Birthday Cake

Birthday Cakes here at my house are a little different than the norm- I don't do cake decorating. I've tried my hand at it a few times and I never got the results I wanted from it. It's something that I will probably take a few classes on in the future in order to perfect the technique. But here's something I know how to do- it's baking cakes and making chocolate stuff to go with it! This is a Chocolate Truffle Cake and I dare say it is to die for! Happy Birthday to my husband!

Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality.
Clifton Fadiman

making Potato skins and Gnocchi

Have you ever wanted to make something with leftovers from another recipe? Well here's your chance!

The other day my daughter and I made potato skins as part of a pre-super bowl party of sorts for our single military Men and Women who live in the dorms. Well there's lots of left over "meat" of the potato and what better to make with it than...gnocchi!

So here goes...

Potato Skins

I bought a small bag of white potatoes at the local grocery store

preheat oven to 350º

wash potatoes, pierce all over with a fork, bake in the oven for 1 to 1½ hours. Place directly on oven rack.

Let cool at least one hour. Then cut potato into quarters length wise scooping out potato flesh and leaving about ¼ inch or there about of flesh on said potato skin. Place potato skin on a baking try brush lightly with cooking oil and cook at 425º for 8 minutes or until crispy. Take out of oven turn over fill with what ever you like. If you want traditional cheese and bacon 'tato skins...sprinkle with shredded cheese and cooked bacon bits put back into oven for3 to minutes or until melted. Top with sour cream and chopped scallions- and watch them disappear!

Now for the Gnocchi, hey you've got all of that let over potato that's just hanging around might as well use it right???

you'll need about 1 pound of your potato flesh- you can run it through a ricer or use a potato masher, mash it up well!
Season with some and pepper, whisk 1 large egg mix into potato, add ½ cup of flour, use you hands to mix. Kneed the dough slightly not too much it will make a tough pasta. Roll into a 1 inch thick log and cut the dough into 1 inch pieces. Run the pieces over the tines of a fork (the grooves help the gnocchi to hold sauce). Drop into boiling water for about a minute (they will float when done). get them out quick or they WILL boil apart.

Top with your favorite pasta sauce- our sauce of course is Momma Sauce.