Who loves fluff?

It was like Christmas at my house this past week!  My kids get so excited when the UPS driver walks up to our door!  Not only did I get a package of fluffy mail; I am a total cloth diaper addict, I also got TWO boxes of make-up and skin care products from Mary Kay (which I sell).  Papa nothing thinks I am a bit nutty for buying so many cloth diapers, every month he looks at my credit card bill and shakes his head in frustration at how we don't actually save any money by using cloth diapers if every month I keep buying more!  Here's a little secret that Papa nothing doesn't know (so, let's hope he doesn't follow my blog as closely as the rest of you!), I don't use cloth diapers because I am a tree hugging eco mom who is using them to save money or because they are good for the environment; in my mind, these are like the little "bonuses" to using cloth.  So, why do I use cloth...well, honestly, there is nothing cuter than a little baby booty decked out in some adorable fluff!  There are so may colors and designs to choose from, sometimes, I just can't hold myself back from buying that new owl print or the newest AIO (all in one) diaper!

who doesn't enjoy a bit of fluffy booty during tummy time

I will also admit that I was bad this week...really bad!  Papa nothing was gone for most of the week leaving me and the three little ones to fend for ourselves!  When Papa nothing is gone I tend to retreat into laziness; "you have been gone all week, I couldn't possibly have had time to clean the house", "too hard to actually cook a meal with the kids hanging off of me"...so...as much as I really enjoy cooking a great wholesome and usually nutritious dinner for my family, it was nice to take a break from the kitchen!  We ordered pizza on Monday night, ate out fast food on Tuesday night (yes, I did say fast food!  Once in awhile I do rely on the drive thru to supply food for my children), and took advantage of our church's soup supper on Wednesday night!  In that time frame, I also made a most unhealthy and "not clean" chocolate ganache cake for our church dinner on Wednesday!  I did however use organic heavy whipping cream for my ganache ...hey, it's the little things that count!  Needless to say, when Papa nothing returned from his work trip, he really wasn't in the mood for more eating out...back to the neglected kitchen I went!  I decided since it was the first time I had cooked all week, I needed something relatively quick and easy, so I decided on a recipe I came across on Epicurious.  As usual, I tweaked the recipe to make it to my liking, and definitely have one major thing to change when I make it again!  So, here is the recipe for my dinner on Thursday night...Gnocchi Gratin with Gorgonzola Dolce.

I will say, I am not a fan of cheese that has mold, so you can imagine my surprise when I opened the gorgonzola dolce cheese to discover it very reminiscent of blue cheese, which I really don't care for!  The finished product has that same "bite" that blue cheese has, so while I did eat my helping, I will find a different cheese to use next time, feel free to comment with suggestions for cheeses that could be used!  This recipe also has you making your own gnocchi, but seriously, I am a busy mom of three, i don't have that kind of time nor patience, so I used the ready made gnocchi, which made my job WAY easier!

Gnocchi Gratin with Gorgonzola Dolce

1 package vacuum sealed gnocchi
6 oz. parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 good pinch of dried rosemary
1 good dash of ground ginger
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature, divided
3 Tbsp Italian style bread crumbs
3 oz. Gorgonzola dolce

* bring cream, rosemary, and ginger to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
* preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the gnocchi and boil for 2 to 3 minutes when the gnocchi start to float to the surface.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to a baking dish that you coated with 1 Tbsp of the room temperature butter.
* mix the bread crumbs, the last 1 Tbsp of room temperature butter, and 3 Tbsp of the grated parmesan into a small bowl.
* strain the cream mixture (I used a sifter for this) over and into the baking dish with the gnocchi in it.  Break off small pieces of the gorgonzola (or whatever other cheese I decide to use next time) over the top of the gnocchi and cream mixture.  Then top with the remaining parmesan cheese and add the bread crumb mixture last on top of the parmesan.
* bake until filling is bubbly and top is slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes.

My little eaters, who don't normally eat any gnocchi recipe I make, really enjoyed this one!  I was surprised that they weren't put off by the taste of the cheese.  I threw together a side of cous cous, although I probably should have done a vegetable.  My lemon roasted asparagus recipe would have tasted great with this!