This post is sponsored by Roth Cheese.

You guys know how much I love mac & cheese. And given any excuse to bring it to another level or just plain enjoy mac and cheese…I jump at that chance!

The folks at Roth Cheese have put together an ultimate mac and cheese blend…all ready to go, it has their signature Grand Cru (their Alpine-style cheese), Havarti and Sharp Cheddar. Isn't that a great combination?

I decided to go another way and instead of using pasta, I used gnocchi. I browned the butter and added kale and corn to it…it's different, more grown up AND it's amazing!

You'll totally impress your friends when you make this for them…and it's so easy to make. Don't you just love that?

First, set a pot of water to boil for the gnocchi.

Then, prep the kale. I remove the leaves from the stems.

Then, I cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Get all of the ingredients together…including your Roth Cheese Mac and Cheese blend.

Melt the butter on medium heat.

Allow the butter to cook a little longer, about 3 to 4 minutes to brown it. Can you see the brown specks?

Add flour to make your roux.

Add the milk and whisk.

Add salt, pepper and the other spices. Then, add the cheese and mix until it's melted.

Then, add the kale and corn. This brightens the mac & cheese and balances it out.

It's a wonderful dish to have on its own or as side dish with an entree. It seriously will impress your friends…my friends loved it!

You definitely want to check out their site as they usually have a great coupon. And check out the giveaway below!

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Brown Butter Gnocchi Mac & Cheese with Kale and Corn Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 16 ounce package gnocchi
• 5 kale stems
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 6- ounce bag Roth Ultimate Mac n Cheese Blend about 1 1/2 cups cheese
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Follow instructions on package to cook the gnocchi.
• Remove kale leaves from the stems and chop into bite-sized pieces.
• Add butter to a small pot and allow the butter to melt and brown. Browning the butter should take 3 to 5 minutes after it melts. Be careful to not let it burn.
• Add flour to the butter and mix well with a spatula, cooking for about 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk. Cook the sauce for 2 minutes until it thickens, whisking occasionally. Add salt, pepper, ground mustard and ground nutmeg and whisk. Add the Roth Ultimate Mac & Cheese blend, turn the heat down to low and stir until melted.
• Add the kale and corn to the cheese sauce and mix. Once the kale has cooked down, about 2 to 3 minutes, add the gnocchi and mix. Serve immediately.

Roth Ultimate Mac & Cheese Giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Roth Cheese . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Brown Butter Gnocchi Mac & Cheese with Kale and Corn appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Hello, smoked salmon. I love you. Usually, I'm eating it on a bagel with cream cheese. But this…this takes it to another level.

breakfast earlier with @nicolechismar avocado toast with smoked salmon, kale, shredded carrot and shaved fennel from @lepainquotidien #nyc #thisisnewyorkcity @nycgo #nyceats

A photo posted by Julie Deily (@thelittlekitchn) on Jun 30, 2015 at 10:16am PDT

I went to New York City recently and met my friend, Nicole, for breakfast/lunch…brunch and she suggested we go to Le Pain Quotidien…great choice! I copied her order of an avocado toast and ADDING the smoked salmon. I love that they included kale too!

Other places that I went to while in NYC…Shake Shack…yesssss.

Rex Coffee…the coffee was spectacular so were the breakfast sandwiches (the bacon was to die for) and the scones!! Order it all!

And then we went shopping to at Anthropologie and I fell in love with this purse. My favorite color is yellow…isn't it perfect? I didn't buy it though…

Oh gosh, it's a food blog and it's a fitting room selfie…this top, I'm obsessed with it. I bought it and then proceeded to leave it in the bag on a NYC subway. ::(

Aren't these bags from Pamela Barsky awesome? I love this one!!! They are all handmade and screenprinted in NYC. I bought this one but also left it on the subway with the Anthro top…I think someone else probably had a really good day when they found that bag!

My sister and I had an amazing dinner at Ippudo…ramen foreva…seriously…epic meal. They are on my hit list every time I visit now!

And yes…I bought cronuts…and didn't wait in line. Because I preordered them! Every Monday at 11am ET, the dates that are up for preorder are for one week…the week that's up for preorder is two weeks away so plan accordingly! Put it in your calendar, set reminders and be there or be square.

Right at 11am, it didn't work really well for me but I was persistent and my order finally went through at 11:32am. Remember, some people aren't able to submit their order and it takes a few minutes for the inventory to be released. Some people give up and go away so even if you don't get your preorder done right at 11am, there's still a chance!

And now for this wonderful toast that I have enjoyed at home several times now!

Cut the stems from the kale.

See that? You don't need that.

Massage the kale.

I always feel like the kale looks even more vibrant green when it's massaged.

I used this everything bagel shake and added it to the kale…

Thanks to the folks at hatchery for sending me some fun stuff to try, I bought the bagel shake blend myself!

along with olive oil.

Slice and dice up three quarters of one avocado, add lime juice and mix and mash.

The last quarter of the avocado, just slice it up. Squeeze lime over these slices.

Toast the bread and spread butter on the bread.

Spread the mashed avocado over the slices.

Then, add the smoked salmon, sliced avocado and then top with the kale!

Umm yeah…no words, I'm really lame but I have no words. The buttery avocado and the BUTTERY salmon…hits the spot. I'm obsessed and I salute and thank my friend Nicole for introducing me to this wonderful concoction. I hope you thank me too when you make this!

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Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon and Kale Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 to 4 pieces of toast

Ingredients

• 2 kale stems washed
• olive oil
• bagel shake optional
• 1 avocado washed
• 3 to 4 slices of really good quality bread I used a multigrain bread from my local grocery store’s bakery
• freshly squeezed lime juice
• salt
• spreadable butter
• smoked salmon
• lime wedges for serving optional

Instructions

• Remove the stems from the kale and chop into big pieces. Massage with your fingers to soften up the kale leaves. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and mix together with your hands. Add a sprinkle of bagel shake or salt and pepper and mix again.
• Prep the avocado, while you’re prepping the avocado, toast the bread. Cut avocado in half and remove the seed carefully. Using a knife, on one half of the avocado, slide up and down and then side to side. Scoop the avocado pieces out into a small bowl. With the other half, only cut half of it and place into the bowl. The other half (or the last quarter of the avocado), you’ll remove and place on a cutting board and slice to top the toast with. Add some lime juice to the slices of avocado.
• Mash the avocado with the back of a fork, add lime juice and salt to taste and mix. Spread butter on the slices of toast and then spread the mashed avocado on top. Add slices of smoke salmon and then top with the avocado slices. Top with kale and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Optionally, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

Inspired by a dish I had at Le Pain Quotidien

Just sayin' this isn't a sponsored post. The hatchery folks were nice enough to send me some fun products to try out and I bought some items myself, including the bagel shake.

The post Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon & Kale appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm having more fun working with Land O'Lakes (Kitchen Conversations) on this recipe! I'm a huge fan of butter, let's face it: I love all kinds of butter. And brown butter? I'm an even bigger fan. Brown butter gives dishes a nutty AND buttery flavor. I have been wanting to make a dish with gnocchi for a while now. So why not combine brown butter and gnocchi? I'm still scared to make it from scratch so store-bought for now and huge bonus is this dish only takes less  than 30 minutes to put together!

I’m so excited about being a part of the Land O’Lakes Pin a Meal. Give a Meal. campaign for Feeding America®. Feeding America® does such amazing and important work, and I’m thrilled that Land O’Lakes asked me to be a part of helping to bring awareness to hunger in America and help donate meals.

We need your help! For each recipe pinned or repinned, Land O’Lakes will donate nine meals to Feeding America®. You can pin this recipe right here on The Little Kitchen to donate. It’s that simple. To help even more, pin or repin any recipe from Land O’Lakes between now and May 31, 2014. If you love Pinterest as much as I do, this program makes it so easy to help a good cause.

Here’s how to make this delicious Gnocchi with Brown Butter Cream Sauce & Kale.

First, let me show you how to brown butter. Melt a Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter Half Stick on medium heat in a nonstick skillet.

It will start foaming. Don't walk away!

A few minutes later, you have brown butter. Butter can burn easily so watch it carefully.

Remove from the skillet and set aside. Don't put that skillet away, you're going to use it to cook the veggies.

Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves.

Chop the red pepper.

I chose mini gnocchi for this recipe. Aren't they cute?

Remove the gills from the portobella mushrooms.

And then slice them.

Return the skillet to the stove and add 1 teaspoon of the brown butter, the chopped peppers and sliced mushrooms.

Cook for a few minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked down.

Add the kale.

I love that kale is bright green!

Add the cream and the brown butter and allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes.

All done!

This is definitely a version of really fast comfort food. I love the gnocchi paired with the nuttiness of the brown butter and the cream makes it a teeny bit rich…but the rich flavors are are balanced out by the kale, mushrooms and the peppers. And even better, it tastes great reheated the next day!

And remember, by pinning this recipe, you donate 9 meals to Feeding America^®. For every Land O'Lakes recipe that is pinned or repinned between March 28 and May 31, 2014, the Land O'Lakes Foundation will donate $1 to Feeding America^®. Help us reach the goal to donate of 2.7 million meals.  Visit landolakes.com/Pinameal.

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Gnocchi with Brown Butter Cream Sauce & Kale Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2 to 3

Ingredients

• 1 Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter Half Stick 4 Tablespoons
• 2 fresh portobella mushrooms washed and sliced
• 1/2 red pepper chopped
• 1 cup chopped kale washed & stems removed first
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt & pepper
• 1 pound package of mini or regular-sized gnocchi prepared according to package instructions
• grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• In a nonstick skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Then cook for 3 to 4 minutes until brown. Remove from pan.
• Return skillet to stove and add 1 teaspoon brown butter. Add mushrooms and red peppers. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes (stir occasionally), until mushrooms are cooked down. Add kale and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the kale is bright green.
• Add cream and the remaining brown butter back to the pan and stir. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce with gnocchi and topped with Parmesan cheese.

$1 helps provide 9 meals* secured by Feeding America^® on behalf of local member food banks. The Land O’Lakes Foundation guarantees a minimum of 2.7 million meals* (monetary equivalent of $300,000.00) to Feeding America and member food banks from March 28 through May 31, 2014

Disclosure: The Little Kitchen has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversation blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

The post Gnocchi with Brown Butter Cream Sauce & Kale appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

To say I'm obsessed with this ramen noodle soup is a little bit of an understatement. McCormick Gourmet challenged me to create a recipe with these ingredients: ginger, kale, shiitake mushrooms and vegetable stock. I immediately thought of ramen noodles. I love making a quick ramen or udon noodle soup for a quick lunch. I usually use chicken broth or about a quarter of the spice packet in the package and I usually doctor it up a lot. Add veggies, tofu or chicken, put an egg on top and call it done!

I absolutely love mushrooms. I'm obsessed with them. My favorite way to cook them is in butter and soy sauce and add them to burgers, omelets, breakfast burritos, you name it. This is the first time I added them to a soup and now I will be doing it EVERY time.

First, poach your eggs. Then,  chop up the kale, carrots and celery. Cut up the mushrooms and tofu too.

Cook the shiitake mushrooms in a soy sauce and butter in a non-stick skillet for about 5 minutes.

Add ground ginger to the vegetable stock. It adds such a nice flavor to it!

Boil the ramen noodles. I used organic ramen noodles that I can buy at World Market. You can also use the packaged quick ramen noodles that you can find in the soup section of your grocery store. Use the noodles from two packages and throw away the spice packet, you won't need it for this recipe.

There's the finished vegetable ginger stock. I cooked the tofu, celery and carrots in the stock.

Prep the noodle bowl. Add noodles, cooked mushrooms, uncooked kale, sliced mini bell peppers and the egg. I added the mini bell peppers for another level of crunch and color.

Pour the broth on top and add tofu, celery and carrots from the stock and serve. Break that yolk, the yolk flavors the soup stock and brings it up another notch. The kale is cooked by the stock and doesn't get too soggy. It's perfection in a bowl. Seriously, I'm so annoying how obsessed I am with this soup! I'm making it AGAIN soon!

Be sure to stop by McCormick‘s Go4Gourmet site and submit your recipe using these ingredients to win amazing prizes! And more challenges to come!

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Tofu, Kale & Shiitake Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 to 3

Ingredients

• 2 eggs poached
• 3.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms sliced
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 26 ounces vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 package firm tofu cubed
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced
• 1 celery stalk sliced
• 1-2 kale greens rib removed and chopped
• mini bell peppers sliced
• green onions sliced thin (optional)
• ramen noodles uncooked

Instructions

• Poach eggs in medium-sized saucepan. Rinse pan and fill with water and return to stove. Bring water to a boil (for ramen noodles).
• Sautee shiitake mushrooms in butter and soy sauce for 5 minutes in a non-stick pan. Set aside.
• Add vegetable stock to large pot and add ground ginger. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes and lower heat and allow to simmer. Add tofu, carrot and celery stalk.
• In original saucepan, add ramen noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and add noodles to bowl. Arrange bowls with kale, mini bell peppers and poached egg. Pour broth on top (and add tofu, celery and carrots) and garnish with green onions. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by McCormick. I only work with brands that I love and I really appreciate you supporting brands that support me and my blog!

The post Tofu, Kale & Shiitake Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup appeared first on The Little Kitchen.