It's a bird!

It's a plane!

No, it's SUPER DOG!!!

And his psychedelic parents....

Happy Halloween!!

I Feel Pretty!

It's been a while since my musical theatre itch has been scratched so last night the parentals and I went to the music hall at Fair Park and saw...

I love musicals, like love more than college football saturdays and sunday brunch. The singing, the dancing, the story! This rendition of West Side Story was really, really well done. It ends this weekend so, if you live in the Big D, get your tush down to fair park and add some culture to your life pronto! 

-Claire

Sweet Potato Gnocchi- That's pronounced No-Key*

Last night I decided to get a little Fall-ish and make a hearty meal with some nummy brussel sprouts! "Brussel sprouts?!" you say (with flared nostrils of disgust). Yes, over the past couple years, the little sprouts have become one of my favorite fall veggies. The key is, and I can not stress this enough, SEASON THEM APPROPRIATELY! And then, season them some more. I roasted the mini cabbage with apples and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. Viola! Delicious roasted brussel sprouts. 

I paired them with sweet potato gnocchi in sage brown butter. 
I was surprised at how easy gnocchi is to make! The only difficult part is working with the dough when it's sticky. Other than that, it was a piece of cake. 

I substituted pureed sweet potato for pumpkin puree because 1) sweet po's are by FAR my favorite variety of potato and 2) the store was out of pumpkin puree

Happy little gnocchi, ready to be dropped into the hot tub!

Sage brown butter. Hands down the best part of this dish! DO NOT SKIP!

Cooked gnocchis tossed with sage butter. 

Dinner is served!

-Claire

* I add this caveat due to the looks of "did you just speak Mandarin?" I received from my coworkers at lunch today while eating my leftovers 

Recipes:


Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples

·      2 cups trimmed fresh Brussels sprouts, cut in half


·     1 large honeycrisp apple, cubed


·      1 tablespoon olive oil


·      Sea salt


·      Freshly ground black pepper


·      1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Toss Brussels sprouts, apple, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl; place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment (be sure to spread pieces apart). Roast at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar; return to oven and roast an additional 5 minutes or until tender. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 cup 100% sweet potato (or 100% pumpkin) puree

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cup flour (approximately), plus more for hands and work surface

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup sage leaves

Parmesan cheese, grated, for sprinkling on top (optional)

Sea salt, to finish

1. Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium sized bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, salt and nutmeg. Add the flour in several additions, stirring to combine. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle, but still somewhat sticky.

2. With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll between palms and on floured work surface to make a 1-inch thick rope. Cut rope rope into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add sage leaves and cook, swirling frequently, until butter browns. Remove from heat.

4. Drain gnocchi on paper towels, then add to brown butter and toss. Serve sprinkled with parmesan and sea salt, if desired.

Courtesy of Stumbleupon

So fantastic, this had to be shared! I remember when my Dad bought me Aladdin, and yep, I've definitely purchased some St. John's Bay for my Dad.  Love!

-Claire