just thinking of...

things that made my monday great...

-sophia took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon

-weather was pleasant and cooool weather is coming tomorrow!

-i finally finished putting up my halloween decorations

-i made gnocchi for the first time

-mary baked pumpkin bread today and is giving me a loaf :D

-mr. dandy is doing the dishes as we speak :)

the downside to all of this...

-sophia is not going to sleep and is crying out, "mommy"

-i don't think i have a clean pair of jeans to wear tomorrow

-i'm hoping the huge spider on my doorstep doesn't scare any of isabella's playmates :/

-gnocchi was enjoyed by everyone except my mother

-mary said i would have a loaf IF it turned out good...here's hoping!

-i don't think the noise my hubby is making while cleaning is helping little miss go to sleep :(

i'm seriously having a tough time focusing on this post as sophia won't stop crying :'(

so, let's get back to great things...

as much as i love cooking with new recipes, i LOVE being able to cook dinner by scanning the pantry and fridge and making something yummy!  and tonight was one of those nights.  i have heard of gnocchi and not knowing what it was, i always thought it sounded delicious...probably b/c it's italian and i love italian food.  anyway, i had found a recipe for gnocchi and purchased all the necessary ingredients.  well, that was a month ago and have no idea where i saved that recipe!  so, a box of gnocchi has been sitting in my pantry.  i decided to bust it out and make a spaghetti sauce to go w/ it.  i had some ground beef in the freezer, a can of tomato sauce, can of tomato paste, and a can of stewed tomatoes...and this...

no lie, this stuff is legit!

do you ever walk by these packets in the grocery store and wonder about them?  i used to until i learned that my mom's out-of-this-world spaghetti was made w/ this!!!  it reminds of the time i tasted my hubby's grandmother's pumpkin pie for the first time.  omgoodness, DEE-LISH!  i raaaaaved about it...told her how wonderful it was...told EVERYONE how crazy good it was.  only to find out it could be purchased in my grocer's freezer.  yup.  marie calendar's....hahahaha!

give it a whirl next time you think about buying a jar of ragu.  i season some ground beef or use a ground italian sausage, some tomato sauce, paste and my secret weapon ;)

sophia is still crying...