I don't know how many times I can make the same joke. Quite a few it seems. But here I go again whining about cookies. Not just any cookie but Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies. I mean who whines about Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies and what does that say about that person? Well let me illuminate you.

I am who I am, I am pleased to say. But after 3 1/2 years of punching words into this keyboard and watching them magically appear on the inter-web. I have to admit that sometimes my material runs thin. So I grudgingly turn to cookies. Cookies are popular, but they make me grumpy. Still, I have to admit (grumpily) cookies don't require any heavy lifting (or in this case heavy cooking) to make me feel well-loved by the blogosphere.

In other words cookies are a no-brainer. I can make cookies in my sleep. I can blather on boringly about them even before my morning caffeine jolt kicks in. Both of these fine facts are well-illustrated in this pointless paragraph.

Which got me thinking. Could I write something passionate and thought provoking about cookies? Could I turn a cookie post into a metaphor for all that's good in this world and all that's right in blogland?

Could I? Could I?

Gnudi is fun to say, don't ya think? Basically it's gnocchi twice the size. Which is also fun to say. But are gnudi twice as fun to eat? Well, I leave that for you to decide. Because these light as air pea and ricotta gnudi are easy to make too. Easier than gnocchi, because it's a little less fussy in the forming of the little pillows.

This dish is pretty on the plate as well. Peas make it a super seasonal recipe. I like to finish this with bacon and mint so the flavors are full and diverse, making the airy texture all the more exciting.

But before I get to the gnudi recipe though, let's talk gnocchi. As close as I can figure gnocchi (pronounced nee-O-key) means "little lumps". One look at a proper gnocchi and you can see why. But they did not call them little potato lumps so I figure there is room for extemporizing. Which means in my opinion there is no reason to strictly limit myself to little lumps of potato, semolina or even ricotta dough.

And beyond that, it seems there are two schools of thought on gnocchi. They can be chewy or they can be pillowy. In my opinion they both have their place on my plate. Traditionally the chewier varieties are potato based. The dough is drier and easy to roll out. Their light as air cousins often start out life as ricotta. They are more difficult to handle. But handled well they reward you with little pillows of luscious texture.

...it just means I need time for myself.

It's a wide open open weekend.

I live in Los Angeles, one of the most exciting, glamorous cities on the planet.

The options of leisurely weekend activities are nearly endless. I could drive to the beach or to the snow in equal amounts of time.

I could shop at world-class boutiques in Beverly Hills.

There are parks, and activities. The bird migration is in full swing. I like my birds.

There is always a food-festival somewhere. Be it Latin flavors in East L.A., or some other event in Little Tokyo, Korea Town, or the traditionally Russian areas of West Hollywood. I could go to my local Buddhist Temple where the sell excellent Thai street food for almost nothing (just remember to take your shoes off when you go inside)!