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Archive for March, 2012

A Monday List

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Musings, tagged , , , , on March 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It’s Monday.

It’s raining.

The weekend flew by way too fast and due to that fact, all I’ve got for you is a list of all the reasons why I feel completely discombobulated today.

1. Captain Cavedweller’s Mom called yesterday morning and left a message that his uncle had been mugged. By the time we returned her call after church and then waited for her to get home and call us back the panic had subsided and he was on his way home from the hospital. Remind me to not move to the town where he lives in Arkansas.

2. I put on my armor of long-sleeved sweatshirt, heavy jeans and elbow-length leather gloves to do battle with my rose bushes Saturday.  Due to multiple scratches, puncture wounds and one thorn still embedded in my finger, I think they came out ahead.  I look like I “wrastled a bobcat,” as my grandpa would have said, and lost.

3. CC turned into a slave-driving maniac and made me help him dig up all 973 bricks that line our backyard flower beds. We are getting ready to have our entire septic system and drain field replaced and anything we want to save had to be piled somewhere safe until the work is finished. I’ll share more on this awful project soon.

4. I made two new recipes this weekend. One involved tender beef, waffle fries and sour cream. The other involved bananas, cream and more cream. Both were a hit although my arteries are feeling a bit sluggish. I’ll post the recipes in a week or so.

5. Dirt clods exploding approximately 3.7 inches from where one obnoxious cat is doing something he ought not be doing causes said cat to jump approximately 3.7 feet into the air and run for cover. Not that I know about these things first hand.

Hoping you all have a great Monday!

She Who Needs One More Day of Weekend

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Gnocchi and Cheese

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Fast Recipes, Recipes, Sides, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2012| 1 Comment »

The other day I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Gnocchi Mac N’ Cheese.

I thought it looked divine. Captain Cavedweller turned up his nose at it. He doesn’t like Mac N’ Cheese.

So of course I decided to make it anyway. I tweaked the recipe , which originated from Cuisine at Home, and came up with a dish that both of us really liked. As in we ate way to much of it. As in couldn’t stop taking one more bite. As in really good.

It was really simple to make and didn’t take long either, always a plus in my book.

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Gnocchi. You can use whatever assortment of cheese you like - this is what I had on hand.

 

Start your sauce by melting butter in a heavy saucepan, then adding flour. Stir until it gets thick and bubbly. Add in milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken. Then add in cheese.

 

Cook your Gnocchi according to package directions, drain, and place into a shallow baking dish.

 

Top Gnocchi with sauce.

 

Sprinkle Gnocchi with cheese and bake at 375 until golden brown and Gnocchi puffs up - about 20 minutes.

 

Restrain yourself and let Gnocchi rest for a few minutes before serving.

Gnocchi and Cheese

1 pound gnocchi

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup grated Myzithra Cheese

1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

salt

1/3 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single layer on a shallow baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir until it thickens and bubbles. Continue to whisk, adding in milk and cook until it begins to thicken. Add in cheese and salt to taste. Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkled with Romano cheese over top. Bake about 20 minutes or until gnocchi puff up and cheese turns a delicious golden brown. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

*Note – you can use any assortment of cheeses like Fontina, Parmesan, Feta – whatever floats your boat.

She Who Liked This Way Too Much

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Driving Blind

Posted in Entertaining at Home, tagged , , , on March 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Last weekend, Captain Cavedweller and I made a trip for a family funeral. It involved driving several hours after work and we got a later start than we planned.

Of course it was pouring down rain as we left home and started our journey. By the time we had been in the car for an hour and a half, CC was holding the steering wheel in a white-knuckled death grip and muttering under his breath.

He has this little problem of not being able to see to drive at not.

Actually, it isn’t a little problem, it is a big problem, especially when I don’t want to drive at night. How am I supposed to sit in the passenger seat, eat bonbons and keep up a running dialogue about his driving abilities if I’m the one doing the driving?

As it was, the first town we came to, CC pulled off, fed me dinner and informed me I was driving the rest of the way.

Pulling back on the freeway, it took me all of 26 seconds to decide I didn’t want to drive. Not only was the rain coming down in sheets, hundreds – no thousands – of semis were on the road creating so much road splash it was impossible to see. And they were all driving approximately 37.8 miles an hour. At that rate or speed we would have reached our destination approximately two days after the funeral service was over.

In order to pass a truck, I would have to give myself a mental pep talk, hit the gas and hope for the best.

Trying to get past a truck, the phrase driving blind suddenly had an all new meaning to me. I couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t see the concrete divider in the road. Couldn’t see reflective posts. Couldn’t see lines the white or yellow lines on the road. Couldn’t even see the truck we were passing.

ImageWhat I could see was similar to this, except pitch black with about 80 percent less visibility and a nice mix of road scum thrown in.

It was just fabulous.

By the time I passed half a dozen trucks, I thought CC might:

1. hyperventilate

2. leave permanent fingerprints in the dashboard he was gripping

3. have a heart attack

When I passed another truck and couldn’t see if I was on my side, the truck’s side or any side of the road, I thought I might:

1. hyperventilate

2. leave permanent fingerprints in the steering wheel I held in a death grip

3. have a heart attack

By the time we reached the next town, I pulled off and found a hotel. I’d had enough fun for one evening.

As we splashed through the rain to the door, he still hadn’t regained the ability to speak. Seizing the opportunity, I informed him I was never, ever, ever, going to drive blind again.

At least not until we end up in a similar situation.

She Who Now Has 167 New Gray Hairs

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Welcome Spring!

Posted in Books, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , , on March 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Happy First Day of Spring!

Whether you have sunshine, wind, or snow, I hope today brings you a little joy and happiness as we officially say “Welcome, Spring!”

Even if the weather isn’t being cooperative today, you can still celebrate spring in easy and savvy style.

One sure sign of spring is tulips. Get a bright and colorful bunch on your way home today and see if it doesn’t make your home feel cheery and spring-like.

Serve a “spring” themed meal. Go for a salad with a light vinaigrette dressing and serve something lemony for dessert.

Spring is all about lightening up and shrugging off the heavy darkness of winter. That includes everything from your drapes and clothes to your menu selections.

It’s spring – lighten up!

For some fun and quick tips on bringing spring into your home, along with a handful of spring-themed recipes, download my Savvy Spring Entertaining booklet for free! I promise you’ll find at least one useful thing inside!

She Who is More than Ready for Spring!

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