Not Exactly Feeling like Summer Here, so I'm Sticking to Comfort Food for Now

Did you know my sister-in-law also writes a blog? Her blog Consuming Croissants is dedicated to the culinary pleasures of both homemade family meals, and out-on-the-town restaurant dishes. She has worked as a bartender for most of her adult life, so a lesson or two on creative cocktails also makes an appearance from time to time, as well as whatever else is going on in her life!

I generally find myself laughing out loud when reading her post. She writes like she speaks, honestly and peppered with smart-ass remarks. Unfortunately, her fairly new blog writing career seems to have come to a screeching halt as of late. It could be because her three children are out of school for the summer. Three under the age of eleven can throw a wrench in any one's plans right?!

However, when I bugged her about the slowdown in blog production she claimed that her attempt to get a beach ready bod has not allowed her to indulge in all the goodness she likes to write about, and therefore no recent blog posts. I suggested she write about the transition from winter to summer cooking. You know, when you put away the stew pot in favor of the grill? That action alone cuts calories!

It was that remark to her that got me thinking about my own transition to summer cuisine. Oh wait... that's right summer does not exist here in Ireland! Even now in mid-June I can't leave the apartment without a jacket, and...forget about sandals. I'm not even sure why I bothered to bring them over! So needless to say it's simply too wet and cool here to grill out every evening, which is something Adam and I typically did back in the states. Not to mention we don't even have a grill!

On a rainy and cold day, which seems to be most days here, I turn to comfort food. One of my favorite comfort food dishes is Chicken Marsala. It's one of those dishes I've made so many times I no longer need a recipe.  

What I serve it with varies, sometimes pasta, sometimes potatoes. So today I thought, why not serve it with both! And when I say both pasta and potatoes what I really mean is - GNOCCHI!

Unlike my Chicken Marsala dish which I've made more times than I can count, gnocchi is something I've never tried my hand at. There are so many recipes out there and each with a different school of thought. So when I came across this one on 101 Cookbooks titled "How to Make Gnocchi Like an Italian Grandmother" it seemed like the obvious choice.

Without further ado here is how the gnocchi making went down! It starts with potatoes, peeled and boiled.  Then mashed so they are light, fluffy, and lump free. Flour and egg bind it all together. Then roll, cut, shape, and you're done!

It took a little practice, and I know these are nowhere near perfect, but hey I'm not Italian, and I am certainly no grandmother! I thought for my first time attempting gnocchi they looked alright.

As for how they tasted, well I can't complain. Adam deemed them to be a little soft, and he was correct; but isn't that better than tough and chewy? The best gnocchi are light and fluffy, so in this case soft is as close as I'm gonna get! Ultimately, they are simply a vehicle to transport sauce to mouth. In this case it was the sweet, smooth, savory sauce of my Chicken Marsala. 

My sister-in-law may be the one writing the blog titled "Consuming Croissants", but she is dieting now so I guess that leaves me to do the consuming!  Mangia, mangia!