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Archive for the ‘Entertaining Ideas’ Category

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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Chocolate Raspberry Ritzy Pie

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Pie, Recipes, tagged , , , , on March 16, 2012| 5 Comments »

The other day I ran across a jar of Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce that had been languishing in my cupboard for way too long.

Deciding something must be done with it, I came up with the following recipe.

Warning: it is rich, and chocolate-y and pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

Chocolate covered Ritz crackers - hello yumminess!

Smash them into tiny little pieces. I used a Ziploc bag and a the flat side of a measure cup as my preferred method of whacking them to bits.

 

Mix Mousse according to package directions. Try not to lick the beaters.

 

Sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers on the bottom of a pie pan.

 

Spread half of the Mousse onto the cracker crust.

 

Mix remaining Mousse with 1 1/2 cups of whipped cream of whipped topping. If you use fresh whipped cream, make sure it is stiff. Spread over top of Mousse in pan.

 

Pour Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce over the top of the pie. I nuked mine for just a few seconds so it would actually pour.

 

By the time the sauce was on, it was this beautiful swirl of chocolatey goodness.

 

Top with berries then line crackers around edge of pan.

 

Ta Da!

Chocolate Raspberry Ritzy Pie

1 box Fudge Covered Ritz Crackers

1 package Mousse Mix

1 1/2 cups whipping cream or whipped topping

1 jar chocolate-raspberry sauce

Raspberries

Smash 12 of the crackers then line bottom of pie pan with crumbs.

Make Mousse mix according to package directions. Pour half into pie pan. Mix remaining half with whipped cream. Layer on top of Mousse mix in pan.

Top with chocolate-raspberry sauce. (If you can’t find chocolate raspberry sauce, mix raspberry syrup with chocolate sauce. You’ll need about 1 cup).

Garnish with raspberries and remaining crackers.

Refrigerate for at least two hours or until Mousse is completely set .

Serve and enjoy!

She Who Loves Chocolate and Raspberries

 

 

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