Birthday Meal

     In Apedaile6 tradition, the birthday girl(or boy), gets to select a special birthday meal or choose a restaurant to dine at in celebration of  their special day. This year, I decided I wanted one of my favorite meals, though attempting to make it from scratch for the first time. Homemade gnocchi (Itallian dumplings), marinara sauce as well as a yummy appetizer of baked zucchini with sweet onion dip. I'm telling you, Pinterest has made a new woman of me!

 Here is what my birthday dinner started out from- Yukon Gold potatoes. They had already been baked in the oven and ready to prep.

 Scooping out the insides of the potatoes.

 All that's needed besides the potatoes is a egg yolk, a bit of salt, and flour. Simple.

 After folding the ingredients together, pat the dough out..

 Then divide the dough and form snakes. After that, all you do is cut off about 1 inch bits of gnocchi.

 Then place them on a lightly floured pan.

 I used my fork to make a little impression, though I think you could use your thumb/finger as well. After that, all you do is cook them in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes- until the gnocchi float to the top.

 I didn't do a step by step for this, but it was yummy! The breading on the zucchini was to die for! Panko, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.

 The sweet onion dip- also made from scratch. VERY tasty! All of the kids liked the dip though they didn't dip the zucchini. More like french bread and pretzel sticks. This dip could easily be used on sandwiches or most anything. Here is the link to this if interested-

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/07/28/baked-zucchini-sticks-and-sweet-onion-dip-that-bloomin-zucchini/

My birthday dinner plate! The sauce was good, though not quite what I was looking for. I'm still on the hunt for a tasty marinara sauce to add to my collection. It was a fantastic birthday dinner and it was enjoyed by all.