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adapted from recipelion.com
I'm not really big on baking. Cheesecakes are one thing, but if I goes beyond that or apple pie... I either have something up my sleeve or a stick up my butt. I usually bake when I'm stressed or in a bad mood, and then I try to give as much of it away as possible so that I don't also eat my feelings.


This cake, however, may have changed my view a little bit on what a couple hours and a few moments of delicacy can really mean; happiness. (And yes, the picture above is the one I actually  made. Doesn't it make you curious??)

 
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If 18 kindergartners giving me a thumbs up on this recipe, doesn't make you wanna try it... I'm not sure what will! 


I saw this recipe... Guess where? Pinterest!... and decided it I would make it for my son's class treat. He was also "Star Student of the Week" this week, so that made these extra sweet!


 
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This was DIVINE!! 

Here I am with the flu and a fever... the works! And my hubby, Jon, went along with my plan for dinner. All I assisted with was relaying directions. We altered the original recipe a bit, but it came out tasting like a dryer version of my mom's vegetarian soup; a definite favorite of mine! Hence, why this recipe was so close to home.



I obviously didn't want to fool with the fresh ingredients and infect the rest of my lovely household so I sent hubs to the store to get what I needed for dinners for the rest of the week. Less than $20 and I have everything I need til Friday! I don't make it a habit to cook on the weekends...

If you need a quick 30 minute recipe (under 400 calories) during the week, this is a definite top 10 go to. I found this on pinterest so it does have an actual link, but since we added a few things differently, I'll post the version we made here. (excuse my over-exposed instagram pic) 

SKILLET GNOCCHI WITH KALE & WHITE BEANS

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi, (see Tip)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 small bunch of Kale
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings (or you can use plain diced tomatoes and add enough dry Italian seasoning to taste)
  • 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
PREPARATION
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add kale (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.