Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Goat Cheese

I've been wanting to make this dish ever since I got Giada's pasta cookbook last winter. I'd planned to wait until the weather got colder to make it, since it seems like the perfect cold weather comfort food, but I just couldn't wait any longer. We're having good luck with Andrew and spinach lately, and I want to take advantage of it while it lasts.

We all really enjoyed this, and I thought it was definitely worth the wait. It's a hearty, filling vegetarian entree with tons of flavor, and it really couldn't be easier to prepare. I can't speak to how it works at leftovers, because there weren't any in our house -- we all had two helpings. Andrew liked the gnocchi so much that I've made it for him twice since -- once with cheese sauce, and once with marinara. I think it may be his new favorite food!

Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Goat Cheese
source: adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis

1 17-ounce package potato gnocchi

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/8 cup all purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg

6 ounces baby spinach

2 ounces goat cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place gnocchi in a lightly greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream, broth, and flour over medium heat. Continue whisking until the sauce is simmering and thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and stir to combine. Add spinach and toss to coat in the cream. Pour the cream and spinach mixture over the gnocchi evenly, spreading the spinach out to cover all the potato dumplings.

4. Crumble goat cheese over the spinach. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden in places, about 30 minutes.

Pizza Joes

I love trying new twists on sloppy joes. I mean, the original is pretty unbeatable, but every once and a while it's nice to change it up and do something more creative. When I saw this recipe for pizza joes, I knew I had to give it a shot.

This is a simple, yummy, and family-friendly dinner option. These pizza joes taste like spaghetti and meatballs, except, you know, without the spaghetti and the, um, balls. (Donna, I know you're going to have something to say about that.) I made them a little bit more special by treating the buns as though they were garlic bread, which added a lot of flavor. Even Andrew, who is a vegetarian right now more often than not, ate some of the meat and enjoyed it. I served these pizza joes with store-bought mozzarella sticks for a quick weeknight dinner.

Pizza Joes
source: adapted from Tried and True Cooking with Heidi

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

1 14-ounce jar pizza sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup chopped pepperoni

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Hamburger buns, split and toasted (turn 'em into garlic bread using this method)

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are softened. Add pizza sauce, spices, and chopped pepperoni. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

2. Cook on medium and heat just until heated through. Pile meat on prepared hamburger buns and top with shredded cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved eating macaroni and cheese with a side of sliced and salted tomatoes. I don't know what it is I enjoy so much about that combination, but it's always appealed to me. So when I saw this recipe for macaroni and cheese stuffed inside tomatoes, I knew it would be right up my alley.

Served with a salad and crusty buttered bread, these tomatoes were a delicious, simple, and quick weeknight dinner. The original recipe suggests using boxed macaroni and cheese, but I elected to make a batch of our favorite mac and cheese to use for the filling so that I could freeze whatever was left for a future meal. You could even leave the bacon out of these to make them a vegetarian entrée (although, honestly: why would anyone ever omit bacon from anything?). The buttery breadcrumbs on top added nice crunch, and the green onions added a crisp, fresh flavor. I loved the velvety texture and taste of the warm tomatoes. I'll definitely make these again!

Macaroni and Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes
source: adapted from Meals.com

1 package macaroni and cheese, cooked according to package directions (or about 2 cups of cooked homemade mac and cheese)

4 large, fresh tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices bacon, fully cooked, drained and crumbled

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted

1. Hollow out tomatoes, leaving a 1/4-inch wall around sides and bottom. Salt and pepper insides of tomatoes. Place in 9-inch-round cake pan or pie plate to prevent tipping.

2. Combine hot macaroni and cheese, bacon and onion in medium bowl; fill tomatoes with mixture.

3. Combine bread crumbs, cheese and butter in small bowl; sprinkle mixture evenly on top of each tomato.

4. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

You have to make this lasagna immediately. Like, change your meal plans for tonight and have this instead. On Veteran's Day, I can't think of a better dish to serve the hero in your life than a huge piece of this creamy, cheesy, comforting spinach artichoke lasagna.

You know what this lasagna tastes like? It tastes like spinach artichoke dip. But with lasagna noodles. If that isn't enough of a selling point, well, I don't know what else to say.

This was also my first experience using no-boil lasagna noodles, and I think I'm in love. I realize I'm about two years too late with my infatuation, but seriously: Have you used no-boil noodles? There are no torn noodles or burnt fingers to worry about or anything! My life will never be the same.

This post is sort of all over the place, but the main thing I want to tell you is this: Make this lasagna soon. It's delicious. We all loved it, including Andrew. This was a great way to get some iron-rich spinach into him. It's a new family favorite for sure.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
source: inspired by Better Homes and Gardens

9 no-boil lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 boxes chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 15-ounce carton ricotta cheese
1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

1 egg
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half or light cream

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add artichokes, onion and half of the garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened and the garlic is fragrant but not browned. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese, the spinach, the egg, and salt and pepper as needed.

2. In a small bowl or glass measure, combine broth and flour. In the large saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic; cook and stir until garlic is tender but not browned. Stir in flour mixture and half-and-half. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

3. In a small bowl, combine mozzarella cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

4. To assemble, spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of an ungreased 3-quart shallow baking dish. Layer three of the noodles in the dish. Spread with one-third of the spinach-artichoke mixture and one-third of the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella mixture. Repeat layering noodles, spinach-artichoke mixture, sauce, and mozzarella mixture two more times, ending with cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes until edges are bubbly and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Apple Bread

I love quick breads. I really, really love them. However, I always have one problem when I'm making one myself, and this has happened with every single one I've made: They're never done baking in the time the recipe states. Does anyone else have this problem? I always use disposable loaf pans -- could that be the issue? If you have any insight, I'd love to hear it.

Anyway, despite taking quite a bit longer to cook than I thought it would, this chocolate chip apple bread was absolutely delicious -- the perfect fall treat. I loved the combination of chocolate and apples; it's one I don't recall ever trying before, and it was really nice. The flavors all really worked well together, and the sugary topping was a nice touch. The original recipe called for walnuts, which I replaced with pecans because I prefer them -- but really, I think either one would be delicious. I doubled the recipe so I could freeze a loaf, and I'm really looking forward to eating this again (especially since I only got two pieces of the loaf I didn't freeze; Joe ate the rest). I actually think this bread would make a great edible Christmas gift. It's definitely special!

(I just had to include this photo because I thought it was so cute. The place I get the best light in my house during the day is on the floor in front of the dining room window, where it's easy for curious little fingers to touch whatever food I'm trying to photograph.)

Chocolate Chip Apple Bread
source: slightly adapted from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. To make the topping, in a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped pecans. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in apples, pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with topping.

4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. (Mine took considerably longer -- probably about an hour and a half.) Cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack.