This one is for you Megs: Quick and Easy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Bread. I love bread. 

But not as much as Aaron. Or Hazel. These two are my bread eaters. They want toast for breakfast everyday of the year. Bread at dinner, and bread for a snack. Now, I like bread but not as much as these guys. And they are picky. They want fancy bread. Baguettes, pumpernickel, really anything expensive is fine with them. I can't afford to keep them bread fed. 

I'm picky about my bread too though. I grew up on homemade bread but dreamed of white sliced bread from the store. When my mom would bring this home we would eat it within the hour. I loved how I could mold my bread into a ball and pop it in my mouth or eat it on the couch and have no crumbs to hide. 

I've grown up on this subject now though. I have been married coming up on 9 years and have never ever in that time bought white sliced bread. Of course I will eat it if it is served but I no longer ball it up and pop it in my mouth all at once. I have bought all kinds of bread but have come to the conclusion that we only have 2 true bread choices for everyday in our house.

#1: Light Rye Bread (2 loaves for $5.00 at Costco. I know there is cheaper rye out there but remember my fancy bread people)

2: Homemade.

I usually make a fabulous recipe from my mom that has whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, and lots of other texturey goodness. (I will post this recipe soon)

My cousin Megan though has been looking for a 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe. No seeds. No extra grains. No white flour. So I had to go on a hunt. 

I was sure I would find a recipe in my Aunts Book. Nope. Nothing 100% Whole Wheat.

I turned to the internet and found a recipe that looked so quick and easy to make I had to try it out, and I think it turned out pretty dang good. I literally had everything mixed and was letting the dough rise in less than 7 minutes (and for you bread making beginners, it will still be fast for you too).

My usual recipe makes about 7 loaves of bread. I use a bosch to mix everything and have to use my tetris skills to get the pans to fit in the oven. But last night I made a single loaf of bread. It was easy, fast and yummy when I got to eat the first slice warm out of the oven.

Quick and Easy Whole Wheat Bread

3 1⁄4 cups whole-wheat bread flour, preferably stone-ground (I wish I had stone-ground)

1 teaspoon salt

a heaping 1/2 Tbsp of Active Dry Yeast (or if you are in a hurry, instant)

2 Tbps brown sugar or clear honey (I used Honey) 

1 3⁄4 cups tepid water (Mine was much closer to warm/almost hot)

1 tablespoon white all-purpose flour to dust (If you notice in my pictures, there is no dusting of white on my bread. I skipped this)

Lightly grease a 23 x 13 cm (9 x 5 in.) loaf pan or line it with parchment paper. Set aside while you make the dough (PAM worked great for me last night).

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt. Stir in the yeast and make a well in the center. Stir the sugar or honey into the tepid water, then pour into the well in the dry ingredients.

Mix together, then beat vigorously with your hand (or with a wooden spoon if you prefer) for about 2 minutes or until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl; it will be very soft and sticky (I used a wooden spoon for about 2 seconds then I dove in with my hands. Play with your bread dough,It gets the air bubbles out and its fun).

Pour the dough into the prepared pan, cover with a damp dish towel and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the dough has risen almost to the top of the pan (It took much longer for my bread to rise, but I didn't use instant yeast).

I was at  his stage in less than 7 minutes

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Uncover the pan and dust the top of the loaf evenly with the white flour. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until well risen and brown. It should feel light and sound hollow when turned out of the pan and tapped on the base.

Transfer the whole-wheat bread loaf to a wire rack. Leave on the wire rack to cool (Yeah right. I was cutting this baby up within minutes of it coming out of the oven. Don't wait for it to cool! You made it which means you get to enjoy it still hot and steamy from the oven). 

 I know bread seems hard but this recipe wasn't. The trick, play with your dough and be patient and let your bread rise. Enjoy your fresh bread and feel free to bring me a slice!

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Print this Recipe

I've had some requests for a "Print" button. So here it is!

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Well, not really. This is what it looks like but it is not this big and not randomly placed in the blog. You will find the print button at the bottom of each post. When you click on it you will be taken to a Google Document. Head to File and Print.

Happy Cooking!

Scratch Oatmeal Pancakes are soooooo Good!

I am not a pancake person. Or a hotcake, flapjack, free breakfast at the rodeo grounds kind of girl. I'd rather stay home then stand in line for 2 hours to eat soggy pancakes. I guess it can be fun if you are meeting up with friends but I think it would be better if they were serving something else that I didn't have to pay for, like Mini Wheats. 

We grew up on pancakes. Which I loved for a long time. I think I was in grade 9 when my mom decided to make pancakes everyday and that is the year I got sick of them. Okay, maybe she didn't make them everyday but it sure seemed like it. 

I remember when she decided we had to eat pancakes all week, she made the choice because we were eating so much cereal and it was costing way too much. (I'd like to blame my brothers n this one but as you all read it above, I like cereal. Even plain Cheerios) So we ate pancakes. Or as I remember it, nothing.

Fast forward 10 years. I'm living in Kingston, still not eating pancakes. Well, not often and not in my kitchen. Until the fateful day that I picked this recipe up at a baby sale. The sale had all kinds of vendors; about a million RESP guys, photographers, handmade toys, slings, crafts and even a lonely dentist. Which was actually a good idea because they were giving out tiny toothbrushes, and also "smile-licious" recipes. I picked up 1 of every recipe card there even though I'm pretty sure that we were only supposed to pick up one. 

And thank goodness I did because I found an amazing pancake recipe that even my mom loved. 

Oatmeal Pancakes

(Make these pancakes in your full sized blender. Make sure you put the liquid ingredients in first.)

Heat your lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. 

While warming up, mix the following ingredients:

2 Eggs

4 TBSP of Vegetable Oil

2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cup of Buttermilk (if you don't have any buttermilk you can use milk with 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar to make it go sour. I know it sounds gross but it works. Or you could just use regular milk)

1 tsp of Salt

1 tsp of Baking Soda

2 tsp of Baking Powder

2 Tbsp of White Sugar (I don't add this and they are still so delicious. The oatmeal is sweet enough without the extra white stuff)

1 cup of Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup of Flour

Blend until smooth.

Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle. 

When top of the batter looks 'dry' flip. When both sides are cooked serve hot and eat!

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Polenta Take 2: Airplanes, Ice Cream Sailboats and Love

Since I tried Polenta Pizza I've been dying to try it again. Aaron loved the last polenta recipe I posted but the kids really didn't love is so much. I wasn't convinced that they didn't like it at all, I figured I needed to try to win them over again because it is such a easy yummy thing to make. So I started thinking of ways to make it looks more fun so that they would try more of it and then love it. 

What did I come up with? Airplanes, ice cream, sailboats and a little love.

Last time I made polenta I turned it into pizza but I had preferred it just plain. I talked to a vegan friend who makes polenta all the time but she adds tons of different stuff to it (read: chopped veggies, beans, etc). Because I wanted to make it more appealing to the kidlets I didn't think that was the best fit for us (though it may be fun for you to try if you wanted to). I decided to make only 1/2 the recipe and just make it plain and keep it simple but use cookie cutters to make it fun. Well it worked. The kids were so excited to eat their shapes and they couldn't wait to sit down to dinner when Aaron walked in the door. 

Polenta 

6 cups of Water

2 cups of Yellow Cornmeal

a pinch of salt

1/4 cup of butter

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Pour the cornmeal in slowly, stirring constantly. Add Salt and Butter. Cook on low heat from 20-30 minutes, stirring often. The Polenta should be thick but smooth and soft. 

 Poured it into a Parchment Paper lined cookie sheet and set it outside to cool.

Use your child's (or spouse's; see the sailboat) favorite cookie cutter and watch them smile!

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Saffron Noodle Cake...which wasn't saffron at all.

Kingston makes me crazy. I'm sorry but it does. For those of you who live here have you ever tried to shop here? GRRR! Shopping in Kingston makes me crazy. It is so incredibly hard to find anything here. I'm not trying to knock Kingston really, but the small size of Kingston. I need to have better shopping choices, and not just for a perfect pair of jeans but also for spices. 

Right now I'm dreaming about 34 Avenue in Edmonton. I'm even dreaming about it despite the 4 feet of snow they still have there. Looking for cheap fabric? Head to 34 Avenue. Looking for fun, great, sparkly accessories (and I don't mean rhinestone encrusted)? Head to 34 Avenue. Looking for fresh spices? Head to 34 Avenue. Although, I'm pretty sure that Saffron Threads would have been more readily available anywhere in 'The Capital' (where by the way it is snowing right now).

Now, don't get me wrong; there are lots of fabulous things that I love about Kingston. The weather, the water and great friends to name a few, but trying to buy anything here makes me want to pull out my hair. 

So, the noodle cakes are missing the saffron. 

But actually that is okay because I don't think you need them!

This meal was fun. Nigel had two helpings and simply because it was called 'cake'. He wanted to add sprinkles.
I should have let him. 

I am going to post the original recipe but I want you all to know that you can have so much fun with this meal. I followed the recipe (sort of) and it was good but as we were eating it I kept thinking of all the things I could have done to make it even better. 

I think you should try this one. Add things that your family loves and get back to me on the reaction. Let's get creative.

I know what you are thinking..."What is this???""

Saffron Noodle Cake

(I've discovered a problem with trying new recipes. You find the ones you love and then you no longer need to get new recipes. And though I've been making new things like this Noodle Cake I want you all to know that we have been eating some of our *favorites*. I mean, how can I ignore the Teeney Weeney Beany Burritos  and the Sweet Potato Fries?)

This recipe came from the book "Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone" by Deborah Madison. This book is a monster. It has won a couple of Julia Child cookbook awards and while it is seriously lacking in the pictures section (yes I read kids books all day) I have been loving everything about it.

 Onto the recipe now...promise.

2 TBSP of Olive Oil

2 pinches of Saffron Threads (I just found out you can find these at Loblaws, but I found out too late)

Warm the oil in a small metal (really? they come in metal?) measuring cup, add the saffron and set aside. (I didn't do this because of course there was no saffron at my house)

8 oz of Saffron Pasta, Linguine, or Spaghettini (I used Spaghettini)

Cook until al dente.

Salt and Pepper

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup of Parmesan (oops, I ran out so I just skipped this)

1 bunch of Scallions, including and inch of the greens finely sliced

1/2 cup of chopped Parsley (I know, this seems like a lot. I couldn't get myself to add this much because I had dried but I'm sure they are talking about fresh which then probably wouldn't seem like so much)

1/3 cup of Basil or Marjoram

Combine the above ingredients. 

(Now this is where I want you to get creative! After cooking this I realized that I should have treated this more like an omelet and we would have enjoyed the end result much more. I would have added mushrooms, spinach, lots of grated cheese, maybe some red peppers or really whatever I had in my fridge. So that is what I want you to do when you make this. Add whatever your family likes in their omelets and this should be a HUGE success) 

Once your pasta is cooked; drain, rinse in cold water and shake dry (huh?) Combine the cooked pasta with your eggs and whatever else you have chosen to add. The best way to do this is with your hands. You heard me - love up that pasta (thanks Christina). Now we get to turn this into cake. 

Heat 1 TBSP of butter in an 8-10 inch nonstick skillet. Add the pasta, pat it down and even the edges. Cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the bottom is brown. Turn the cake out onto a plate, add another TBSP of butter to the pan and slide the cake back in and cook the other side ofr the same amount of time. 

Cut into wedges and Serve. 

This meal would be great to do with leftover pasta. I often have too much and so instead of adding the tomato sauce to the whole whack of it, just spoon the sauce onto each plate so that if there are leftovers you can give this a try. 

The kids loved it and it was really fun to eat.

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What the Kale? Part 2

This is a second tribute to my previous post about "Rawsome Kale Salad" I have finally made it and again I have to drool a little even just posting about it. This salad is SOOOO good. 

What is Kale anyway? 

It is a variety of cabbage (not seaweed Aaron) and considered to be one of the most highly nutritious foods out there. Here is the link to Wikipedia; go read how good this veggie is for you.

So since I have already told you how good this salad was I thought that since I have now made it I'd post the recipe here too, with my thoughts and insights (the best part right?).

Rawsome Kale Salad (there's a hippie in my kitchen)

2 Bunches of organic Kale (Oops, I only bought 1)

1 Ripe Avacado

1/2 Red Onion Chopped

1 Apple Chopped

2 Tsp Minced Ginger

2 Tsp Minced Garlic

2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tsp Soy Sauce/Tamari/Braggs Liquid Aminos (I used Soy Sauce around here)

1/2 Cup Raw Cashews, roughly chopped

Ok, here is where I alter the directions a bit, just changing the order a little

In a  bowl, mix the ginger, garlic, oil, lemon and soy sauce together. Set aside. 

Make sure that all of your above ingredients are indeed chopped ahead of time. I didn't do this and was constantly 'loving up my salad' and then washing my hands. annoying.

To prepare Kale, wash well and use a pairing knife to cut the leaves away from the tough stem. This often leaves them in nicely sized pieces, but if they are larger than bite sized-feel free to take care of that. (make sure you use a large bowl for this salad because you will need the space for your lovin)

Cut your avocado and scoop the fruit(meat, green part, flesh, whatever you want to call it) into the bowl with your kale. 

At this point you want to love up your kale and avocado, and you're going to do this by giving the kale a nice deep tissue massage. Get your hands in there and make sure the avocado gets into all the nooks and crannies of the greens.  (You heard her; LOVE IT UP!)

Grab your premixed sauce and pour it in with your loved up salad, and love it up just a little bit more to coat everything. 

At this point, add all your other chopped ingredients. Mix and serve. Voila! Now you can sit back and let the compliment start a comin! (These are all Christina's words, aren't they fabulous?)

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Wraps: How many ways can you prepare them?

We like wraps. It is actually annoying because sometimes it feels like we are always eating wraps. Not that this si a bad thing but I like variety. 

Before Hazel was born Aaron was the cook at our house. It was fabulous. But...we were always eating pasta. I know, he clearly has some Italian heritage (with a last name like ours there is no doubt) but pasta everyday? Well, maybe not everyday but enough that I think by the time I took over the kitchen duties we were both ready for some variation. And what easier way then with wraps?

The first time I had a vegetarian wrap was at a friends house at lunch. She invited us to stay and have leftovers and the leftovers were warps. They were SO good! I asked her to send her recipe because it seemed so complicated and really, it was so easy. How do you make a delicious wrap? Let me tell you how I do it.

Easy and Delicious Wraps

The first thing you need to do is to choose what kind of 'grain' (I guess) you want in this wrap (Think Badass Jacks). Our two favorites are:

Rice

Vermicelli Noodles

Choose a variety of vegetables like...

1/2 an *Onion, chopped 

1 tsp of *Garlic, chopped

1/2 a Pepper

1/2 a cup of Mushrooms

1 thinly sliced Carrot

1/2 cup of frozen peas

(I think you guys are getting the idea)

 At this point you can add:

1/2 a package of Extra Firm Tofu. (I can't stand the texture of tofu but I know is value so I always cut mine into small bite sized pieces)

Beans (any kind)

Saute these veggies up until they are soft. Season your veggies how you want. They are delicious without anything, or try some:

Soy Sauce 

Spices

Peanut Sauce

or even some Salad Dressing, really, with whatever you have on hand.

the only picture I have from our wraps the other night. Notice the sunshine!

You are now done with the cooking part.

Want anything else on your wrap? We like to add to it like we would a taco:

Shredded Cheese

Lettuce

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Salsa

and sometimes

chickpeas

 Next, toss your tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds so they are warm; fill them the way you want to; wrap it all up (I like to wrap it so there are no open ends) and eat!

If you are feeding kids this will be fun for them because they can choose what they are eating. Extra Cheese for me please!

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Simple Scratch Pizza Dough

I like to cook, and bake, and eat yummy food (in case you didn't realize). I grew up being told that if I wanted something good to eat I would have to make it. So I did. Thank you Mom. (love you).

I learned how to make cowboy cookies, perfect grilled cheese (I was a kid so this counts as real food), texas sheet cake, grasshopper pie and other things too. I developed my sweet tooth early and became a snob for homemade. Which explains why when I decided to make pizza I make pizza - dough and all.  Here is the recipe I always use and it hasn't failed me yet!

Simple Scratch Pizza Dough

Mix: 

1/2 cup of Warm Water

1/2 tsp of Sugar

3 tsp of Instant Yeast

Add:

1 cup of Hot Water

1 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil

1 tsp of Salt

Flour; enough to make a soft dough (about 3 1/2 cups)

That is it, knead this all together and voila! you are ready to roll it out and add the toppings a bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 

*To make thick chewy crust: stretch dough to 1/2" thickness and let it rise slightly before baking.

*To make a thin, crisp crust: use cold dough, roll it to 1/4" and bake while the dough is still cold.

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Pizza Pizza Thick Tomato Paste...

I have this hilarious memory of myself and a bunch of friends when we were younger, maybe 10 or 11 singing a pizza song for some church talent show or something. I can still see this one girl in my mind, she had such enthusiastic actions as we rocked out on stage. Whenever I eat pizza this song goes through my head:

"Pizza pizza thick tomato paste. Lotza mozza all over your face. So hurry up and slice it up there's not a minute more to waste, with 27 toppings you can't miss a single taste"

I want you all to know that I do realize that I've been a slacker on the veggie meals front. Yes, I've posted some snacks and side dishes but we can all make those. I've been looking for some new recipes and am pleased to announce there will be some good ones coming in the future. I have a couple of new cookbooks Ive borrowed from the local library (my favorite building on earth) and I'm looking forward to trying out some recipes. 

This recipe came from a cook book from my own stash. The title is "Claire's Classic American Vegetarian Cooking". I got this free from someone who had posted online that they were giving it away to the first person to respond. I was the first person. And it is actually a great cookbook; simple recipes, meal plans and the font that is used for the recipe headings makes me smile every time. 

Last night I was trying to decide what to make for dinner (yup, you caught me, I didn't meal plan this week again) and I had to stop and think about what I had. Normally I meal plan then shop based on that so I had to find something to make with what I had. This is what I came up with. I didn't follow the recipe much but used it as a guide I guess. I LOVED this pizza. So good. Made it to favorites. 

Spinach, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Pizzas

6-7 8" Greek Pita Breads (I was planning on using these because I usually have some in my freezer but of course last night I didn't. I ended up making my own pizza dough instead. You can find the recipe here)

3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

5 cloves of Garlic (when I saw that this recipe called for 5 cloves of garlic I was thrilled. Garlic makes me happy even with the killer breath)

2 large ripe Tomatoes, finely chopped (I had no fresh tomatoes so I used a can of diced and it worked fine)

Salt and Pepper

2 10oz bags of spinach, well washed and finely chopped (I only had frozen but again it worked great)

5-6 oz of Goat Cheese, crumbled. (improvising again. I used feta and I don't think I would change it)

*I also used about 1/2 a cup of Grated Marble Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange pita bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet (or roll out your pizza dough on a pizza stone). Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cool 3-4 minutes until soften. Stir in the tomatoes (since i used canned tomatoes I drained them of most of the juice before adding them to my pan).

Add spinach. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon spread spinach and tomato mixture onto pitas (or pizza dough). Scatter goat cheese (and marble) over the pizzas and bake for 10-12 minutes (or 25-30 if you are using pizza dough that also needs baking). Serve. 

Like I said; we LOVED this. Hazel took leftovers to school for lunch and ate them cold. If I had of had Greek Pita bread this would have been a fast and yummy dinner. Mmmmm, I'm not sure how long I can wait before we have this one again.

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Homemade Granola Bars; Sweet and Fun

How do you feel about granola bars? I know, what kind of a question is that? They are easy to grab, kids will eat them no question and they have oatmeal so they are filling. In other words they are great. But let me tell you about my issue with store bought granola bars (and most prepared foods available at the grocery store) I don't really know what is in them. So now you all know why I make my own gnocchi, pizza, samosas, bread, cookies, and granola bars. I'm a control freak about what food my family eats. I just have major issues with not knowing what half of the ingredients are in a product when I can make them at home and know exactly what they are eating. This is not to say I don't buy prepared foods ever. I do. But I try to make as much at home as I can. Luckily I like to be in my kitchen (even though it is crowded and tiny).

I grew up on fresh baked bread, cinnamon buns, home cooked suppers and a lot of other things. My parents had and still have a large garden which we spent some time in; and my dad a lot of time in, so we could have fresh vegetables. But my parents didn't spend hours rototilling or kneading bread dough so that they would know what we were eating. It was cheap. Yes, it required work but when there are 11 mouths to feed you take the less convenient route to stretch dollars. In the process of making the money stretch though, they created me. I prefer fresh food. I know that homemade tastes better, and is healthier for you just because it isnt full of preservatives to extend its shelf life.

One day I hope to have a little farm where I can have my own garden, maybe some fruit trees, a few chickens (fresh eggs are so much nicer), and maybe a cow. Or a goat. I haven't decided. 
I want to have fresh food at my fingertips. 


Alright. my rant is done. For now. This brings me back to granola bars. We like them. but I don't like what is in them so I make my own. (I want you to know that I don't always do this. Just having extra boxed food is nice and easy, but  I do try to have homemade. I try) This is the granola bar recipe that we like best (probably because they tastes most like store bought). These are not healthy exactly. The recipe calls for Sweetened Condensed Milk, which is raw milk, heated until the water evaporates and a whack load of white sugar added. I want you all to know I'm not claiming these are healthier than store bought bars because they are low in sugar or fat; not at all. I am telling you that they are healthier because you will know what you are eating.
I think that counts for something.

Homemade Granola Bars

2 2/3 cup of Quick Cooking Oats

1 cup of Chopped Nuts

1 1/2 cup of Dried Fruit (raisins, craisins etc)

1 cup of Sunflower Seeds (or any other seed; I use Hemp Hearts)

1/2 cup of Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup of melted Butter

1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (this is why they taste so good)

Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheet or cake pan with Parchment Paper. Mix all ingredients together (make sure you don't our your hot melted butter directly onto your chocolate chips or they will melt). Press into pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure you check the middle that it looks cooked too. 

Cool and remove from oven. Cut into bars. 

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Homemade Gnocchi: Messy but Fun and Completely Worth It

WARNING: This is not a neat and clean meal to make (but I will tell you now before you close this blog and make something else tonight; it was so fun to make and totally worth the clean up for the fun)

Let me tell you about my Monday. In general I really have no issue with Monday. I often feel like it is a little break from a weekend with a busy family because I get to send 2 of my family members to school and the little guy and I get to get things done. One of those things being laundry. 

We own our home but have a suite in our basement. Our tenant is fabulous and wouldn't care if we took over her living room and used it as her own. She is great. Which is great for us because whoever designed the basement did a very poor job. Our shared laundry can only be accessed by going through her apartment. I know. Who planned that? I think that the reason it is laid out this way is because the house was probably a full rental. The owners probably didn't live here and so they didn't care if the tenants upstairs had laundry. But we do. It's our house, we had better have laundry! So. Laundry. Monday is my "get some, or all of my laundry done" day. (It is also my "meal plan and get groceries", "play lots with Nigel", "get organized", and "go to night school" day).

So...Monday. I managed to get my first load of laundry in before Hazel got on the bus. I switched the loads after she was on the bus and Nigel and I set off to get groceries and do errands. When we got back 3 hours later the load of laundry in the dryer was still wet (which was a problem because Nigel had been asking since he woke up if his new basketball shorts were clean and now they were clean but still wet, and how do you explain that to a two year old?) After some trial and error I figured out that the dryer had no heat, which means the clothes were never going to dry. I managed to get everything washed and then hauled everything to a laundromat and got it all dried and back in the house with 3 minutes to spare before Hazel got off the bus. 

Monday was clearly a bust or so it would seem. It is true that I was running up and down the stairs all day and then had to break the news that the dryer was on the fritz to Aaron (dread) but there were some positive moments. The best of the day? Making the yummy Gnocchi with my little man. It was messy, but that was my fault for leaving the flour where Nigel could reach it. We had so much fun and dinner was filling and delicious. 

Gnocchi 

(another recipe from my Aunts collection)

1 1/2 lbs of Potatoes peels and cut into 2" pieces (about 4-5 potatoes)

1 tsp of Salt

2 Tbsp of melted Butter

1-2 Large Eggs (I used 2)

1/8 tsp of Pepper

1 cup of Flour

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until tender. Drain.

Put Potatoes through a ptoato ricer or food mill into a large bowl (I will admit, I threw mine into the bosch with the cookie paddles. Worked like a charm but make sure you dont mis them to long or they will turn gluey)

Add eggs, butter, pepper and flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly until the dough is soft and smooth. (Flour your counter tops people! You will need it!)

See all the flour this kid is using...this is the mess I ended up with

Divide dough into 6 equal parts and with floured hands roll into ropes about 1" in diameter. Cut each rope into 1/2 pieces. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. (Once my cookie sheet was full I added more paper and did another layer. In the end my gnocchi was 3 layers thick)

At this point I tossed my 3 layered thick Gnocchi into the freezer and let it freeze for a few hours then bagged half for a meal later. The rest I cooked right then for dinner. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in your gnocchi (not to many at a time). Then they float to the top (about 2 minutes) remove with a clotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Gnocchi can be eaten plain, or with a sauce. Last night I served them with Spaghetti Sauce, Garlic Toast and Green Beans. YUM!

Don't be afraid to try this one. The kids will play with the dough like playdough which makes it a pretty fun meal for them to help make and then to eat later.

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