oops - forgot that I was going to throw this one at you too. It's so delicious and the wine and pesto in it make it just a bit "special". It's one of our favorite meals! And everyone who's had it. And I use purchased pesto and marinara - so it's easy! Baked Pasta with Sausage and Tomato Pesto (Sol) 1 pound hot italian sausage, casings removed (i use half hot, half sweet) 1 onion, finely chopped 3-4 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup dry red wine 26 ounces of your favorite marinara sauce 6 Tablespoons of Pesto Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 pound penne or rotini pasta, cooked al dente 1 pound mozzarella, shredded 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese 6 oz. bag baby spinach leaves Cook the sausage until no longer pink. Add the chopped onion and sauté about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, marinara sauce and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in the pesto, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9"x13" dish. Spread a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Pecorino cheese. Add the spinach leaves, mixing to combine. Mix in the rest of sauce. Spoon mixture in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino cheese on top. Bake about 30 minutes, or until cheese is lightly golden. This recipe makes 6-8 servings. Enjoy it.

sounds like fun! These are FANTASTIC! Especially if you can manage to serve em warm....but if not, they're great anyway. We had them last year at a Guy Fawkes bonfire and I was hooked. I've made them so many times since. Bar Nuts From The Union Square Cafe Cookbook, HarperCollins, 1994 These nuts won The New York Press award for "best bar nuts in New York." Every afternoon at about 4:45, a piping hot batch emerges from our ovens and is sent out to the bar, where the sweet rosemary fragrance wafts throughout the restaurant. Though they don't have a television set at they're bar, these nuts would probably be a hit in your living room accompanied by a football game and some ice-cold beer. Yields 5 cups Ingredients  1/4 pound each peeled peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds or 1 pounds unsalted, assorted nuts.  2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary  1/2 teaspoon cayenne  2 teaspoons dark brown sugar  2 teaspoons kosher salt  1 tablespoon butter, melted 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 3. In the large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. 4. Thoroughly toss the warm toasted nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm. From the The Union Square Cafe Cookbook, ©1994

Red Bean, Sausage and Pasta Soup 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1/8 cup minced red bell pepper 1/2 tsp seeded & minced jalapeno(can omit) 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery & add some minced leaves 1 cup julienned carrots 12 oz turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise & sliced (or chicken Italian sausage) 8 cups low sodium chicken broth 3-4 Tbsps tomato paste 3 small plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped (can omit) Seasonings: (these are my favorites)* Turkish Seasoning (Penzey's) Pasta Sprinkle (Penzey's) Frankenmuth Chicken Seasoning Celery Salt Celery Seed Garlic powder Beau Monde Dried marjoram & rosemary 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 3 Tbsps chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste 1/3 box of uncooked pasta (penne works well) In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium and saute garlic, jalapeno, onion, celery and carrots for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add sausage and saute 5 minutes longer or until it starts to brown. Add the broth, tomato paste & seasonings and simmer a few minutes. Add beans. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add pasta and simmer on low for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente (keep an eye on it--it needs to be al dente). Stir in the parsley and cook for another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. Makes 4 to 6 servings. My note: this is very good; don't use too much pasta since it gets soggy if not eaten right away (it seems to multiply as a leftover!). *Use the seasonings you like for this type of soup (you could sub Seasonal for the Frankenmuth Chicken Seasoning; garlic powder instead of garlic cloves, etc). I like to cook the soup longer and really like Hillshire Farms turkey kielbasa (has lots of flavor). adapted from JerseyGirlCooks blog recipe

MMMMMmmmmm it sounds good! I have smoked cheese brats in the freezer. If I poke holes in them all the cheese will ooze out tho. Dang it. Last night I made this and it was pretty good too, the meat could have been a little more tender, so I have to bake it longer next time. I'd like the meat fork tender. Beef Steak Pie 1lb round steak 3 onions (sm to med size) thinly sliced 3 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cups water 3 or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced dash of garlic salt I sprinkled a bit of Montreal Steak seasoning over it too oil for browning the meat and onions Dredge meat in flour, cook in oil in skilled about 15 minutes,browning on all sides.Add onions,cook about 10 minutes,until golden brown. Put in 2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons flour, and seasonings; pour water over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour; remove from oven. Increase temperature to 425. Place potatoes on top. Sprinkle with salt and a tiny bit of paprika. Bake 30 minutes longer, til potatoes are tender. Cover the last few minutes to brown. Makes 4 to 6 servings.