Ricotta Gnocchi

I've always loved gnocchi. Although I have never really been able to say it correctly. Regardless, I have made it in the past and it is delicious and I decided to make it again. I have never tried to make the potato based one, but I am a fan of cheese more so anyway. 

This is what you'll need:

2 eggs

8 ounces ricotta cheese (part-skim)

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup flour

Mix all ingredients except flour in a medium bowl.

Add the cup of flour and mix.

Section the dough into 4 sections. Put down wax or parchment paper and cover your hands in flour. 

Roll out the dough.

Cut the dough into small pieces, about 3/4 of an inch.

Continue to do so with the 3 other sections of dough.

When all the gnocchi are formed, make a little indent in the center with your finger. 

The dough should not be gooey to the touch, and should spring back to shape slightly when indented. 

Bring water to a roaring boil, and drop each gnocchi in separately to make sure they do not stick together. 

When they start to float to the top, they're done! 

They shouldn't be hard, but definitely not too soft. 

The boiling usually takes about 5 minutes. 

Place them in a strainer to get rid of excess water. 

Meanwhile, heat up whatever desired sauce you would like.

I just used jarred spaghetti sauce that I had opened in the fridge. 

Pour the sauce over, add some cheese to the top and enjoy!

The first time you make gnocchi it can get pretty messy. Flour gets everywhere. My roommate suggested putting wax paper down, which was genius. The dough did not stick to the counter, and cleanup was much easier this way! Just roll up the wax paper and toss it! They seem like they would be kind of tricky to make, but they could not be easier! I am going to try to attempt sweet potato gnocchi in the near future, definitely good for the fall!

Turkey Pot Pie

I had an incredible amount of leftovers from thanksgiving, and although I would have kept eating sandwiches for a month, I decided to also make mini turkey pot pies. I am very pleased with how they came out! They were so easy to make, the biggest challenge was keeping the cats off the counter and away from the turkey while I was cooking. 

What you'll need:

1 pie crust

4 mini pie pans (or 1 large one)

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons butter

1 small chopped onion

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 cups cooked turkey

Start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet.

Add the vegetables to the skillet and cover until soft. 

When the vegetables are soft, add 2 cups of water and the chicken bouillon cubes. 

Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. 

Add the milk, turkey, and flour to the melted butter and mix. 

When thickened, add to the saucepan. 

Let simmer until thickened. 

Cut the pie crust into quarters, and spray the mini pie pans with pam.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. 

Spoon the mixture into the mini pie pans, and let cool. 

Place the pie crust on top, and squeeze the edges so it doesn't drip out the sides. 

Cut a few holes in the top to let steam escape.

I decided to freeze 3 of them and only eat one. I wrapped the 3 i was freezing tightly in saran wrap and again in foil to make sure they did not get freezer burn. 

I placed the one pie into the oven at 350 degrees and baked it for about 20 minutes over a cookie sheet. 

The inside was already warm from the stovetop, I just wanted to brown the crust. The original recipe said to bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then drop the heat to 350 for an additional 15 minutes. I did not do this because my pie was so small. 

Take out of the oven, and enjoy!

I definitely didn't cook the prettiest one, but it was delicious regardless! I also threw the extra pie crust pieces into the oven to dip into the gravy of the pot pie. I will definitely be making these again in the future!

Thanksgiving Sandwiches

I would have to say that my favorite aspect of the Thanksgiving meal are the delicious sandwiches made from the leftovers. I had an enormous amount of leftovers, so I was eating these sandwiches for the whole week following. They're so easy to make, and so yummy!

What you need:

Roll or bread of your choosing

Turkey

Mayo (optional)

Stuffing

Cranberry sauce

Gravy

I preheated the oven to 260 degrees or so. You really just want to warm everything up, not cook it. 

I spread the mayo on the bread first.

Add the cranberry sauce on top of the mayo.

Add the turkey to the other slice of bread.

Add the stuffing to the top.

Heat up for about 20 minutes

The first sandwich I made I decided to sip it in the gravy, I later decided it was worth a little but of mess to have it on the sandwich and heated up in the oven. Anyway, if using the microwave, put in a microwave safe dish and heat up for about a minute. 

Take the sandwiches out of the oven, place the top half on, and eat! 

I was in such  hurry to eat mine that I forgot to take a picture! 

I ate one of these every day for the week. I could have eaten more, but had to save some of the turkey for turkey pot pies! This will forever be anticipated the day after thanksgiving. 

Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving isn't complete without a pie! I decided pecan would do the trick. I've never made one myself before, but my mom makes a pretty good one. Anyway, very easy to make but not so good for you! 

What you'll need:

Pie pan

Pie crust

3 eggs

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in the microwave.

Add the eggs and the rest of the ingredients.

Lightly spray the pie pan with pam.

Lay the pie crust down and form it. 

Add the pecans, and mix it up!

Pour it into the the crust.

Bake for one hour.

Let cool, add whipped cream and enjoy!

This was so easy to make, and was excellent! I think I may try to make smaller pies in the future, seeing as it is dangerous to have them laying around the apartment. 

Stuffed Turkey

Thanksgiving came early this year! Because I am not going home for the holiday, and my mom was here this past weekend, we decided to have Thanksgiving a little early. Ironic that we cooked twice baked potatoes, and ended up eating instant stovetop potatoes for this feast, oh well. Everything was delicious! 

What you'll need:

11.5 pound Turkey

Roasting pan

Salt  and pepper

 4 cups Stuffing

1 1/2 cups Chicken broth

1/4 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Wash the turkey inside and out in the sink. I left this up to my mom this time, and decided to observe. 

Place the turkey in the roasting pan, and season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Melt the butter on the stovetop and add the chicken broth. 

Add the 4 cups of stuffing, and mix!

Put the stuffing into the turkey, but try not to pack it down too much. 

Put some foil over the opening in the bird, so the fat doesn't drip into the stuffing too much.

Add the meat thermometer, and place in the oven. 

Cook the turkey for 3 to 3 1/3 hours.

(Varies depending on the size!)

When the breast gets to a temperature of 165, and the thigh 180, take the turkey out! 

Cover with foil and let stand for about 20 minutes. 

Carve, and enjoy!

As I mentioned before, we also made mashed potatoes. We topped off the meal with some cranberry sauce and rolls. My mom made the gravy with the drippings from the turkey. Needless to say, it was a successful Thanksgiving feast! I will without a doubt be making turkey sandwiches all week long. 

Twice Baked Potatos

My mom always makes twice baked potatoes and freezes them to have on hand. I decided to make some, but instead of using a plethora of half & half and sour cream, I decided to use a splash of milk and greek yogurt. They are very simple to make, and so delicious. 

All you'll need:

6 large potatoes

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup light butter

salt and peper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and bake on a cookie sheet for an hour. 

Take out of the oven and let cool. 

When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half and scoop the potato out of the skin.

Add the ingredients above, and mash with a potato masher until combined well.

Scoop back into the skin.

When they're all full...

Wrap individually in aluminum foil, and freeze!

When you're ready to eat one, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes. At this point, add cheese to the top or anything else you may desire. These are very handy for a small meal on their own, or to have with chicken or steak!