Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

I love Gnocchi. And I also love Mac and Cheese. I came across this recipe and thought I would faint! It was super easy, and it's really customizable! I love recipes that you can tweak and change and make them your own (partially because I hate following recipes). Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling, I consider it in the pasta family. I hope you enjoy this as much as my husband and I did. Perfect for the cold Fall evenings coming up!

Gnocchi Mac and CheeseRecipe adapted from thecuttingedgeofordinary

Ingredients:

1 lb store bought or homemade gnocchi
2 Tbsp butter or butter subst. (I used Brummel and Brown)
1 Tbsp garlic- minced
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 C shredded cheese- I used Tillamook mac and cheese blend (FABULOUS)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 C shredded Parmesan
4-5 slices bacon-cooked and crumbled
Parsley- Optional, as a garnish.

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cook gnocchi according to package, once they float to the top of the water take them out! You don't want to overcook it! Drain them and put them in a prepared baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and cook until you can smell it quite a bit. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles. then add milk. Continue to whisk it until slightly thickened about 4 minutes. Add cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted each time. Once it's melted and combined season with salt and pepper. Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan and crumbled bacon. Bake until they puff up and cheese is browned, about 30 minutes. Near the end of the 30 minutes sprinkle on some more cheese and let it get bubbly! Sprinkle with parsley. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving so the sauce can settle.

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

Before I share this recipe with you, I need to let you in on a little secret....I don't like pumpkin. I love pumpkin seeds and I really enjoy carving jack-o-lanterns, but I really don't like the taste of pumpkin. But that's not for a lack of trying, because every season I try it again, hoping my taste buds have changed. I figured that just because I don't like something doesn't mean I should hold out on sharing it with you.

With that said, I've been told—by pumpkin enthusiasts—that this bread is pretty darn tasty. It's moist, smells out of this world while baking, and has plenty of warm spices and the perfect amount of crunch to satisfy any pumpkin craving. I can imagine it'd be pretty great toasted with a little slab of butter on it in the morning for a quick treat.

We have an abundance of pecans in our house and too many cans of pumpkin laying around, which is how this bread came to existence. I doubled the recipe and sent both loaves off with my husband to work. He came back empty handed and said everyone gobbled it up, hardly even leaving a crumb on the plate. If you like pumpkin, you'll love this bread.

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

adapted from Very Best Baking

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. 

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. Blend pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, egg, egg white and oil in large mixer bowl. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened. Fold in 1/2 cup nuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan; sprinkle with remaining nuts. 

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.