man-ish cave

My husband is the man I always dreamed of marrying. He is brilliant, compassionate, wise, and oh-so-handsome. What my husband is NOT is super manly - no power tools, no truck, not the biggest fan of beer, and doesn't particularly care for construction, hunting, contact sports, etc. He is the epitome of  gentlemanly - he always gets the door for me (he forgot it once in 5 1/2 years), free-flowing with kind words, and just very sweet. So when the topic of a "Man Cave" came up for the new house, he laughed. Would this mean that it would be his space only? That he wasn't supposed to allow me in his "cave"? He hated that idea. Unless he's watching Battlestar Galactica, and doesn't want my cynical commentary, he wants me cuddled up on the couch with him - eating some homemade cookies and watching football (because truth be told, I love football more than he does!) or a Bollywood film. So one of our favorite parts of our Cape Cod is the beautiful finished basement, complete with two cooling ceiling fans, can lighting that dims for movie night, rich wooden floors and a cozy wood stove for those chilly winter nights. We got a great, North Carolina made, sectional sofa from Value City that was previously a floor model with a nice $459 price tag and positioned it for optimal Ravens football watching. We just love this room, man cave or not!

dreams of delhi

aqua + butter yellow

The Bollywood-inspired bedroom is coming along - although we have our fingers in so many projects inside the cape cod, we seem to be making slow but substantial progress on our bedroom. One of our greatest new finds is a quartet of pillows to top our cozy hotel-inspired duvet. Again, Marshall's is the place - and I tell you what, they continue to dazzle us with gorgeous Indian goods that are actually from India.
Still thinking about the perfect wall color - any recommendations would be welcome. After all, it is a big commitment.

Room service, please!

pillows of heaven

I love gnocchi. I especially love homemade gnocchi. But notice, I didn't say my homemade gnocchi.
I'm not Italian, not even a slice. And I often find myself at a lose when it comes to making popular dishes in an authentic Italian way. My sauce never turns out as savory, my meatballs are never as plump and my eggplant Parmesan tends to be kind of bland. Sure, I can follow the recipe just like anyone else, but there's something missing - at least to me. The reason? Well, I know some pretty spectacular Italian cooks, and perhaps I'm just plain spoiled with all of that amore of theirs - the thing that keeps my Italian from being an aria rather than a 50's pizza parlor tune.

Little pillows, pre-boil

Well, friends, I may have hit the jackpot with Mario Batali's gnocchi recipe. Don't deviate and I guarantee that these little pillows of heaven will make you want to give the big orange crocked man a kiss - and maybe me, too!
Oh, and I paired mine with a blissful orange tarragon Alfredo, brocollini, and sauteed mushrooms - you can go crazy, but even some garlic and butter will do these little gems right Fancy or not, ditch the Italian restaurant tonight and try this homemade goodness for yourself.

Gnocchi, cooked and tossed in orange-tarragon alfredo

Ingredients
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions
Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.
Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.
Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.
Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.

Finished!