Eggs, Potatoes and Squash

First of all, I want to say thank you to all the mama's who gave me reassuring and helpful advice. Some of your comments brought tears as they were just so encouraging and humbling. For the record Cole seems to be sleeping and doing much better. We heard about the "dary man" for two days and then nothing. So we will leave it at that for now. I'm so relieved, I can't stand to see my little boy scared.

And second, I realized it has been awhile since I have shared anything that has been cooking in my kitchen. I have been soooo horrible about taking pictures of food, as usually dinner time is summed up with me scrambling to finish cooking dinner, two little mouths screaming because they are hungry and a hubby hurrying to sit down, pray and help get the two little birdies fed. Usually by the time we have devoured our food, what's left just does not look all that pleasing to the eye. Thank goodness the Food Network can find time to take some pretty tasty pictures along with serving up some pretty yummy dishes!

With all the fallish weather we have been having this one seemed so fitting. And after taking the first bite I knew it was one worth sharing. Even Cole, who has turned into quite the picky little eater, decided to scarf it down. Bennett....well, he just eats anything.... except for potatoes and eggs.

Weird.

I have tried making all types of eggs,  the minute I put them on his tray he won't even attempt to taste them, let alone touch them! Same thing with potatoes...doesn't matter, he avoids them like the plague. I even spent a good amount of time yesterday making him ultra creamy, super cheesy, with extra half n half whipped potatoes. The moment they touched his tongue he ejected them and looked like I had fed him poison.Takes after his mama, I wouldn't touch them until I got pregnant with Cole...now I actually enjoy them from time to time.  Looks as though there may be no hope for Bennett as he most definitely won't have the pregnancy taste buds to change his mind!

Ok, so no potatoes. No eggs. Apparently Gnocchi (which is made out of potatoes) made it to his good list.

So Gnocchi is what we ate. And Gnocchi we enjoyed.

Never tried it? You must, it is sooooo good! A cross between a noodle and dumpling. Definitely can't go wrong with it.

Photo: Food Network

I made this dish almost exactly as written, except I used dried sage and quite a bit more than called for, and added more parmesan....as I usually do. Also make sure that your butternut squash is almost soft by the time you add the gnocchi, mine wasn't quite done...and I was afraid of the gnocchi getting to mushy. Or someone suggested cooking the gnocchi separate, which you could absolutely do. I might try that next time. The broiling at the end adds a nice depth and crunch that is divine! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Gnocchi With Squash and Kale 

(source: Food Network)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes  (I completely left out because I wanted both boys to be able to enjoy it)
Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Add the chicken broth to the skillet. When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the gnocchi, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan; transfer to the broiler and cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Enjoy!