MY FAMILY enjoys delicious aromas coming from the oven, especially when the meal includes Baked Ziti, Pretty Layered Salad, Breadsticks with Parmesan Butter and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and dining room. Daughters Elizabeth, Emily, Isabelle and Olivia all love stirring, rolling, mixing and measuring. My husband, Dave, enjoys the results after a busy day. He works at the airport as an air traffic controller.

Dave really likes my Baked Ziti, and the kids say it is the best meal ever (but they've also said the same thing about cereal!).

I first had ziti at my sister-in-law's when I was younger and liked it very much. After trying quite a few different recipes with this tube-shaped pasta and adding other ingredients, I've settled on this hearty version.

Nice to Make Twice

Often, I double the ziti recipe and freeze half for later. Or I may give one dish to a family in need of a meal because of illness or arrival of a new baby. I really enjoy sharing the dishes I prepare…and I'm pleased that the recipients seem to enjoy eating them, too!

Although I'm giving you a specific recipe for Pretty Layered Salad, we seldom make it the same way twice.

Our oldest, Elizabeth, loves to make this salad and think up new layers. I've used so many variations that I can't even remember them all.

But here are a few of them you can try: Use iceberg lettuce instead of romaine. Vary the type of cheese. Add a layer of chopped tomatoes, red pepper rings on top or enough cubed chicken to make it a main-dish salad.

Breadsticks with Parmesan Butter are tender and tasty. They are also excellent with other casseroles or soups. When we have them with pizza, we like to dip the breadsticks in pizza sauce instead of using Parmesan butter.

Baking for the family was a job I loved while growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania. My mother taught me to bake and cook. She canned everything she could from our gardens and froze some, too. We picked berries and made jams and other preserves.

My dad raised chickens (and still does), so I learned a lot about cooking chicken for Sunday dinner. I have five older brothers and a younger sister, so we had plenty of people to eat everything. We all helped out with meals and other chores.

Now there are 20 grandchildren, and Mom often cooks for the whole bunch!