offtober

If you want something done, give it to a busy person.

I forget where I first heard this said, but please tell me you see the truth in it. Growing up, I witnessed my mother, the queen of “yes, I’d love to,” pull off more than I thought humanely possible. She could work 5 days a week running my dad’s practice, then still have time to cook and drop off dinner for someone ailing, raise money for this or that fundraiser, work on Habitat houses, lead a Sunday school (of course always arriving with homemade muffins in hand), boss us around, work in her garden, and sit on a school board (and these were just the activities I was cognizant of as a child). She moved fast, accomplished much, and yet still somehow had the stamina and gusto to be creative and kind at the end of the day—abilities burned out of most normal people by an overly busy lifestyle. If you wanted something done, you gave it to Myra.

When I am extremely busy, I feel charged. I am somehow infinitely more productive, despite the inversely proportional lack of free time. I mention this hyper state only to juxtapose my current one: now I have too much free time and no structure within which to organize the things I am actually supposed to be getting done!

I have October off to study for Step 2, an ominous threat when I consider its implications. I know I need to study, but who exactly ever thought sweat pants and 17 hours a day at home were a power suit and productive environment?

Okay, today is the day I get serious. Time to study!!

Gnocchi with brown butter and sage

because it is quick and because it is "fall"

1 package gnocchi

4 tablespoons butter

dash of nutmeg (just the smallest amount)

¼ cup fresh sage, julienned

crumbled feta

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Carefully add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface. Drain and set aside. In a separate skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat, until it begins to bubble. Stir until it begins to brown. Add in a mere dash of nutmeg, the sage, and the gnocchi and stir gently for about 1 minute until gnocchi is nicely browned and in some places crisped (I like to turn the heat up to high for the last 30 seconds or so to get some good crispy parts!).

Remove from heat and distribute gnocchi to plates with a drizzle of the browned butter from the skillet. Crumble feta over the dish and top with a sprig of sage to serve.