OMG look what Ben gave me for Valentine’s Day!!!
A freaking iPhone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!
Last night, right before we sat down to exchange gifts, my man quickly got up and dashed into the other room. A few seconds later he slowly emerged, holding something behind his back.
"Close your eyes!" he cried.
So I did.
"Open them!" he cried again.
I slowly opened and in front of my nose was…a pamphlet.
A pamphlet? What the heck it this? It’s red. It says "getting started"… Is he trying to send me to rehab??
"Open it!" he cried even louder!
So I did. Then I cried.
"An iPHOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!!!!!"
We’ve been holding out on getting iPhones until Verizon started carrying them, but still – I literally had no idea he’d do this.
I feel so hip. So now. So…I don’t even know! Wheee!!!! I can’t wait to download a million apps! Let me know which ones I HAVE to get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Want to know what I gave him? A Turkey Fryer.
No really – a friggin’ turkey fryer. 
Ok, so it’s not REALLY for turkey, rather for using to brew homemade beer in (his favorite past time) but after the iPhone, I was all…
"Ummmm – here’s your turkey fryer?!"
Ugh.
I feel as though I made up for it with the card. It was the first one I saw at the store and it so perfectly sums up our relationship that I laughed out loud for like a minute when I picked it up – and so did Ben when I gave it to him. 
"Ooooobabyyou’rehomefromwork!Iloveyousooooooomuchmuwahmuwahmuwah! Ijustwanttocuddleyouandkissyouandsqueeezeyouforeverrrr! LETSSNUGGLE!!!!!"
Ben’s all "Ummm, I love you too – but can I take off my coat?" HA every night, without fail. I know – I annoy myself too, but what can you do?
Ohhhhh, I know…
In other news, Trader Joe’s Night once again came early this week. I was tired, TJ’s food is easy, and the only other option was to make this big Entree Salad that I had on the menu – however I’ve eaten two giant salads for lunch the past two days, and the thought of eating another piece of lettuce made me want to hurl.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter & Sage to the rescue!
I’ve been dying – dying – to try this since the day Trader Joe’s opened.
I adore my go-to Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe, but you’ve got to, you know, make it. This is all ready to go. All you have to do is heat & eat!
PS how much do you love that orange swirl package design??
The gnocchi come frozen with the butter/sage sauce, and at first glance I thought it looked like a TON of butter.
I like butter as much as the next girl, but I don’t like my food drowning in it. You understand.
The directions say to heat the block over med-low heat for 8-9 minutes. This wasn’t doing anything after 4, so I popped a lid on the skillet and turned the heat up to med-high.
Slowly the gnocchi began to separate into big chunks, so I turned the heat back down to med-low and let them defrost the rest of the way. For the last minute, I turned the heat to high and let them sizzle to get a nice crust on the outside!
Sometime I feel like letting butter really sizzle, sizzles out some of the calories. Just a theory.
These were amazing!!! The taste was kind of a mixture between sweet potato gnocchi and mac & cheese – and there definitely wasn’t too much butter. Just the right amount, actually!
The gnocchi were very tender – much more tender than your average gnocchi (some may call them soggy) but I didn’t mind at all.
The flavor was sooooo rich and homey.
However, the package says there’s 3 servings in there but when I weighed them it was more like 2.25. Just FYI in case you’re thinking it’ll feed more than 2.
On the side I made some more pan-fried Brussies.
Same seasonings and technique as last night!
Mmmm – tender and roasty.
Reminded me of Fall! 
Grade: Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter & Sage – 9/10.
I’d give it a 10 out of 10, but the misleading serving size annoyed me, and the gnocchi might not be firm enough for some.
Well I’m off to do some housework tonight. Friday is usually my cleaning/laundry day, but I’ve been gone the past two weeks. I’m so behind!
See you!
~~~~~
What’s the best gift you’ve ever given? Ever received?
I’m going to say I was very, very thankful when Ben’s parent’s gave us a big chunk of the down payment of our home as a gift. No matter how old you get, your parents never really do stop taking care of you, do they? 
You HAVE to download the “Angry Birds” game app. But be careful, it’s highly addictive!
Even my three year old loves to play it.
I love that game
YEs! Andd get Angry Birds Seasons! It’s a countdown to the holiday and every day a new Angry Birds level is unlocked. It’s like an advent calendar for adults!
The turkey cooker is also handy for cooking large amounts of sweet corn to freeze or potatoes for a large gathering and canning! Since you use it outside it keeps the heat out of the kitchen and can give the guys something to do (as in play with fire ). They aren’t just for turkeys any more!
Loving this! I must determine how to make gluten free sweet potato gnocchi….
Be careful with the iPhone – it is addictive!!!
I made gluten free sweet potato gnocchi! I followed Kristin’s recipe for sweet potato gnocchi and instead of using flour I used 1/2 oat flour and 1/2 garbonzo bean flour. I think it turned out great although a little grittier tasting than gnocchi made with white flour.
I’m sure Ben loves the turkey fryer as much as you love your new phone. My husband is also a home-brewer and any new “toy” he can have for his beer making skills turns him into a kid at Christmas. And in the end, if you are a beer drinker, you get to enjoy this present as well
i cannot live without my iphone now that i have one.
my fav and most used apps are Chase bank, P tracker (period tracker), PhotoStudio, Ps Express, kindle, around me, amazon, ebay, pandora, and yelp, Ringtones! (you can make your own ringtones).
You should get “Grocery IQ”. It’s a free app that let’s you make your grocery list, save favorites items and arrange the aisles in your store’s aisle order. I probably use it more than any other app. You’d love it!
ooh. I can’t wait til I can upgrade in Oct. I am SO getting an iPhone this time. I messed up and bought a texting phone (not even a smartphone) the last time. Not again. No How No Way.
I want to use the Hipstamatic app for photos. Way cool filters to apply to your pics. There are other Lo Mob photo apps too to make your photos look so very freaky awesome! can’t wait!
That’s a pretty nice gift
and those gnocchi look so awesome!
The best gift I ever got was my bf showing up on my birthday, driving few hundred miles just to be with me for a few hours on my birthday
Love our Iphone! On a side note my Target has Chobani on sale for 5 for $5. Only 4 flavors to choose from but I definitely stocked up.
OK. I think I remember you saying you don’t like to work out to music. so you may or may not like this one. It’s the Nike Training Club app for women. It’s like your own personal trainer. There are a bunch of interval workouts on there that combine weights and cardio, and there are some that focus on strength training in 15-minute workouts. Those are my favorites. Last night I did “shoulder ripper” and this morning it was the best burn. You can sync a playlist from your iTunes through the program, and it also has a person telling you what your next move is, etc. If you get confused with a move you can hit the play button and there is a video of a girl demonstrating the move. The best part here? It’s a FREE app. Free. Totally worth it.
Best gift – that is a toughie. Actually I think the best gift I ever got was just this Valentine’s Day. As a surprise, my boyfriend booked a one night stay at the Suites of 800 Locust, an expensive hotel in Des Moines. The room was super gorgeous and came with roses, champagne, chocolate strawberries and a whirlpool tub. It was very romantic!!
Haha, that card is funny. Congrats on the I-phone!!
One of my ex-boyfriends brewed beer. I have to say I don’t miss the stench of brewing beer. Ugh.
OMG i got an iPhone for Valentine’s day too!!! It rocks. happy to get app advice through your fans
I know of an app that works on iPads…so would it work on an iPhone? Anyway….you hold the Pad up to the stars at night & it tells you what you are looking at. Pretty Cool! Best Gift….after my father passed away, my husband gave me an old Jeep Wrangler. My Dad would never allow me to have one for fear I would flip it over & kill myself, and the Hubs & I respected his wishes even tho I was in my 30′s!! (I had been begging for one since I got my license at 16 years old!). So I finally got one & I love it! I am now divorced, but I still have my beloved Wrangler!
Oh~ just want to mention that your actions when Ben comes home reminds me of Edith Bunker running to kiss Archie when he would arrive home from work! HaHa!
I have to say kudos to you. I bought my bf a nice beer brewing set for our anniversary and he loved it. But he’s been trying to rig up something other than our stovetop to heat it (it leaves an awful mark). I never even dreamed of a turkey fryer…that is brilliant.
[...] you know, I HEART gnocchi. Homemade, store-bought, fresh from a Roman trattoria… You got it, I’ll eat [...]
love love the gnocchi too and served with roasted brussels. i told my boyfriend, because i ate them all, that they were like little thanksgiving bombs in our mouth: sage, sweet potatoes, butter, crispy like the edges of stuffing, soft like taters and just delish.