Menu Monday

Monday*Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
*Salad
My inspiration for this meal came from one of my favorite food blogs, For the Love of Cooking. I made a few changes to her delicious recipe and my version can be found below. This pasta bake was in one word, incredible! It's a great base for using up any veggies and meat you happen to already have in your kitchen. The secret ingredient, however, is the ricotta. It makes the whole dish so creamy and perfect!
Tuesday*Thai Chicken Pizza
We liked it so much that the Thai Chicken Pizza had to make an appearance this week too!
Wednesday
*Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
*Salad
I've never been so excited for leftovers!
Thursday*Salmon
*Dill Couscous
This meal was a joint effort in our home. VABeau seasoned the salmon with dill, old bay, and lemon juice and cooked it to perfection in olive oil. I was in charge of the couscous which I boiled in 1 cup of chicken stock. Then I added the dill while it cooked giving the couscous such a great flavor. I personally think dill can make anything taste fantastic!
Friday*Meat, Cheese, and Pate plate
*Salad
Our friends Neil and Elise came over for dinner Friday evening. They provided the highlight of the meal in the form of a selection of delicious cheeses, meats, and pate from our favorite wine and cheese store, Arrowine. We provided the salad, wine, and outdoor venue for the evening. It was so nice to catch up with our friends and enjoy the last moments of calm weather before Irene graced us with her presence Saturday.
Saturday*Clare and Dons Beach Shack
VABeau's cousin, Chase, and his girlfriend were evacuated from William and Mary this weekend due to hurricane Irene. I'm sure they weren't thrilled to leave their campus but VABeau and I both enjoyed getting to spend an evening with them here in Northern Virginia. Despite the wind and rain, the four of us ventured to our favorite beach themed restaurant where I had my usual favorite, the fish tacos. Spending the evening at a beach shack just seemed appropriate while Irene made her way up the coast.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bake

adapted from For the Love of Cooking

• 4 Italian Sausage links, sliced
  
• Olive oil
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
  
• Red, orange, and yellow baby bell peppers, chopped
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of red crushed pepper flakes (I added several dashes, we like a lot of heat!)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 oz ziti pasta
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 tablesppons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausage pieces in the oil until cooked through. Remove sausage from skillet and let cool.Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Season vegetables with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

While vegetables are cooking, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain. In a large bowl combine the pasta, sausages, vegetables, ricotta cheese, chopped basil, and marinara sauce. Mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and bake for 20 minutes then remove the cover and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is bubbling.