Gnocchi & a Blind Wine Tasting

Lisa is our wine girl! Last week she hosted a blind wine tasting for us. We each brought a bottle of wine ranging in price from $5 to $25 and immediately put it in a paper bag so no one could see what is was. After dinner we began scoring the wines based on clarity, aroma, taste & finish. After adding up the scores for each once we were done, Lisa announced the winner...drum roll please....... 2009 Cabernet from Desert Wind. This wine retails for only $9. Desert Wind is a beautiful winery directly off Hwy 82 in Prosser, Wa.  I visit this winery every year. We go over in April for the Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting. They've consistently had great wines all of the years I have been.You can find more information about the festival here http://wineyakimavalley.org/ I highly recommend the experience!

Dinner was a delicious Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese. The recipe is as follows...

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese
From Cuisine at Home

1 lb purchased pre-made or homemade gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk (I used non-fat and turned out great)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (I probably used a bit more)
1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese (again probably used a bit more)
*Who says you can't use too much cheese!!
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in single-layer in 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and Fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful.  Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.  Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*I added bread crumbs to the top before baking to add some crunch.

For dessert we had a variety of different cookies. I brought these...a recipe I found on Pinterest... Courtesy of http://www.chef-in-training.com/ I'm loving this blogger's recipes lately!

CAKE BATTER PUDDING COOKIES

• 1 1/2 sticks (or 3/4 cup) butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix, dry
• 3/4 cup yellow cake mix, dry
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.

Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated.

Mix in sprinkles.

Roll into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

AK