Two Worlds

Busy hands make gnocchi. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Over the weekend, my husband and I attempted to make gnocchi, potato pasta, by hand. Now, I have made gnocchi many, many times with much success. I use Lidia Bastianich’s recipe, and it usually takes an entire morning to do it right. I spend much time focusing on it, making sure the potatoes are boiled just right and that I don’t over knead the dough. It’s a delicate dance. If you work with the dough too long, then you will have heavy gnocchi. If you work the dough too little and therefore add less flour, you will have mushy gnocchi. Or, in the case of my mom, who attempted gnocchi just once, you will have no gnocchi at all. Hers disintegrated when she put them in the pot of boiling water, so we had potato water.

My husband and I decided that we wanted to go to church on Sunday morning, which meant having to make the gnocchi the night before. I had never done this before. We would have to do freeze the gnocchi. And, because we were making them at night, we’d have to work as quickly as possible because of our son’s bedtime and sleeping patterns. I should mention that I’m terrible at night, especially now that I have an infant. We didn’t take the necessary time or have the necessary patience to get the gnocchi just right. Our attempt at freezing the gnocchi was a failure, too. On Sunday, when my parents arrived for their Valentine’s Day lunch, we basically served them potato goo with sauce on it. It was a big disappointment. The lesson I learned is that you can not take shortcuts. I needed to stay home on Sunday morning and spend the entire time focused on the gnocchi. They would have turned out much better, and we would have enjoyed a more satisfying meal. That’s true for just about anything. Everything will turn out better if you pay attention, focus, and take the necessary time to do it. There are no shortcuts in life. Period.

Babies make the family go round. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Since I gave birth to my son, I have realized a great many things that I hadn’t before. I’ve decided to share “What I’ve Learned” in this blog. So, about once a week, you can tune into this blog to find out about one of my valuable lessons.

I’ve spent much of time recently reflecting on my extended family. In a short time, the landscape of our family has radically changed. People who were very much apart of the everyday happenings of our family are no longer with us and new people have joined us. We have a different look. Attend a family celebration today and compare it to the past and you’ll notice new faces, those who are missing either by death or by choice and new leaders emerge as people grow and mature. Sometimes, these changes are unbearable. It’s hard to go on when you’ve lost someone you love. Sometimes, the changes are a dream come true. Just think about the first time you held your baby in your arms. What I have learned is that no matter how sad you are by certain changes, you may as well embrace the change as soon as possible. It’s inevitable and there’s nothing you can do about it. Of course in the case of those who have passed away, you should always keep them in your heart, and you must share your memories with the newest members of the family. Embracing changes, rather than fighting them, however, is the only way to go on.