Creamy Lemon Gnocchi with Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto

Internet friends!! Hi!!

Wow, it has been over a month since I shared my last recipe with you, which just happened to be this insanely delicious Sweet Chili Chicken Ramen that I am now officially craving again. Things have been a little crazy on the home-front and that's actually because we bought a home! Things moved at the speed of light, and between packing and moving I also took a quick but truly amazing trip to Sedona, AZ with my BFF. All I'm saying is, although I have been cooking and baking and eating and getting adjusted to my new kitchen, blogging took a bit of a back seat...but today, I am back!

It seemed fitting that I come back from my internet silence with this deeelicious recipe. My Creamy Lemon Gnocchi with Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto is the quintessential meal for these early spring days. Warmer temperatures always have me craving fresh, crunchy vegetables and bright, citrusy flavors. Asparagus is just ah-mazing right now, I love the super thin stalks so much that I'll sometimes just roast off a bunch with a bit of olive oil and plop a drippy egg on top for a simple and satisfying dinner. And who doesn't love a super lemony dinner to brighten up their day??

The thing is, I live in New England. And that means that one day, it can be 75 and sunny and the next it can be a chilly, rainy and raw. So while we may be craving bright and fresh , we also still need a bit of comfort food to warm us up from the inside out. Gnocchi are basically edible pillows. soft and starchy and chewy. They are the perfect candidate to be doused in an herby lemon cream sauce with copious amounts of parmesan cheese. For an extra special, decadent crunch, prosciutto gets baked in the oven until crisp then crumbled all over the top. It's fancy bacon. It's a necessity.

So there you have it. The perfect balance of fresh and decadence. This meal needs to be on your dinner menu ASAP!

Recent Eats - Volume 1

A round-up of my favorite bites and other food drama from the past few weeks

It probably comes as no surprise that I love cooking, eating, and generally just spending time in the kitchen. I'm glad to be able to have a forum to share my food-ventures on the internet, but really what makes it onto the blog is only a fraction of what ultimately comes out of my kitchen. Because of that, I'm starting a new series called Recent Eats where I will share what I'm cooking and eating, and other food musings as I see fit! 

Birthday Brunch! 

My husband and I celebrate our birthdays two days apart (Me, May 17 and he, May 19) so we have gotten into a not-so-formal tradition of smashing our two birthdays together for some kind of celebration...usually at our place...usually with me doing most of the cooking. This year was no exception! And because we are trying to be hip at age 27, we decided this year called for brunch and a casual 8 bottles of champagne polished.

 

As for the food, I made a ridiculous amount of waffles from the Joy of Cooking cookbook (any home cook needs this! It's my bible!) with warm syrup, two types of quiche (sausage and peppers with cheddar, broccoli/spinach/mushroom with fontina), avocado toasts with marinated tomatoes and vanilla yogurt with berries and granola! 

Snapchat Crispy Gnocci BLT Salad

A few weeks ago, I started sharing some behind the scenes/bonus recipe and meal ideas on Snapchat (@jkomdabomb). Last night, I whipped up a Crispy Gnocchi BLT Salad and wow did you guys enjoy it! I have a few tweeks I want to make to the recipe before posting it here, but be sure to check it out before it disappears for some meal inspiration to get you through the week! 

Mango Salsa

My friend was in a "salsa-off" for Cinco de Mayo and we spent a couple of hours (no exaggeration) making, tweaking, and tasting a delicious mango salsa. It had everything you could want in a salsa: juicy tomatoes, spicy jalapenos, sweet and tangy mango, crunchy corn, black beans, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yum! Just thinking about it makes me hungry again. We won't discuss whether or not he won the competition, but I like to think that, if nothing else, we personally won. Because we ate a lot of chips. And drank a lot of wine.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Although it looks like summer is finally here to stay, a few weeks ago there was still a chill in the air in Boston so I whipped up one last big pot of soup to bid adieu to winter. I made this amazing roasted cauliflower soup from Two Peas and Their Pod, but added some Italian sausage to the mix. It was so delicious! Two thumbs up for this recipe.

Dove Peanut Butter Squares Pudding Cookies

I am absolutely obsessed with pudding cookies - soft, cakey cookies that stay fresh for days thanks to a packet of dry pudding mix. Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, you name it! A few weeks ago I made my classic chocolate pudding cookie recipe but instead of chips, I chopped up Dove Peanut Butter Squares and mixed them into the dough. Wow. Decadent and delicious, I wish I had another!

Spicy Sausage, Gnocchi and Kale Soup

SURPRISE! I have a new favorite soup!

I feel like I say this with every new soup I cook, but this one. OH, this soup. It is spicy and creamy, rustic yet refined. The ingredient list is small, but that doesn't mean this isn't packed with delicious flavor. In fact, this is a soup that is dressed to impress - perfect for early holiday get-togethers or as a first course at your Christmas table! 

This Spicy Sausage, Gnocchi and Kale Soup is like a big blanket wrapping you in warmth. It is truly the definition of comfort food. The spiciness of the hot Italian sausage is cooled wonderfully by the heavy cream. The kale is tender and filling, packed with all sorts of good-for-you nutrients. A can of diced tomatoes and a chiffonade of basil seems too appropriate here--their natural sweet and tangy tastes complimenting the sweet cream. 

And let's not forget the gnocchi. I might as well admit it now--I am wholeheartedly obsessed with gnocchi. Big fluffy potato dumplings. What could be better? I never thought to use gnocchi in soup; I was a bit concerned that they would become gummy and create a weird texture in the soup. Turns out, I was wrong. In fact, this soup is just as tasty the next day! 

As with most soups, I strongly recommend serving this with a big piece of crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Some extra basil gives this creamy soup a much needed freshness. What more can I saw? I wouldn't change a single thing, Let's eat!