I am back!

After a while without any postings I am finally back! Wow, I did not think I was going to miss posting here so much…
I had a hard time these past weeks with sciatic nerve pain. A few weeks going to doctors, lots of exams trying to figure out what was going on (you know, each doctor you see tells you it is something different… very frustrating), plus one week of basically not being able to do anything… sciatica is definitely not fun.
But, enough of that, I am feeling better now and back to my favorite “sport”: cooking! (The hardest part of having the pain and not being able to move was that I also could not cook…)
And before I post my recipes todayI want to thank everybody that wrote me, sent me e-mails and comments on my blog asking if everything was ok. I was very happy with all the messages and also to see that you are enjoying my blog as much as I am enjoying doing it, all that helped a lot in making me feel better! Thank you so much!
This past week I came back into action in my kitchen and have made quite a few new recipes!
Over the weekend I made gnocchi, so good! I like everything made with potatoes, and gnocchi is definitely one of my favorite potato dishes! I actually made mine without a real recipe. My brother in law makes the best gnocchi, creamy, light, and fluffy, with a delicious rich homemade tomato and meat sauce. Last time we went to Brazil he made it for us and gave me directions on how to make it. So this past Sunday I decided to finally make the dish. Mine came out good, but Fabio’s Gnocchi still is the best!
Also over the weekend I was on a “chocolate thing” and tried two chocolate recipes. The first one I got from Nic’s post about lemon pudding cake on her blog, the Baking Sheet. She posted a new recipe for lemon pudding cake that looked delicious, but then I saw a link for a Chocolate Pudding Cake and, being the chocoholic that I am, after seeing the picture I just had to make it. It came out very good, with just enough pudding at the bottom to compliment the cake like a chocolate sauce would, and the cake part was delicious! The only thing I am thinking about making different next time is to use milk instead of the water that we pour over the cake. I thought that the pudding had some sort of “watery” flavor to it… maybe milk would make it richer.
The other recipe I tried was for “Nutella Crinkle Cookies”. This one I got from www.recipegoldmine.com. I love nutella and have always thought this kind of cookies look so pretty, so I decided to try this version. The cookies were delicious and we loved them at home! I made half of the recipe and got 36 out of it, oh and I omitted the hazelnuts as I did not had them at home… left out from the cookie batter and rolled them only on powdered sugar. Very nice cookies, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a nice “brownie-like” texture, very yummy! And they look great too, aren’t they pretty?!!?!?!Well, that is it for today, I still have some more recipes and pictures to post so stay tuned, and I promise I won’t be away for so long anymore!

Ana

Nutella Crinkle Cookies
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (11 ounce) jar Nutella
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
2 cups finely chopped hazelnuts
Sifted confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Beat Nutella and shortening in a large bowl until combined. Add sugar and mix until combined, beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and milk alternately and mix until just combined. Stir in the 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts.
Cover and chill several hours until firm. Shape dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll in finely chopped hazelnuts, then in confectioners' sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes - surface should be cracked and cookies set.
Makes about 70.

Nic’s Chocolate Pudding Cake
3/4 cup ap flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder, divided
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips (miniature, if you have them)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine flour, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder and salt in an 8 inch square baking pan and stir with a fork to combine. Mix in milk and oil until batter is uniform.
Sprinkle brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and chocolate chips evenly over batter. Add vanilla to the hot water and pour over everything. Do not mix.
Place pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until surface of the cake looks dry. The pudding will be bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Leftovers, if you have them, may be stored for one day at room temperature. Reheat before serving. Serves 8-9

My Gnocchi!