The Italian Job

Happy Monday morning lovelies! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, I know I did.

I love movies, so much so that I've taken the time to invest in a quality TV and sound system so I can enjoy movies to the fullest extent that they were meant to be enjoyed. So instead of posting a recipe on Mondays, I'm gonna do a little feature called Monday Movie instead where I spotlight a movie.

For my first movie I'm featuring one of my favorites: The Italian Job. A remake of the original 1969 caper film, The Italian Job stars Mark Wahlberg (swoon) as Charlie Croker, a master thief who with his mentor and brilliant safe cracker John Bridger (Donald Sutherland) plan one last heist to steal $35 million in Italian gold bricks. The heist goes as planned until one of their own double crosses them and leaves them all for dead. Now with Bridger dead and the gold gone the team is ready for vengeance. They recruit Bridger's daughter Stella (Charlize Theron) to even the score.

This is one of my favorite movies ever, and not (just) because I have a major crush on Mark Wahlberg.  It's action packed with some hilarious moments, and even a little bit of romance. This movie is what inspired me to get a MINI Cooper in the first place. Check out the trailer for The Italian Job below.



The Italian Job is now available on blu-ray and DVD.

Courtesy to Imp Awards for the movie poster.

Baked Penne

I came up with this little concoction after brainstorming a bit. I wanted something other than the stereotypical pasta dish and with the help of a little summer sausage I came up with a baked penne guaranteed to taste different than anything you've probably had before.

Ingredients: 

⅔ cup penne pasta

8 ounces summer sausage

¾ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup each of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses

1 cup pasta sauce

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet cook the sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until sausage is brown. Remove from skillet; drain off fat.

3.In a large bowl stir together pasta sauce, ¼ of both the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and drained sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2 quart casserole

4. Bake, covered, in a 375° oven for 25 minutes or until nearly heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. 

This dish is not only great tasting, but it's easy and fast. If you're looking for an Italian meal with lots of flavor, this dish is perfect!