of performance or particular musical genius, but for the simple fact that the feelings are hopeful and accessible to me.

By way of a disclaimer, I do not have a princess complex.  I don't believe in being rescued.  I don't believe in "happily-ever-afters" either.  I believe in being responsible for my choices.  I believe in making choices that foster happiness and joyful progress.  In many ways, Disney renditions may include magic and rescue, but they are hopeful and highlight personal responsibility.  These are the memories I value from the Disney animations I watched in my childhood.

So I do not believe wishing will make anything happen, but I believe that having real hopes and aspirations that drive us to work hard can bring about what we truly want.  So here's "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Disney's Cinderella.