Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

I am in a terrible mood today, so I think I will keep this short and sweet. I have been furiously trying to get myself organized before the weekend, and I think I am finally at a place where I can say, "Whew!". I am fairly caught up on everything, so I am hoping my icky mood will disappear soon and be replaced by a sense of accomplishment. At least tomorrow is another day!

Okay, on to dinner. Tonight's meal is an offering from the Simply Recipes blog that I love so much. From the post photos, this looks simple and delicious. I am a sucker for gnocchi, but I have never tried to make my own...this is a first! I am really liking that this is going to be a hands-on meal preparation type of night. When I am grouchy, I love to lose myself in cooking. This recipe looks like it will do the trick, since both the pasta and sauce are made from scratch. Below is the link to the original recipe and pics; her blog is awesome, so there is no need for me to tamper with perfection!

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

I think this will be it for our meal. Gnocchi is usually very filling, so this should be pretty satisfying on it's own.



The Result:
I know I have been remiss with posting photos with my last couple of posts, but I think I am finally back on track. Hooray! My mood is much improved today, and I am happy that I am getting caught up on the ol' blog.

This was fan-freakin'-tastic! Seriously, delicious!!!! The sauce was drinkable...yet so incredibly simple! The gnocchi was so tasty the husband and I were eating it as it cooked; straight out of the pot of boiling water. This recipe made a lot of gnocchi, but that is a good thing. My friend, Claire had the brilliant idea of freezing them on a cookie sheet and then vacuum sealing for another day. It worked like a charm!!! The gnocchi were perfectly, individually frozen for later use. Excellent!

My only criticism of this dish is that the gnocchi was labor-intensive. It was kind of a pain to make, but I must admit...totally worth it. For some reason, my dough was really wet and sticky, at first. I thought I drained the ricotta enough, but maybe I didn't??? I am not sure. Anyway, I ended up adding a full extra cup of flour to get it to proper dough consistency. The gnocchi was still yummy, and not too heavy or too tough; so it still turned out really good. This must be a pretty forgiving recipe, since I was able to amend the amount of flour so much. Also, I could not get the fork-roll-over-the-tines right. I gave up and just rolled them into shape by hand, without the fork. I will have to practice my gnocchi-shaping skills, that is for sure! Overall, this is a keeper. However, it will only be a 'once in awhile' dish, since the gnocchi take a little bit more time and effort than usual.