Simple Bliss... » in the kitchen

Gnocchi

Vanessa — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:43:35 +0000

If you have never had this tasty potato pasta, wow, are you missing something wonderful. Make some up, add a little bit of spaghetti sauce and mozzarella or olive oil and herbs, and enjoy!

Gnocchi
2 pounds Idaho or russet potatoes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Coarse salt
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place potatoes in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and cook about 40 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash potatoes using a potato ricer. Set aside on a baking sheet until completely cooled. Mix all ingredients together; do not over mix or pasta will become heavy Cut dough into 6 equal portions. Using both hands, roll each piece of dough into a rope 1/2-inch thick; slice at 1/2-inch intervals.

Bring a large pot water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Add half of the gnocchi; when they rise to the top (after about 2 minutes), continue to cook until tender, about 15 seconds more. Transfer gnocchi with a slotted spoon to pan with sauce. Repeat process with remaining gnocchi.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Spice Jar Lids

Vanessa — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:22:05 +0000

We have a spinning spice rack with pretty jars. Half of the jar releases spices slowly and half is a wide opening, the lids swivel both ways depending on which opening you want to use. I love it!

However, the spices that came with the kit are several that we do not use. And many that we do use then needed to be stored in another area of the kitchen. The names of the spices in the jars are etched into the top of the spice jar lid.

I decided to make these simple spice jar lid covers so that the spices that we use are the ones that are being stored. I used some cute scrapbook paper and handwritten names of spices on the circles and then had them laminated. The laminated discs have now been taped onto the tops of the spice jars. Now, the spices that are in our spice rack are the spices that we actually use on a regular basis!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday is hosted every week at Tammy’s Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday: September 6-12

Vanessa — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:25:21 +0000

Monday: Eat out with a gift card!

Prep Work: make lasagna

Tuesday: Lasagna

Prep Work: make white sauce, prepare casserole

Wednesday: Ham and Macaroni Casserole

Prep Work: thaw toppings

Thursday: Homemade Pizza

Prep Work: chop green pepper

Friday: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Work: thaw beef patties

Saturday: Grill Out

Prep Work: thaw soup

Sunday: Ham and Bean Soup

Menu Plan Monday is hosted every week at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out!

Super Simple Goulash

Vanessa — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:53:37 +0000

This is a great easy recipe that is always a crowd pleaser!

1/4 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 t. brown sugar
16 oz elbow or rotini whole wheat pasta
15-20 oz ketchup, to taste

Brown the beef. Add water and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer. Add to the cooked pasta. Add ketchup to taste.

Menu Plan Monday: August 23-29

Vanessa — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:58:17 +0000

Monday: Puffy Pancakes

Prep Work: no prep work

Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Prep Work: thaw beef

Wednesday: Skillet Beef Dinner

Prep Work: thaw beef, prepare tortillas

Thursday: Homemade Pizza

Prep Work: thaw ham, thaw chicken

Friday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Prep Work: thaw meat, make hamburger buns

Saturday: Grill Out

Prep Work: no meal prep

Sunday: Fettuccine Alfredo

Menu Plan Monday is hosted every week at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out!

Blendtek – Happy Anniversary to Us!

Vanessa — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:05:46 +0000

Call us nerds, but for our anniversary we bought ourselves a blendtec blender! Tonight we had delicious strawberry milkshakes – so smooth. Tomorrow morning I will be having a great smoothie for breakfast – amazingly smooth despite three cups of greens, 1 cup of pineapple, and a banana!

Wow is this fun! Never before has starting the blender given us quality time to spend together

Tomorrow’s Breakfast

Vanessa — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:19:40 +0000

Okay, this is so yummy! Today I tried Collard Greens – blended with pineapple, yogurt, carrots, and flax seed. It’s so good! So, here is tomorrow’s breakfast (quart) and part of tomorrow’s lunch (pint):

Menu Plan Monday: August 16-22

Vanessa — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:52:59 +0000

This is my first week back at work. The meals planned for this week are simple as I am anticipating being very tired! We will be adding lots of yummy veggies alongside our meals. And, we have a very exciting anniversary gift – a wonderful kitchen tool – coming. More on that to come when it arrives.

Monday: Chicken Nuggets

Prep Work: no prep work

Tuesday: Beef Goulash

Prep Work: thaw gnocchi

Wednesday: Gnocchi with Red Sauce

Prep Work: thaw toppings

Thursday: Homemade Pizza

Prep Work: thaw soup

Friday: Ham and Bean Soup

Prep Work: thaw meat, make hamburger buns

Saturday: Grill Out

Prep Work: thaw chicken

Sunday: cheesy chicken and rice

Menu Plan Monday is hosted every week at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out!

Summer Prep for Fall

Vanessa — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:43:51 +0000

One of my largest goals for the summer was to get lots of food prep done before the school year started. We love having fresh meals every night, but that does not mean that we do not utilize freezer cooking methods to make that possible. At the end of the summer, I have the following food prepared:

– bags of oatmeal ready for Cole to take to work

– bags of black beans, cooked and frozen in one cup bags

– chicken, raw

– ground beef, browned and frozen in one pound bags

– meals of ham and bean soup, cooked and ready to thaw

– bags of cheddar cheese, in one cup portions

– bags of mozzarella cheese, in one cup portions

– bags of Mexican cheese, in one cup portions

– pounds of gnocchi, baked and frozen in one meal portions

I also have been sure to stock ham, pork tenderloins, and roasts as they have been on sale. I have also made sure that our produce jar and shelf are as stocked as possible so that we have yummy produce available!

Menu Plan Monday: August 9-15

Vanessa — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:25:44 +0000

Monday: Beef Goulash

Prep Work: thaw meat

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Cheesy Bread

Prep Work: thaw meat, make hamburger buns

Wednesday: Pulled pork sandwiches

Prep Work: thaw toppings

Thursday: Homemade Pizza

Prep Work: thaw chicken, cook potatoes

Friday: Homemade Chicken and Noodles over Potatoes

Prep Work: no prep

Saturday: Out to eat for our anniversary!

Prep Work: no prep work

Sunday: Baptism & Barbecue at Church

Menu Plan Monday is hosted every week at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Check it out!