Menu Plan + Sausage+Mozzarella Pasta Recipe

I'm probably speaking to dead air, but I thought I'd start posting here again. I've got a few recipes I've begun making that I'd like to have handy here, so hopefully blogging once a year won't become a habit.

This week:

(In no particular order this time--scandalous!)

1) Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Sesame Noodles with cilantro

Homemade egg rolls or potstickers (I have both in the freezer, so we'll decide which sounds better that night.)

2) Hot Chicken Salad

Steamed Green Beans

3) Ham

Mashed Potatoes

Salad

4) This dish: (I have some lightening-up modifications in mind, but here it is as it was served to us at a friend's house a few weeks ago. It is her parents' recipe, and she was kind enough to share!)

Sausage & Mozzarella Pasta

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 tbs olive oil

3/4 lb spicy Italian sausage, casing split & removed

4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

2 1/2 tbs dried oregano

2 tbs sugar

1 1/2 tbs tomato paste

1/2 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 box Penne Pasta

In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat.

Crumble in the sausage, and the garlic and onions.

Saute until the sausage just begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

Carefully, pour off the fat.

Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your hands.

Stir in the cream, oregano, sugar, tomato paste, salt and bay leaves.

Gently boil until fairly thick, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and stir in the mozzarella cheese.

Simmer just until the cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes.

Spoon over cooked pasta.

5) Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Peas

We used to do leftovers on Saturdays. Well, not anymore. Sunday lunches were stressing me out--by the time we got home, our youngest two couldn't decide whether they were tired or hungry, or both, and were generally miserable. Now, I usually make something light on Saturday, or we rely on things like salads and sandwiches, and we save leftovers for Sunday afternoons. That way, we can come home, zap stuff in the microwave, and get the Littles in bed tout suite. Also, reserving leftovers for Sundays means we don't fall into the expensive "let's-just-grab-takeout" habit too often. I do enjoy having a nice family meal on Sundays, but I've come to realize that for our family, it's more about who we're eating with (ourselves! all at a table! together!) than what we're eating. The kids and Hubs don't care what they're eating, as long as it's tasty; I was the only one who wanted something traditional and fancy. But I also want sanity. So, at least for the foreseeable future, leftovers it is.