Baked Ziti

2 bell peppers (any color...I used yellow and red)
1 onion
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups sundried tomatoes in oil
1 can kidney beans
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, diced (or 3-4 garlic scapes, chopped)
penne pasta
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 1/2 cup shredded asiago
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Boil water and cook penne pasta until tender-crunchy. Drain.

Chop bell peppers and onion. Saute in olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they start getting soft. Then add the garlic and mushrooms. Saute for 3-5 more minutes.

Put the cooked veggies in a food processor, along with the can of kidney beans (including liquid) and the sundried tomatoes. Process until the mixture is as chunky as you prefer. Mix with the cooked ground beef.

Butter a 13 x9 pan. Put in 1/2 of the pasta, layer with 1/2 of the sauce mixture, asiago cheese, remaining pasta, sour cream, mozzarella cheese, remainder of the sauce mixture, and parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Garlic Spaghetti with Kale and Italian Sausage

1 bunch of Kale
a handful of garlic flowers (also called garlic scapes)
two shallots
3 tbsp olive oil (split)
2-3 Italian sausages
4-5 garlic cloves
spaghetti (enough for 4 people)
2 tbsp lemon juice
Parmesan cheese

Wash the kale, leave water on the leaves. Slice kale off stems and ribs. Slice into 1/2 inch strips cross-wise. Chop the garlic flowers into 1/4 inch or smaller pieces. Dice the shallots.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or pan on medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic flowers and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until shallots become transparent and tender.

Press or dice the garlic cloves and add to the shallots and garlic flowers. Saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil and the kale. Toss with shallots and garlic and cook until the kale is wilted (about 3-4 minutes). Cover and let cook for about 20 more minutes until the kale is nice and tender. Stir occasionally and add water by the tbsp if the pan dries out. Be sure to have enough steam in the pot to cook the kale.

Begin cooking the Italian sausage. Slice when cooked.

While the kale is cooking down, start boiling the water for the spaghetti. Cook until it has a slight bite and is not quite tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the spaghetti to the pot with the kale mixture and toss. Add the lemon juice, sausage and cooking liquid. Toss and cook for another 5 minutes until noodles are coated and everything is well mixed.

Serve with shredded parmesan cheese.