Maybe the title should be Fast Food Alternatives. What do you fix when it's getting late and you can't face another pizza? We just tried out a recipe from Southern Living (with minor modification) that meets the bill for fast, easy, and not much mess, plus it fits the season.
Smoked sausage, or one of it's relatives, like Polish sausage, with sourkraut, onions and apples. We added the onions...very creative. Sautee the onions and apples in a small amount of oil until the onion is transparent. Add the drained kraut and sausage, and about a cup of apple juice or cider. Cover and simmer until the apples are soft and the flavors have melded. The original recipe calls for adding caraway seeds and some brown sugar, but we used Bavarian style kraut that already has the seeds and is slightly sweet. Serve with mashed potatoes and maybe lima beans. Fast. Cheap. Not too messy. Very tasty. Great on a cold night in front of the fire.
Chuck