Gnip Gnop Gnocchi

When I think of Nonie's meat sauce, I think of one thing (okay after heaven that is) - gnocchi. Fresh, homemade potato gnocchi, you know like the kind Nonie probably used to make. I started making this recipe at the same time I learned Nonie's secrets. The recipe itself comes from Williams-Sonoma, I think I actually cut it out of one of their catalogs, where they have recipes sandwiched in between the products they sell. It is fairly straightforward, just a little time consuming since you first have to bake the potatoes and then let them cool before making the dough. I highly recommend oven baking, too. The potatoes don't cook evenly enough in the microwave, although I have done it on occasion when I was pressed for time. Otherwise, you just make a dough out of flour, the mashed baked potato, and eggs. Roll it out into long ropes, cut into one inch pieces, roll the edge with the tine of a fork and boil for a few minutes. Top with you know what and enjoy.

Gnip Gnop, a Parker Brothers classic game. The concept is simple: You gnip, while your opponent gnops, what could be better? I was a big fan of this game in the 70s - from afar. We didn't own it, but my classroom had it and in our free time we could play games. Sadly, at my school for geniuses, the teachers did everything by alphabetical order. And, being a "W" I almost always got to pick last. It was especially painful because instead of Gnip Gnop, I got checkers. In music class I always got the triangle or the two wooden sticks that you hit together instead of a xylophone or glockenspiel. But, because everything old is new again, a few years ago Gnip Gnop made a retro chic comeback and once again became commercially available. And,my humble yet lovable husband bought me my very own . Unfortunately, he's an "S" and I'm still a "W", so he gets first dibs. Some things never change.

The Recipe:

2 Russet Potatoes, baked and cooled to the touch

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional, it can add a rather strong taste)

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed (1/4 cup at a time)

With a paring knife, peel the potatoes and mash with a potato masher in a medium sized bowl. Add egg, nutmeg and salt and pepper and stir with a fork until blended. Add flour, a 1/4 cup at a time and mix with a fork to form a soft, smooth dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, dust lightly with flour, and divide into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 1/2 inch thick. To form gnocchi, cut each rope into 1 inch lengths. Using the tines on the back of a fork, gently roll each piece to make small ridges on the surface. Transfer gnocchi to a floured baking sheet. In a large pot of boiling salted water, add gnocchi and cook until they float, 3-4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked gnocchi to a bowl. Serves 3-4.

Taco Stand Tacos

We are very fortunate to have a great little place for fresh take-out Mexican food near our house. It's called Zumba, not to be confused with an exercise fad. It was started up a few years ago in a hole-in-the-wall type location by a guy whose father used to run a restaurant in Detroit's famed Mexican Town. And the food is real, not the Tex-Mex so many Americans are fond of. The menu consists of fish tacos, tacons (a conical shaped fried tortilla filled with pork and cheese and black beans) and made to order burritos. It is simple, and cozy - the place has about 20 stools and a few outside tables that are utilized in warm weather. Oh, and did I mention the fresh salsa bar? In other words, it was perfect. I say "was" because they recently announced that they are moving to new location, in a new construction condo "loft" building's first floor strip mall type space. (I probably should have seen this coming because a year or so ago they opened a second location in an upscale shopping district a few miles north - that went against everything I believe in, but I did my best to ignore it, seeing as nothing changed at our location.)  This latest "progress"  is enough to make my skin crawl. I am sure it is good for business, they will be adjacent to a newly constructed movie theater/bowling alley, so I am sure business will be brisk. In short, just want you don't want from your secret neighborhood spot. It can't possibly have soul, like the original. I am afraid the food will suffer. There might be lines. We may as well go to Chipoltle. So, we savored our last visit to the original.

When I think of taco stands, I think of one thing - TV shows filmed in California. While Jim Rockford often met up with his buddy Angel for a fish taco to discuss the latest murder case he was hired to investigate, the most memorable is The Partridge Family. Nobody spent more time at the local taco stand than Keith Partridge. Whenever he had a hot date and it was daytime (because we know when the sun went down he was at the drive-in movies), to the taco stand they went. Now, it takes a lot of confidence to eat a hard shell taco on a date, if you think about it. But Keith was a rock star hunk with a Mondrian-like painted school bus to boot, despite the "Nervous Mother Driving" warnings. Even when a skunk got on the bus and the whole family stunk, Keith came out smelling like a rose (with a tinge of tomato juice) to me. All I can say is, Keith, I think I love you, please invite me to your taco stand.

The Recipe (for success):

1 cup passion
2 tbsp hard work
1/2 pound dedication

Mix well. Commit yourself to good customer service and delicious product. Sell out.
Serves billions and billions.

Rock, Cinnamon Roll, and Remember

There is nothing like fresh, warm cinnamon rolls on a Sunday morning - especially when I did have to make them. Lucky for me, I married a master baker - this man makes a pie crust to die for. Second only to his crust, are his cinnamon rolls. His technique has taken years to perfect, but the basic recipe itself comes once again from good old Betty Crocker. Now, he got his first taste of Betty in the 1982 hardcover "New and Revised Edition, Including Microwave Recipes", a Christmas gift from his mother when he moved into his first apartment. Ironic, since his mother does not stand alongside the great cooks of the world, and the reason he has such a baking talent is because starting at the age of 12 he was making his own birthday cakes. And the whole microwave thing makes me laugh because  in 1982, I only knew one family (not mine as we were still hooked on classics with the crock pot) with microwave, an Amana Radar Range that was controlled by turning dials. I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. But I digress, back to the cinnamon rolls. As I said, these tasty treats took years of practice,  and quite a bit of study at Cinnabon locations in airports around the country whenever he was waiting for flight. But the hard work and perseverance has paid off and today we enjoy delicious cinnamon rolls regularly.

"Rock, Roll, and Remember" one of my radio faves. We used to listen to this nostalgic radio show on Saturday nights while at my sister's cottage - no TV, not a single luxury, just a radio that had a coat hanger for an antenna. But the dreamy voice of Dick Clark, America's teenager, came through loud and clear. Now, I loved American Bandstand and  New Year's Rockin' Eve as much as the next girl, but when it comes to Dick Clark productions, the radio show takes the cake. He would play oldies, but goodies, along with his own personal stories and little nuggets of trivia about the singers and groups, usually focusing one particular year or artist each week. From one hit wonders of the British Invasion to the best of 70s soul music, Dick Clark had it all. On any given show you'd learn little factoids such as the O'Jays (think "Love Train") were natives of  Canton, Ohio. Or, an artist profile of Dion of Dion and the Belmonts (think "Teenager in Love") revealed that as it turns out that he really wanted to be a hard rocker instead of a pop tart. Who knew? Well, our National Treasure Dick Clark, that's who.

The Recipe:

Sweet Roll Dough
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour (use a little bread flour if you have it)
Betty gives the "by hand" instructions, but in our house it bread machine all the way. So, add yeast, warm water and the rest of the ingredients, turn it on, walk away. Return after the dough has risen.

Cinnamon Rolls
Sweet dough
4 tblsp butter (ever so slightly softened so it is easily spreadable)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 to 4 tsp cinnamon (depending on taste)

Roll dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface; spread with butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up tightly, beginning with the longest side. Pinch edge of dough to seal well. Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place slightly apart in a greased 9x13 pan. Let rise until double, about 40 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 rolls.

Split Peabody and Sherman Soup

My parents swore by their crock pots (both literally and figuratively) all throughout my formative years. My dad was always making soup or chili or stuffed peppers in his. I mainly remember my mother making her "secret" chili (in which she used bloody mary mix) in hers, child of divorce that I am, but it was a kitchen fixture in both houses from about 1973 onward. I recently inherited my mother's avocado green Rival model (to match the rest of our then appliances). I must admit to never being much interested in slowing cooking. Slow food, yes, but the notion of throwing raw foods into a cooker, turning it on and leaving home for eight hours never much appealed me.  I also saw much humor in the way the crock pot has made a comeback renamed "Slow Cooker", which is apt, since the new ones are trendy stainless steel and no longer actually have a pottery "crock" like mine. And, up until now, I was home all day to cook. So, enter the revolutionary 70s culinary tool, designed to make cooking easier in every American home (until the microwave was invented). I am also lucky enough to have the original recipe booklet with mine, which is where today's concoction comes from. I have never made split pea soup, but am sure that this is the recipe I ate while growing up. I also love some of the other recipes in the book like "Pork Chop Abracadabra" and "Hot Dog -Perfection" . If someone was so inclined, cooking from this recipe book could be a blog in and of itself - but don't get any ideas. Nevertheless, I must admit, it is a great use for that leftover Christmas ham bone, and couldn't have been easier to make.

So, now that our Way Back Machine has been set to 1973, let's revisit one of the best cartoons ever -
Peabody's Improbable History. Shown as a short during the Bullwinkle and Rocky Show, it featured Mr . Peabody (a genius glasses wearing, pipe smoking dog) and his nerdy sidekick Sherman (because every dog should have a boy). Mr. Peabody and Sherman used the Way Back Machine to travel through time, witnessing historic events and making sure they did not go awry, thus not disturbing the time-space continuum. Not being a huge fan of time travel in general, it is surprising that I loved this show so much. But the cheesy puns that ended every episode helped me over the hump.  On any given week Sherman and Peabody came to the aid of such figures as Ponce De Leon, who foundered on his way seeking the fountain of youth in 1513. Or Paul Revere, whose famous ride almost wasn't had Mr. Peabody not suggested he ride a live horse instead of a statue of a horse. But perhaps the best is when they help General Custer at Little Big Horn and when Sherman questions the presence of a hot dog vendor, Mr. Peabody retorts "Come now Sherman, everyone's heard of Custard's last stand". All's well that ends well, especially when Sherman wails "Oh, Mr. Peabody."

The Recipe:

1 pound dry green split peas (soak them first, even if the package says you shouldn't. Trust me.)
2 quarts water
1 pound meaty ham bone
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Throw it all in. Cover. Cook. On low for 10-12 hours, on high for 5-6 hours. Go to work. Have lunch. Workout. Pick-up the dry cleaning. Get the kids from school. Do homework. Enjoy the soup. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

BeeBe Gallini's Macaroni Salad

I have a great many pasta salads in my arsenal, but this one was new to me when I was cooking from Alice's Brady Bunch cookbook for my other food blog, "Cooking with Alice". I made it for my unsuspecting foodie book club and they ate it up. I have to say it was quite good and I have had a number of requests for the recipe, thus making it a good choice for today's post. It is rather simple in it's ingredients (mayo, Dijon mustard, red pepper and pasta) and in prep. Now, as was Alice's want, she included a tablespoon of cream. But I think if I made it again I could omit that without repercussion. Also, I used the Trader Joe's Dijon, which has a slight kick to it, and that melded nicely with the sweetness of the red pepper. I also used shells instead of macaroni which worked well as the chopped pepper and the dressing could nestle inside, but that's just me.

The episode in question was titled "Mike's Horror-Scope" as it centers around Carol, who,  always wanting to know what's next, reads Mike's horoscope. It tells of a mysterious woman entering his life. Soon thereafter, Mike gets a new high maintenance architectural client named Beebe Gallini. She has hired his firm to construct her new cosmetic factory. But this is to be no ordinary factory. She wants everything pink, and shaped like a make-up compact, and we know Mike Brady has only one design aesthetic that looks suspiciously like their house. Anyway, he is at his wits end with Beebe's demands when she intrudes on the Brady household with even more changes. The Brady kids are impolite and unruly in front of her, and she lets each one of the kids have it for their behavior. This is the last straw for Mike, putting his brood before business, he tells Beebe to take a powder.

The Recipe:

1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's Light and it works nicely, thank you very much)
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tblsp cream (highly optional)
1 tblsp Dijon mustard
8 ounces of pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water
1/2 cup diced red pepper (or more depending on taste)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine mayo, vinegar, mustard and cream (if you must) and season with salt and pepper. Add cooled pasta and mix well. Chill for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Add the red pepper, toss gently and serve immediately.