Double Birthday = Double Dinner

I’m not a fan of kid dinners–where moms are short order chefs, delivering adult food for mature palettes and kid food for everyone else. Our kids eat so-called adult food from the get go–spicy, savory, veggie, you name it.

But, rules are made to be broken, especially on my kids’ annual double birthday. This year was the big #5 for Granola Baby, who was born just before I launched this blog, and is officially no longer a baby.

Our oldest and youngest kids share their birthday, and the coincidence never gets old. What’s more, the birthday originally belonged to my Papa, the namesake of Granola BOY.

This year for the double celebration, I managed to produce each kids’ favorite dinner. I’m still patting myself on the back for it. My oldest likes cuisine more sophisticated than a lot of adults I know and went with homemade gnocchi. And my youngest? Mac n’ cheese, obviously.

HOMEMADE MACARONI AND CHEESE
1 package cooked elbow noodles
2T butter
1.25 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Tillamook, and it was really smooth)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 salt
dash of mustard powder
freshly ground pepper to taste
Once you prepare the noodles, melt butter over medium heat. Add milk, sour cream, spice, salt, pepper and cheese and stir until cheese melts. If your cheese clumps and doesn’t melt, try a different brand next time. Leave flame on while you mix the noodles into the cheese sauce. Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE GNOCCHI
1 package firm tofu
4T Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Process ingredients in the food processor. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Roll dough out into long “worms” as my kids call them, and cut them into bite-size squares. If the dough is too sticky, add some flour. Drop them into the boiling water and leave them until they float (about 2-3 minutes). Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Serve them with tomato sauce (I added a bit of milk and sour cream to Trader Joe’s sauce to make it creamy tomato sauce) and roasted veggies.