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I was very fond of my mother’s semolina gnocchis when I was growing up. I’ve always meant to make them for my kids, but have not yet gotten around to it, probably as I’d first have to go hunting for the semolina. Still, I went ahead and got the recipe from my mother, which I’m now translating into American measurements and posting for future use.
Mamá’s Semolina Gnocchi

• 6 1/3 cups (1 1/2 liters) milk
• 1 2/3 cups (300 g) semolina flour
• 1 cup (100 g) Parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling
• 7 Tbsp. (100 g) butter
• 2 egg yolks
• nutmeg
• salt

Instructions
Pour the milk and salt into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the semolina flour, stirring constantly. Gently boil, stirring, until it becomes quite thick. Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese, the butter and the egg yolks.
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a large baking sheet.
On a flat working surface, flatten the mixture with your hands to a 1/3″ to 1/2″ height. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake in the oven until the gnocchi dry up and become golden. Eat warm.

When I was a little kid, once in a great while, my father would make cinnamon rolls. It was an all-day affair, usually done on weekends at our country house (it sounds fancy, but it was just a small bungalow in a yet undeveloped area outside La Plata). The warm cinnamon rolls were beyond delicious, definitely one of my favorite treats as a child.
Decades have gone by and I’m finally ready to attempt them myself, so I asked my dad for the recipe which I’m copying here. I’m thinking of making them soon.
Note that I don’t have the recipe for the sugar glace, though that should be easily found online.
Papá’s Cinnamon Rolls

• 2 Tbsp. yeast
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup cooled boiled milk
• 7 cups sifted flour
• 6 Tbsp. room-temperature butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 t. salt
• Additional butter for greasing and brushing
• Additional white and blond sugars
• Cinnamon

Directions
Dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbspl. sugar in the warm water. Add the milk and 3 cups of flour. Beat until it produces a smooth dough.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter with 1/2 cup sugar.
Add the butter to the dough and add the eggs, slat and the remaining 4 cups of flour. Mix well until you get a smooth, white dough. Knead the dough with your hands.
Butter a large bowl and place the dough on the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm place* until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.
* – If you don’t have a warm place at home you can heat the oven to 200F, turn off the heat and place the dough inside.
Once it’s risen, lightly flour a large working surface and roll the dough with a rolling pin to a 1/2″ height. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with white and blond sugars and cinnamon. Roll into a large roll and cut it into thick slices. Generously butter a large baking pan and place the cinnamon rolls on it, being careful not to crowd them. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 more hours.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden, about 20′. Glace, remove and eat warm.

I made this epicurious.com recipe for Chicken Breasts with Chive and Mustard Sauce a couple of nights ago, as chicken breasts were on sale at Safeway. We all liked it very much – even Mika (who was mortified she liked a sauce that had mustard and alcohol in it). Camila ate the chicken without the sauce, which is typical.
The one problem with the recipe is that it was very, very liquid – even though I only used 1 cup of chicken broth. Next time I’ll use 1/2 a cup and I may add some cornstarch to thicken it. The flavor, however, was wonderful.

I made this recipe for Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Yukon Gold Potatoes last night and we all loved it. The flavors are not extraordinary, but the chicken was succulent, flavorful and utterly satisfying. This is really comfort food at its best. My only concern is that it’s pretty fattening, next time I’ll try to reduce the amount of fat a little bit – but I’ll definitely make it again.
I followed the original recipe closely, but I used regular yellow potatoes (which next time I’ll peel, per my daughter’s request) and forgot the chives and the nutmeg. The amount below will feed two adults and two children without leftovers.
Roasted chicken thighs with carrots & potatoes

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 6 large bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. ground black or white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
• 2 lbs yellow potatoes
• 2 lbs carrots
• 3 Tbsp. chopped chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F
Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tbsp. oil. Rub the skin of the chicken thighs on the oil in the baking sheet and then set on the baking sheet skin side up.
Mix the salt with the thyme, pepper and nutmeg, if using. Sprinkle half the salt/thyme mixture on the chicken thighs. Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel potatoes and carrots and cut them into 3″ x 1/2″ sticks. Put them in a bowl, add the remainder of the salt/thyme mixture and olive oil and mix well. Set aside while the chicken cooks.
At the end of the 30 minutes remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully remove the chicken thighs. Place in a bowl or deep dish, cover and set aside. Place the potatoes and carrots on the baking sheet and toss to cover with the drippings. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Return the chicken thighs to the baking sheet, placing on the vegetables, and pour any accumulated drippings from the bowl on them. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with chives (if using) before serving.

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