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!)
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| 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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