My son and I have been on a quest to search out fun and different activities while his sister is attending a performing arts camp.  If you are having a hard time coming up with activities for your kids this summer, have them write out a bucket list.  Typically, you hear of adults writing out these types of lists of activities they would like to do and places they would like to visit before they kick the bucket.  I happen to think you are never too young to start working on a bucket list.  The list could certainly change over time as your interests change.  If they finish everything on the list they can also start a new one.  Depending on how many activities they list, I am thinking one list per year is probably good.  What better way to approach our summer than to have the kids come up with fun activities that interest them.  Some of the activities on his list have definite signs of being a boy, such as hitting baseballs, rock climbing and going to the skate park.  He also has items on his list that take after his food blogging mom, such as food festivals and a trip to the Herr’s Factory where they make delicious potato chips!  You get to sample the fresh, warm chips as they are making them.  That’s my boy!

My son is gaining a real interest not only in food but in cooking and baking.  He has always been fascinated with how things are made.  He is also starting to become a bit more adventurous with trying new foods; perhaps getting more involved in the process has something to do with that.  This summer, we are having fun spending more 1-1 time together.   Our trip today took us to a local Farm & Creamery.   We enjoyed one of the best ice cream cones I have had in a very long time.  There is just something about sitting in a rocking chair, on a front porch, overlooking several acres of farm land while enjoying the creamiest ice cream.

We ended our afternoon with a visit to a new, local Meat Market called O’Connor’s Market.  We decided to check it out and see what they have to offer.  We were pleasantly surprised by our visit as they were so friendly and helpful.  They also had fresh items to choose from for meats and seafood. They also had some prepared food items for those busy nights when you don’t have time to make a meal from scratch.  I now also have a new place to buy my Thanksgiving Turkey.  I explained to the butcher what I would like to make this year with my Turkey and he said he would be more than happy to help me.   You’ll have to check back closer to November to see what I make with my Turkey!  For today, my son requested that we buy some of their fresh sausage links.  They had several different flavors to choose from like Sweet Italian and a Spinach & Feta Sausage.  My son decided that he wanted to try the Buffalo Chicken Sausage (which had Blue Cheese in it).   As they were packing up the sausage for me, my mind went right to recipe creating.  I knew I just bought some fresh Gnocchi that I planned on cooking tonight.  Gnocchi with a nice Buffalo flavored sauce sounded really tasty to me.  Having several staples on hand such as chicken broth, herbs and spices sure come in handy for planning meals so close to dinnertime.

The dish turned out great.  It was slightly spicy so we drizzled some Blue Cheese Dressing over top.  The sausage was some of the best I have tried.  It had such great flavors and paired so well with the Fresh Gnocchi.  I loved how the Gnocchi soaked up all the goodness from the sauce.  We brightened up the dish with some fresh tomatoes and scallions.  The kids loved it too.  They told me it was a little spicy but that they really loved it.  I am so proud of them for trying a new dish with us.

Mangia! Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sausage & Gnocchi

Makes approx. 4 Servings

Ingredients

4, Buffalo Chicken Sausage Links

1, White Onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons, Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon, Butter

5 Scallions (Green Onions), cut on a bias

1/2 Cup, Wing Sauce

2 Tablespoons, Cream Cheese

1 Cup, Chicken Broth *low-sodium

1 Teaspoon, Garlic Salt

S&P

1/4 Teaspoon, Paprika

1 Teaspoon, Onion Powder

2 Tablespoons, Fresh Parsley, chopped

8-10, small cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2

1 lb., Fresh Gnocchi

Blue Cheese Dressing for garnish

Instructions

Place a medium to large size cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.   While the pan is heating up, chop the onion.  Once the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and tablespoon of butter.  Once the butter is melted, add 1/2 of the white onion and sauté for about a minute.  Turn the heat to medium, add the sausage links to the same pan.  Turn the sausage links frequently to brown all sides, cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove the sausage from the pan and transfer them to a cutting board.  Let the sausage rest while you work on your sauce.  Keep the pan out so you can cook your sauce in the same skillet.

Sautéing Sausage w/Onions

Browning Sausage

Start a large pot of water over high heat for the Gnocchi.  Once the water comes to a boil, drizzle some olive oil into the water along with a few tablespoons of kosher salt.  Add the Gnocchi and cook for about 5 minutes.

Fresh Gnocchi

Return the cast iron skillet to the stove and turn heat to medium (you should still have some of the sautéed onion in the pan).  Add the other tablespoon of Olive Oil and the other 1/2 of onion.    Once the onion becomes translucent, add the wing sauce, chicken broth, cream cheese, garlic salt, onion powder, S&P and paprika.  Using a whisk stir the sauce really well until it starts to get smoother.

Adding Sausage to sauce

Cut the sausages into larger bite size pieces.  Add them to the sauce and continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes just to heat through again.  Drain the Gnocchi and add the to the sauce.   Add about 1/2 of your fresh parsley and 1/2 of the scallions to the sauce and stir all the ingredients together.

Adding herbs to Sauce

Transfer to bowls and garnish with the leftover parsley and scallion.

Mangia! Enjoy!