Meals 310-316

11/07 tonight's meal was a "happy accident". i met up with some friends yesterday for lunch at an italian restaurant. knowing that i'd be working stupid late tonight, i ordered a salad and penne pesto, with the idea that i would reheat the leftover penne for tonight's meatless monday dinner. but when i opened the container? they had given me the wrong pasta!!!! it was my friend's leftover fettuchini alfredo, and indulgence that i love but so rarely allow myself. since it was already 8:30pm, and i was starving (and it is a meatless meal), i went ahead and wolfed it down. holy cow was it tasty!!! rich and decadent. creamy and smooth. my friend laughed when i told her about the mix up, she had given her leftovers to her boyfriend, so never even knew what she was missing!

11/08 as often as tony and i have gone to mellow mushroom, i've become pretty familiar with all of their wares. and if i'm craving greens? i usually opt for their "enchanted spinach salad". tonight i did my best to recreate, and came fairly close!! a bed of baby spinach with diced granny smith apples, crumbles feta cheese, crumbled bacon, dried cherries and candied pecans. all drizzled with a honey balsamic vinaigrette. i don't think the original has the apples, but since they're in season, i figured it would be a nice touch! i also added some red onion for a little kick. very tasty, but i think next time i'll use bleu cheese instead of the feta. 'cause bacon + bleu cheese = nirvana.

11/09 tonight's meal. oh tonight's meal. one of my all time favorite recipes that i have ever learned. to me it is a MUST have during the autumnal season. pumpkin gnocchi in sage brown butter sauce. holy cow is it amazing!!! i learned this when i was at the cooking school in tuscany. just the smells from making this meal had me drooling. the light and fluffy pillows of pumpkin pasta, the herbaceous fragrance of the sauce, the salty bite of the pecorino.... it all comes together for a most delicious creation! these gnocchi are a little different than the standard potato kind. for one, it uses pumpkin puree instead of potato in the dough. and rather than rolling and slicing it? the little dumplings are formed on the end of a spoon. it takes a little love and time, but i promise they are worth it!

Pumpkin Gnocchi

2 c pumpkin puree
2 c flour
2 egg yolks
1/2 t nutmeg
3/4 c pecorino (or parmesan if you prefer)
4 T butter
1 T olive oil
10 sage leaves, slivered
1 c extra pecorino

-melt butter, sage and olive oil in a baking pan over low heat, just until the butter begins to foam. set pan aside.
-combine flour, yolks, nutmeg and 3/4 cheese into pumpkin. mix gently with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
-drop dough 1/2 T at a time into boiling water. (i usually do 8-10 gnocchi at a time so as not to overload the pot).
-remove gnocchi when they are floating and place in sage butter pan.
-continue until all dough is used (you may have to switch out the water if it gets too starchy).
-sprinkle gnocchi with remaining 1 c of cheese.
-bake 15 minutes at 375F to crisp.

11/10 this has been a crazy, insane, busy week. and? may car has died!!!! so my friend and i agreed this was an occasion for a happy hour. we met at jimmy's and drowned our sorrows in cheap booze and comfort food. we split an order of their "jimchos". a heaping plate of nachos covered in their house chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and jalapeños. very comforting :)



11/11 as i have often written, i am always a fan of mini-foods. so tonight's "pre-portioned" trial were mini bbq meatloafs. a simple enough meatloaf made with ground beef, beaten egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder and breadcrumbs. but mixed with shredded cheddar, caramelized onions, and a generous amount of bbq sauce. baked at 400F then drizzled with more bbq sauce for the last five minutes. these with some broccoli? delicious!

11/12 as i am still housebound (the car remains in the shop for the weekend getting a new accelerator pedal), i am taking advantage of the time to get a head start on my thanksgiving prep! anything i can make/freeze ahead of time i am taking care of today and tomorrow. one of the appetizer i had planned were the little spinach/stuffing bites i made in february for my winter party. i had a little of the stuffing mix leftover, so i drew inspiration from a wedding i went to a few years ago. the caterer had apples stuffed with bacon and chèvre, then baked until golden and delicious. i had an extra granny smith in my fruit basket, so cored it, and stuffed it! i mixed a little bacon and a little chèvre in with my spinach/stuffing mix and baked it all for about 20 minutes. delicious! i should do stuffed apples more often. i'm thinking this with left over pulled pork? would be outstanding! i served it with a side of red cabbage, to add a wonderful tart flavor and a gorgeous color!

11/13 as my pre-baking for the holiday continues, i find i am quickly running out of freezer space! so now i'm pulling out the leftovers that have been buried in there and finding good uses for them. i was so happy to discover a small bag of about 10 saurkraut pierogies hidden next to a frozen package of chicken apple sausage. so, the two of them were thawed and cooking together! it turned out to be a very happy coincidence, these two items complimented each other quite well!