CHIC THAT CAKE, BABY!!

Okay, so, while I was searching the internet for a decent cake recipe for my bf's birthday, I stumbled upon this site. A young, beautiful Brit who knows her sweets. She decorates cakes and cupcakes and cookies and has some of the most awesome tutorials on the net. I *highly* recommend her. 

With that said, let me just jump RIGHT into the recipe... 

Here's your goal!!

Note: You can tack these chocolate marble medallions on any frosted cake of any size or shape. I baked a basic round white cake with cream cheese frosting. You can also use plain white chocolate and mix in food coloring to get multi-colored medallions. 

-8 ounces DARK CHOCOLATE

-8 ounces WHITE CHOCOLATE

-3 tbsp    VEGETABLE OIL

-1 whole BAKED & ICED CAKE 

In a double boiler, melt the dark and white chocolate separately, adding a tablespoon and a half of vegetable oil to each bowl of chocolate to get a liquid consistency.

On a large sheet of parchment or wax paper, pour a spoonful of dark chocolate and make a disc shape spreading the chocolate using the back of the spoon. The discs should be about 4″ or so in
diameter.

Now, drizzle the white chocolate on top of the rim of the dark chocolate disc as well as in the center. This does not have to be perfect. Just decorate the dark chocolate with the white.

Then, with a knife, cut through the chocolate discs in different angles to spread the white and dark to make different designs. Careful not to overwork the chocolate as we do not want a big light brown blob, but rather a nice “web” design.

Allow the chocolate to set and harden. Dip a sharp knife in hot water after the chocolate has set and slice off a small piece of each disc to get a straight edge. Now, gently press the discs against the frosted walls of the cake.

Now, where you would normally place a second layer of cake, make a slit with a knife all around (about 2″ from the rim of the cake) and stick in the chocolate discs, standing up, so that it resembles a second layer (refer to photo). The same with the ‘top’ or ‘third’ layer. Add a couple of discs in the very center and you could stack a couple on top of those so that it (the cake) looks taller.

Note: You can tack the chocolate discs however you like, though this is the way that I did it. You can also make the discs larger (though, they become a bit more difficult to work with). The number of discs that you use all depends on how large the cake is. I had a few left over which turned out perfectly just in case I broke one.

Cheesecake: Fresh & Fool-Proof

Helloooo!! 

What a *glorious* day to make my easy and hassle-free CHEESECAAAAAKE!! Mmmmmmm!! What better way to gain a few extra pounds!! Eeerrr... Okay, perhaps that is not the best way to promote this recipe... More for me in the end, right?!?! Mbuahahahaa!! Oh... wait... I meant more cheesecake, not more pounds. Okay... maybe I'll share... That way you guys can get fat with me. 

I will start by saying that I *LOVE* cheesecake but I *hate* the uncertainty that baked cheesecakes come with. You never know how it will turn out until it's finished!! PLUS, they crack and tough 'skins' form on top of it and sometimes it's mushy in the middle and not dense and rich and it totally ruins your day and wastes ingredients!! Whew!! Don't get me wrong, when I go to restaurants or pastry shops or cafes- I don't hesitate in purchasing one and enjoying it til the last crumb!! I would attempt to perfect the art of cheesecake-making, were I not broke all the time... HEY!! Ingredients are expensive!! Especially in Italy!! Humph!! Try $7 for less than 8oz of cream cheese!! Yeah, for real!! I don't joke about the exaggerated prices the Italians put on basic, delicious ingredients that I cannot live without!! We are not even going to mention the fact that I can't get my hands on crisco. This has ruined my cookie and tortilla-making life. Humph!! 

Okay, so, before I reveal my easy, scrumptious, stress-free recipe for no-bake-fresh-fool-proof-cheesecake- I'll have you know that there are several variations that you could do easily using the same filling (minus the lemon juice). This just so happens to be a fresh, tangy twist on a classic. I used pulverized (crushed/pureed/crumbled- whatever) lemon cookies for the crust. No baking involved whatsoever. You could substitute the lemon cookies for oreos and get a delicious, decadent oreo cheesecake!! Just replace the lemon cookies with oreos in the recipe below for both the crust and topping (photo at the bottom of the page).

Without further ado and no more guilding the lillie... I give you the ONE, the ONLY Foooooooool Proooooof Cheeeeeeeesecaaaaaaake!!! ((waaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaa waaaaaaaa *crowds cheering* waaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaa)) 

• 16 ounces, weight Lemon Flavored Cookies
• ½ cups Butter Or Margarine Melted
• 16 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ½ teaspoons Lemon Juice
• 3 cups Whipped Cream
• 1 cup Strawberries, Sliced (OPTIONAL)

*Note: I use sweetened whipping cream and whip it myself at home instead of store-bought or canned whipped cream. I, personally, prefer the taste and the texture. You could use store bought if you prefer. Also, you can decorate this cheesecake any way you like. I just so happen to like fresh strawberries with this, but it would definitely be delicious with chocolate or caramel or strawberry syrup… Possibilities are endless!

1. Crush the lemon cookies to get approximately 2 1/2 cups worth. Mix in melted butter and mold into a pie/cake dish (make sure you get some edges, too). Add more or less if needed, depending on the size of pan you use. Place in the freezer while making the filling (or for about 20 minutes).

2. With a hand-held mixer, cream the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice together. Add in the whipped cream and beat for about 3 minutes.

3. With a plastic spatula or spoon, spread the mix into the pie crust. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices if desired. Refrigerate for a minimum of 45 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

(PICTURED BELOW- OREO NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE)

Potato Croquettes MMMMMMM!!!

Goooooooood day, people!! Today, I am going to teach you how to make "Panzerotti di Patate" A.K.A "Potato Croquettes". 

This recipe is one of those classic, signature southern-Italian appetizers that you'd find your Nonna frying up in the kitchen in a cottage in the middle of vineyards near the sea. In Italy. Or in Europe... Or in ...Milwaukee... ??? NOOOOOT!! No, but, really- your grandmother could definitely fry these up in a kitchen in the cottage in the middle of-- well, not vineyards-- but trees-- in Milwaukee... Ehem... 

So, let me begin by saying that I have an intense passion and obsession for potatoes and cheese... Separately AND together... BUT, combined I must say, is soooooo much better. Potato love, people... Potato love. Oops... I was supposed to begin...

((throat clearing))

I HAVE AN INTENSE PASSION AND OBSESSION FOR POTATOES AND CHEESE. 

These are incredibly delicious and easy to make. Awesome for a dinner-party or just to content the kids!! Or hubby... Or chihuahua. ((grimace))

BTW, these are best fresh from the fryer, so if you have to make them ahead of time, sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and reheat in the oven before serving. 

• 2 pounds Potatoes (preferably Old)
• 150 grams Grated Parmesan (preferably Half Parmesan, Half Pecorino)
• 2 whole Eggs
• 100 grams All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
• 300 grams Plain Bread Crumbs, Preferably Homemade, Divided
• 1 Tablespoon Salt, Or To Taste
• 2 teaspoons Pepper Or To Taste
• 1 cup Chopped Dry Cheese Such As Swiss, Scamorza, Pepperjack, Etc. (optional)
• 2 whole Egg Whites
• 3 cups Olive Oil For Frying (or More If Needed)

Note: When mixing in the eggs, I recommend starting with 1 to 1 1/2 eggs just in case the mixture becomes too wet with 2 eggs. The egg is used simply to amalgamate the mixture. If it becomes too wet, it can break apart during frying, so to avoid that, we’ll start with less and add more if necessary.

Boil the potatoes till soft. Remove the skin and completely mash or puree the potatoes.

Mix in the puree, the grated parmesan, 1 1/2 eggs (see note at top), flour, parsley, and half of the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the mix seems too dry, add the remaining 1/2 egg.

Form little logs with the mix (approximately 3 to 4″ long and 3/4″ thick). They don’t have to be perfect, just make sure they are log-shaped. At this time, if you wish, you can stick in each log a cube of chopped dry cheese of your choice.

Dip each log into the egg whites and immediately coat in the bread crumbs.

In a large, deep frying pan, heat the olive oil (adding more or less for deep frying). Fry the croquettes till deep golden brown.

Serve hot and enjoy!

5-Step Cheesecake Truffles

Hey! Doesn't that look good?!?!

So, I was on a journey searching for a reason to make brownie and cheesecake truffles... You know--so that I could give a decent explanation to my rear end why I am eating such filling that doesn't go away unless you work it off in the gym sweets. Then I thought to myself, "I'm an AMERICAN for crying outloud! I don't NEED to justify my reasons for eating feel-good food! Because that's what we Americans DO! WE EAT COMFORTING, FEEL-GOOD FOOD! AND I AM *PROUD* TO BE AN AMERICAN!!" 


I bet that I just gave you goosebumps! Come oooooooon, I know that you whispered to the screen "Wow, that was strangely patriotic!" There's nothing wrong with the way we eat, though most studies show that we lack some kind of BALANCE in our diet... Well, if you want balance then I'll have TWO orders of a Crispy McBacon Extra Large Value Meal! THERE'S MY BALANCE!! MUAHAHAHA!! Just kidding... Sort of...

No, anyway, it's true that we need to tone it down on the FFATs (fast food and fats), but we live in a very hard-core era. Both parents work full-time jobs, kids are in school most of the day, parents get home late and the only time we can eat together in peace is on Thanksgiving and Christmas... So, really, fast food joints save us from starvation and is budget-friendly.

Anyway, that is WAAAAAY off the subject. I am here to share with you my deep love for CHEESECAKE.

I love cheesecake. I don't care for normal cake at all... It has to have that tangy-sweet richness to it! My birthday cakes have always been cheesecakes, pumpkin or strawberry pie. I don't like things that are TOO sweet... I like that salty-tangy-sweet balance. Which is EXACTLY what makes cheesecake speed up your heart rate and salivary glands just at the spout of its name! Cheeeeeeesecake. You got it, right? CHEESECAKE GOOD. CHEESECAKE DELICIOUS. CHEESECAKE MAKE YOU DROOL.

HOWEVER, Cheesecake is a PAIN to make!! It cracks and splits and is somewhat unpredictable and it takes forever to cook and makes a mess in your kitchen!! And with that in mind, you lose all desire to take the time to prepare it... BUT!! I HAVE A SOLUTION!! A recipe that is so easy with the same wonderful richness and flavor of cheesecake- coated in chocolate without the mess and stress!! In 5 easy steps, you have yourself the most scrumptious and decadent CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES!!

Here's the recipe!!

5-Step Cheescake Truffles

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract Or Amaretto Or Rum
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt
• ⅓ cups Cream
• ½ cups Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 8 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate Bars/chips
• Rainbow Sprinkles For Decorating (optional)

Preheat Oven to 350*F

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk or a hand-mixer.

Pour batter in a greased brownie pan (I use 8″x12″) and place in oven to bake for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and leave to cool. With a melon scoop, spoon out about 1 tablespoon of cheesecake and form into balls and place on a plate covered in parchment paper.

Place in freezer to freeze for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate (preferably using a double-boiler) and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Dip frozen cheesecake balls in the chocolate to coat. Before removing with a fork to transfer onto parchment paper or a cookie sheet, tap the side of the bowl with the fork to remove excess chocolate.

Upon transferring the dipped truffles, immediately sprinkle any topping of your choice on top like crushed almonds, rainbow sprinkles, colored sugar crystals or grey seasalt.

You can serve these or stick them back in the freezer for later! Don’t forget to remove them from the freezer 20 minutes before serving!

DIY Moulin Rouge Party

So...
This is Gianna ------------------------------------------->>

She's my best friend.------------------------------------>>>>

She is fun, funny, crazy, goofy, beautiful, energetic, pro dancer AND
She's my best friend...

It's my best friend's birthday on November 2nd and I am throwing a SURPRISE party for her!!!

Now, she's turning 29 (four years older than me) and I couldn't think of what to do for her!!

Being a professional dancer, she likes the BLING. Being European (Italian, to be exact), she likes SEXY. Being that I bought her a corset for her gift, I thought MOULIN ROUGE!!

YES!! THAT'S RIGHT PEOPLE!! I am throwing a MOULIN ROUGE THEMED PARTY!!

I searched the internet trying to find ideas and BOY, did I find IDEAS!! 

Unfortunately, I am on a tight budget and I thought to myself... 

"How many of us are on tight budgets but want to throw our best friend a surprise birthday party in a Moulin Rouge theme?" I don't know how many... But I am one of them!! 

My way of contributing to the women who want to throw a Moulin Rouge themed party on a tight budget for their best friend/sister/mom/colleague/cousin/whatever/whoever is to give them a list of items and ideas that they will need to re-create the atmosphere of MOULIN ROUGE. 

My main inspiration came from this photo... 

BUT, as I said before... "MOMMA'S ON A BUDGET, BABY!!" 

So here's what I am going to do... Think "MARDI GRAS" or "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"... Feathers, beads, corsets, masks, lights!! 

My scheme of Moulin Rouge Re-creation is as follows...

***FOR THE TABLES...

-Tablecloth: You can purchase those plastic/paper tablecloths in BORDEAUX, GOLD, PURPLE

(note: black would be VERY dark, TRUST ME)

-Place Setting: Plastic martini/champagne glasses with a napkin (of any one of your main colors- red, purple,  fuschia or gold) folded and placed inside [the glass]. FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE DIRECTLY BELOW ...

Plasticware to the max!! Have fun with colors here!! You could also 

accomplish this look with simple white plastic plates and utensils and let the napkins and martini glasses do all the talking!!

-Centerpiece: Go to any craft or party store and find long 'Big Bird' feathers in black, red, pink or white (two of those colors). While you're there, pick up a long slim plastic (clear/black/red/gold-tone) vase to put them in. If the end of the feathers are not long enough, tie them together and tape them around a stick that you will later insert in the vase. Arrange the feathers before you tape them and make sure that they really "fountain" out of the vase. If you're like me AND YOU CAN'T FIND THE FEATHERS... You can purchase one of those tinsel fountain centerpieces or damask candlesticks, or the floating candles in a large bowl or flowers or balloons or you could make one of these... 

                                     

***DECORATIONS...

Lighting: You know all those tea candles they sell at the dollar stores that come in sets of 20? GET THEM. You know those Christmas lights you use only once a year for a total of 3 weeks? GRAB THOSE (preferably white lights). You know where I'm heading with this? GO THERE!! Have fun with the lights!! Let's get that dark French-theater look... Wrap the lights around a column or, if you have enough of them (like 5), pin/tape the end of each light in the center of the room on the ceiling and branching out like a star-beam (5 angles) like a circus. I don't have that many, so since there are two mirrored columns, I am going to wrap them around those. 

Mirrors: Mirrors!! DON'T BREAK ONE!! But you SHOULD use them!! They enhance the chic atmosphere and they will REFLECT THE LIGHT... 

Photo Corner: A lot of people are camera shy and need some encouragement to take pictures... I am one of them, which is why I wanted to creat a Photo Corner. You'll need a large black backdrop (translation: big black sheet or cloth that can be hung/nailed to the wall). Nail/hang it on a wall in/near a corner. On it, you can attatch the sign "Happy Birthday, Jane" or whatever. Beside the backdrop, I am putting a little table filled with party masks that I made myself (printed the template and decorated them) for the women and moustaches and hats for the men. I printed out the templates on cardboard paper, cut and colored them and glued them to a stick!! 

Paper Lanterns: I found a ridiculously simple paper lantern template that took me 1 minute to make!! I printed different designs on full-computer paper (I recommend you use cardboard paper) and cut and folded them into a stylish paper lantern. I'm going to hang them from the ceiling. Here's what they look like... 

I though about games... and I wanted to use a classic birthday game, but modified for this theme... "PIN THE HAT ON THE DANCER". Blind fold your guests, spin them around, and have them pin the hat on the dancer!! Paper, tacs and corkscrew board!! Use an image like this... 

Next thing you'll need is FOOD... Which is why I thought that Brownie and Cheesecake Truffles would be a great way to add to the RICHNESS of the evening and atmosphere!! RECIPE COMING UP!!

STAY TUNED FOR THE PARTY PHOTOS AND MY "BROWNIE TRUFFLES" AND "CHEESECAKE TRUFFLES" RECIPES!!

Talk about falling off the atmosphere!!

Why, hello, blogworld!! I know, I know!! I've been gone for a LOOOONG time... But I've been SUPER busy... So busy that I have barely had any time to cook!! It's been fast food heaven for me over these past 8 months!! Don't believe me? Ask my spare tires and back flab!! They'll vouch for me!! 

Anyway... In light of this new information that I am CERTAIN you can die happy now knowing... I have a little piece of summer paradise to bring you!!

hahahaaaaaa.... U tink eye gon shea zat info MAY shun wichuuu??? muahahahahaha!! 

okay... being serious now... sort of...

ehem...

Wait for it.... Waaaaaaait fooooor iiiiiiiiiiit....

COUS COUS A L'AMOUR POUR YOUR FISIQUE!! 

(( crickets ))  

((crickets))

OH, COME ON!!!

FINE!! 

wait for it.... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit....

"NOT JUANITA'S AVERAGE COUS COUS" 

still no good??

alright.... FINE!! 

sheesh... tough crowd, here... 

((drum roll, please!!))

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE ONE...

THE ONLY...

A CLASSIC HISPANIC/ORIENTAL DISH 

MODIFIED WITH LOVE

TO BECOME 

A TRIED AND TRUE WEIGHT-WATCHER'S,

FLAVOR-SEEKER'S, 

MOMMY-WITH-PICKY-KIDS-WHO-DON'T-LIKE-VEGGIES-BUT-WHO-HAVE-TO-FEED-THEM-VEGGIES'S

FAVORITE COUS COUS RECIPE OF ALL TIME...

I GIVE YOU---

"DeliCousCous"

 What do you think??

 It is an AWESOME side to any chicken or red meat dish and absolutely PERFECT by itself.

A healthy, delicious and easy cous cous dish where the couscous is cooked in a puree of  homemade minestrone, topped with shredded parmesan!! 

Sure to please any palate!!

Now, before I share with you one of my reasons for living (a.k.a delicouscous recipe),

I want you to know that I will by NO means be offended if you prefer to substitute (AT HOME WHERE I CAN'T SEE AND THEREFORE CANNOT JUDGE OR THROW WOODEN SPOONS ACROSS THE COUNTER AT YOU) the veggies or spices with different ones, you can!! 

However, the MAIN ingredients are cabbage (or any leafy vegetable like spinach), carrots (use less carrots if you don't like the color orange or if you prefer less keratin), zucchini and my secret to a flavor-packed delicouscous is to use as little water as possible without the couscous being dry!! 

Oh!! And if you like, you can add a bouillion cube (chicken, meat, veggie--all the same)

to the cooking veggies to give it a real punch!! or kick... 

whatever tickles your tastebuds...

and NOW!!! IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!

hehe... sorry...

DELICOUSCOUS

INGREDIENTS

(for four servings)

-1 cup couscous

-4 or 5 leaves of cabbage (use more if using spinach)

-1 medium carrot, chopped

-1 large zucchini, chopped (or 2 small zucchini)
-4 tablespoons of olive oil (1 tbsp per portion, basically)
1/2 tomatoe, diced
-salt and pepper to taste
-boullion cube (optional)

Directions

1. Throw veggies in a pot and fill pot with JUST ENOUGH WATER TO COVER VEGGIES.

2. Pour in oil. Cover pot and boil for 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
You know that it's ready when the carrots are tender and the water has evaporated.
(at that point, if you wish to add a boullion cube, do so at this time)

3. When most of the water has nearly evaporated (the veggies are cooking in the 'sauce') and the carrots are tender, remove from pot and pour veggies directly in a food processor (or hand process or blend) and puree the veggies. NOT IN A CREAM, JUST LUMPY!!

4. Pour the puree back into the pot and bring to a boil. Add couscous and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat. The couscous will continue cooking.

5. Allow to cool and SERVE!!

I SAID THAT I'D BE BACK!!!

Soooooooooo... YOU folks thought that you could get rid of me, right?! WONG!!! VAYWEE VAYWEE WONG!!!

Where have I been? Okay... let's begin...

First Milan, then Rome, then Miami... Met up with my family in Miami and the following day embarked on the wonderful Carnival Valor Cruise to go to the Caribbean!! YEAAAH BAYBAY!!

First night was at sea... Next day was in the Cayman Islands, Roatan (Honduras), Belize, then Cozumel (Mexico) and then back to Miami again... BEAUTIFUL!!! I will start the story-telling with full-colored pics JUST FOR YOU!! But I will do that tomorrow... Because my camera battery is dead... It died... It ... DOES that sometimes... weird, huh?

Here's a little sneak peek at one of my adventures on my trip!!

Here's me on the Everglades!! 

 

Keep Posted for Updates!! 

Fairytale & Recipe: Gnocchi al Gorgonzola

Okay, so, quick QUICK fairytale... Don't have much time as I am packing to go NORTH (translation: Milan), pick up my residency crastuff (crap/stuff), just to head back to the middle (translation: Rome) to get on the plane to head SOUTH (translation: Miami) to get on the boat to head ...to head to.... OH CRUMMY BUTTONS!! My geography SUCKS... It's like- "wake me up when we get there" or "tap me on my shoulder cause I can't hear you since I got my headphones on" or "are we THERE yet?!"-- I am a DESTINATION GIRL- not really a JOURNEY GIRL... (sounds like a superheroine name... hehe...I syke ett ah LAHTT!!) Although that depends where I am going and who I am with and what am I doing to get there and what means of transportation I am taking and if I have to tinkle and the weather and A BAG OF CHIPS... the list goes on... I suppose that you could say I am very "conditional" at times. But only half the time... ....... Now that we have that cleared and I got that off my chest-- I am heading to THE CARIBBEAN!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! YEEEEAAAAAAAY!!!

Okay!! Okay!! Fairytale, got it!! 

Once upon a time, in a far away island, there lived a young girl of the ripe (punk) age of 18. Her papa, who lived in Europe, came to see her at her graduation to wisk her away to his country to spend some time with him and his wife and three angEVILic daughters (just kidding on the evil part)... They went everywhere together--just the two of them-- eating pizza and bruschetta every day until they BURST... Then, one day, he took this young-punk-110-pound-18-year-old to Switzerland... Locarno, to be exact... The day passed quickly and they laughed and walked and talked and enjoyed the sights and cobble-stoned roads, admiring the cleanliness of the town and the pricey artesan gift shops...

T'was not long before the hunger hit -and HARD!! Why, it was like a bomb!! Unexpected and horrific!! So, her papa took the two of them to a little piazza where there sit a quiet, lovely restaurant in the center... The girl ripped the menu with foreign writing out of the waiter's hands--who then gave her a dirty look-- and began to attempt to read the strange words outloud... Embarrassed by her accent, she pointed to the first thing that she saw and asked her papa "DADDY!! Wha... What's gore--GUN--zow-LA??" Her papa responded that it was a sharp cheese and that she may not like it. The girl replied that she loved cheese--and the sharper, the better."We ... Well then--what's GUH -NO- CHEE?" The man laughed and said "Knee-yolk-EE"... Said that it was a potatoe dumpling and a specialty. The girl repeated like so and said "I'LL TAKE IT"!!

Shortly after ordering, the waiter brought the girl her dish and something STRUCK THE GIRL RIGHT IN THE GUT!!!! Like a LIGHTNING BOLT!! OR A BANG!! PAIN!! SHARP JUTTING PAIN!!

She tried to get ahold of herself--tried to understand what it was that hit her!!!! WHAT WAS IT, YOU ASK??? Something so simple, yet so complicated!! What? What?? WHAT?!! .......................................................................................................................................Love, ladies and gentlemen.... Love.......

It was true, unbridled LOVE..... And guess what happened?? The girl and gnocchi spent time together EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR SIX MONTHS STRAIGHT!! Guess who else joined the girl during that time?

20 POUNDS OF SPARE TIRES, CELLULITE, AND CHUBBINESS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! But you know what?? She would do it ALL over again... Because now, there is a beautiful friendship between the two... NOOOOO!!! NOT THE 20 POUNDS!! Gnocchi... A tried and true old friend.... Well... Not THAT old... But CERTAINLY true!!

The End

RECIPE: GNOCCHI & GORGONZOLA

Start with making the gnocchi first!! If you find the packaged kind near the pasta section when you have potatoes, flour and one egg at home, I will personally disconnect your internet and all access to facebook.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP THIS IS A FREE MESSAGE

Ingredients:

2 pounds of old, waxy potatoes (5 to 6 medium-sized)

300 grams of Flour

1 egg

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill the pot with water just until the water covers the top of the potatoes. Place on high heat and add the salt. Leave to boil.

2. When the potatoes have been boiling for about 20 minutes, remove from heat and drain.

3. With a dish/tea towel, take each potato and peel it with a knife. Work quickly.

4. With a ‘passatutto’, pass the hot potatoes (or use a potato masher). Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper if you like.

5. Add the egg and stir quickly. The heat from the potatoes will cook the egg. Add two or so handfuls of flour into the mix and stir until it all sticks together in a ball of dough.

6. Remove from bowl and knead the dough for a couple of minutes on a floured surface, adding the remaining flour and working in til the dough no longer sticks to your fingers and is pliable.

7. Cut the dough into four or five sections and roll out each section into a 1.5″ thick roll. Slice off 1″ pieces/rectangular cubes. Repeat with all sections and place the gnocchi pieces on a floured platter/dish so that they don’t stick.

8. In boiling water, add the gnocchi (not all at once). When they rise to the surface, wait half a minute and remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top so that they do not stick to one another.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU JUST MADE GNOCCHI!!

NOW FOR THE SAUCE!!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups Gorgonzola Cheese

2 cups To 3 Cups Heavy Cream

1 dash(es) Pepper (optional)

1. Preheat a sauce pan on medium heat and heat 2 cups of the cream.

2. Add in the gorgonzola and let it melt with the cream. Taste the sauce. If it is too sharp for you, add in more cream until desired taste is acquired.

3. Add in gnocchi to the sauce OR ladle the sauce on top of gnocchi/pasta.

4. Add a dash of pepper if desired, and serve!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM...........

GNOCCHI, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! LOOK AT THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!! 

YOU ARE SO VERY WELCOME!!  Just sharing the love!!