# 037 + 038

Pork Milanese and Ricotta Dumplings, both from the May 2010 edition of EDF.

This was a super yummy meal, though a bit more time consuming that I like dinner to normally be - definitely good for a special occasion or something along those lines. The ricotta dumplings were especially yummy, and much easier than the stupid gnocchi I tried making a while ago.

#034

Tangy Chicken with Orzo Pilaf.

This is from the same "5 Meals for $50 or Less" feature as the egg catastrophe. Unlike the egg dish though, this was yummy! The only thing against it was that it was fairly labor intensive and time consuming - thankfully I had a toddler who was totally willing to watch a DVR'd episode of Sesame Street while I cooked.

The chicken and sauce were super yummy, and while the orzo was a bit bland, it was improved with the sauce. I will definitely make this again, though probably not until the weather cools off again - it involved a lot of standing over the stove and use of the oven, which is not a good thing when the weather warms up!

#031

Potato Gnocchi (aka, the ugliest gnocchi ever).

I love pasta. For a while, I was convinced that I really wanted this $180 pasta maker KitchenAid attachment from Williams Sonoma. Yeah, it's expensive, but I could MAKE MY OWN PASTA! It would practically pay for itself after like 300 pasta dinners!!! Making this stupid gnocchi has me glad that I didn't waste my money. For the type of cooking I usually do (ie., with a hungry toddler playing at my feet), an hours long process just isn't a good idea. The forming of the shapes part was the toughest part, and I gave up after making about a dozen of them (so maybe the pasta maker would be ok, since it makes the shapes for you! hmm...).

Taste-wise, they were sort of bland, which being pasta, was not surprising, I guess.

These are good to make if you have a couple of hours to kill. But I will be sticking to the $4 packages from the grocery store.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/potato-gnocchi

# 022

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese.

Delicious dish, and very easy to make too! I used mini-farfalle (bow-tie pasta) to make it easier for Ben to eat. Gabe said it tasted like eating a really yummy bagel.

I would definitely make this again, and I think I would be good with some spinach and tomatoes mixed in as well.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/farfalle-with-smoked-salmon-and-cream-cheese