Hey everyone. Did you try the Hell-loaf? I've got another wonderful recipe for you.

I'm partial to cajun style foods, so it's been a real shocker to me that I've been primarily making italian dishes since moving out of my parent's basement. With some spectacular results. I can cook, who knew?!

This time I decided to make a manicotti that I think tasted better than any restaurant ever served me and I'd like to share it.

1. Boil water in a pot, add a pinch of salt and some Extra Virgin Olive Oil or (EVOO) as my friends call it to prevent the shells from sticking.
2. Add the shells once it starts to boil.
3. Add 1 jar of Spaghetti sauce to a saucepan. Any flavor or brand will do. I think I used just a plain jar of Ragu for this, so I had to doctor it up.
4. Garlic Powder
5. Salt
6. Italian Seasoning
7. Sugar - just a little bit to cut the bitterness of the sauce, this is optional
8. Oregano
9. Basil
10. 1 small can of sliced mushrooms
11. Freshly Chopped Onion
12. Simmer this on the stove, be sure to cover it with a lid.
13. Fry 2 Italian Sausage Links and break them apart and crumble them until they are finished frying.
14. Add Italian Sausage to the sauce.
15. 1 1/2 small containers of Ricotta Cheese
16. Garlic Powder
17. Italian Seasoning
18. Basil
19. Mix together in a bowl
20. Years of cake decorating taught me to improvise when thinking about squeeze icing bags. Since I have none at the house and am not about to buy any, use a Zip-loc Baggie, fill with the Ricotta Cheese and cut a small corner off the bag to pipe the filling into your Manicotti Shells.
21. Lay the filled shells into a pyrex dish side by side.
22. Pour the sauce with the Mushrooms, Onions and Italian Sausage over the shells, make sure to cover evenly.
23. Spinkle a generous amount of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese over the top, coating the entire dish.
24. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is just about blackened on top forming a crust. Or less time if you prefer, but this gave the dish such a wonderful flavor!

Enjoy your MAN-icotti!