Happy Thoughts:

9/23/10

Dinner For Two

Last night I decided I wanted to do something special for my Daddy-cakes. He worked an extra long day from about 5am til 7pm. So I got all dolled up for him and cooked a romantic candlelit dinner, which turned out AMAZING. We really needed it, and it was a wonderful night. We shared a yummy slice of Boston Creme Pie for desert. I went to the package store and bought a nice bottle of wine which is made locally in Williamsburg. It was delicious. Here's the recipe for the Ricotta Gnocchi. Hope a few of you will try it out & let me know what you think!



Ingredients

  • Gnocchi:
  • 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
 
  • Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 6 basil leaves, finely shredded
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small chunks

Directions

  1. Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
  2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in shredded basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
  5. To assemble the dish, stir the cubed mozzarella cheese into the sauce and allow the heat of the sauce to soften, but not melt the cheese. Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce overtop.

Thursday 5

I have lost track of my days for some reason this week, I didn't realize it as Thursday! I've had a pretty amazing week hope you all have too. So it's time for Thursday Five again, and I hope you have some great things to be thankful for this week. So grab the button, post your five, and come back here to link up!


Grab My Button





Here are the five words of the week:

Giddy

Jubilant

Ecstatic

Thankful

Giggly


Here are my Five for the week:

  • I love FALL! I love being able to bring out my jackets and boots, and most of all I love all the colors outside! It's by far my favorite season.
 
  • I have over a week left with my husband before he leaves again which make sme so excited, we have a lot planned before he leaves!

  • I finally did my pinup photos with Christina and they turned out awesome! I can't wait to see them all and give them to my hubby. 
 
  • I've caught up on al orders for once, and actually have a little time to blog, organize, and think.

  • Dinner last night was amazing. I'm going to write another post about that.