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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Gnocchi
Every time I make this, it always makes me miss having cable. I got this recipe from the Food Network channel years ago. Good ol' Giada. I used to love Everyday Italian. I'd never tried gnocchi before and always assumed it took a painstakingly long time to make. Boy, was I wrong.
Normally, when I'm in the mood for Italian food, my brain automatically wants fettuccine Alfredo. I loooove me some Alfredo sauce. Considering my hips/waist/thighs/rear don't love Alfredo sauce as much as I do, it's great that I found a yummy alternative. Speaking of Alfredo, I'm going to try topping my gnocchi with it next time I eat it!
This is super kid-friendly, too. My kids gobbled this up. And had second helpings. Second helpings!! We ate it plain the first night (with just butter and shredded Parmesan), but then my husband and I ate more for a late dinner last night, and we topped it with tomato sauce (spaghetti sauce works, or you can use tomato sauce that you season with oregano, thyme, etc). Either way, it's delish.
It would be a big hit at a party! Perfect finger food (well, skewered with toothpicks). It's great as a main dish (which is how we ate it this time) or as a side dish.
ALSO (did you know there was so much to say about gnocchi?!), since it's made from potatoes (starch), it's super filling. And it's a meatless meal. I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals, so that's another reason why I love this dish. Cheap, meatless, yummy, easy, perfect.
Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes (mine were on the smaller side, so I used about 8 potatoes)
3-4 cups flour
1 egg
salt
Put whole potatoes in a large pot of water (you won't be eating the skins, so you don't *have* to wash them, but I do anyway). Boil for 45 minutes.
While still warm, peel the skins off (they're so soft that you can just use your fingers -- after letting them cool a bit first!).
Place in your mixer and whip with your whisk attachment. If you don't have a mixer, you can just use a large bowl (or the pot) and a potato masher. But when I first did it that way, it was too chunky, so I used my mixer instead. Perfect consistency that way. After it's blended, make a well in the center. Crack the egg into the well and then sprinkle with flour (start with 3 cups and add more if you need it).
Then you knead. Knead until it all comes together. Add more flour if you need to. Now, this next part you can do one of two ways (i.e. the traditional way or my made up way). The traditional way is to take softball size balls of the dough and roll them out into long strips (like as snake). Then you cut them into 3/4" size pieces. I didn't really like doing that, so what I do is just take a portion of dough and roll them into balls in my hands (probably 1-1.5" balls). Much bigger than the traditional size, but I like them better that way. Plus, I have young kids, so it's easier for them to stab their forks into that way.
Next, you drop them into a few inches of simmering water. Do it in batches so you don't overload your pan (which will lower the cooking temperature of your water and make the process take longer). Swish them around a bit while they cook so they don't stick together. When they float, they're done.
Drain, and then brown them in a couple tablespoons of butter until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan (or tomato/spaghetti sauce) and serve!
Normally, when I'm in the mood for Italian food, my brain automatically wants fettuccine Alfredo. I loooove me some Alfredo sauce. Considering my hips/waist/thighs/rear don't love Alfredo sauce as much as I do, it's great that I found a yummy alternative. Speaking of Alfredo, I'm going to try topping my gnocchi with it next time I eat it!
This is super kid-friendly, too. My kids gobbled this up. And had second helpings. Second helpings!! We ate it plain the first night (with just butter and shredded Parmesan), but then my husband and I ate more for a late dinner last night, and we topped it with tomato sauce (spaghetti sauce works, or you can use tomato sauce that you season with oregano, thyme, etc). Either way, it's delish.
It would be a big hit at a party! Perfect finger food (well, skewered with toothpicks). It's great as a main dish (which is how we ate it this time) or as a side dish.
ALSO (did you know there was so much to say about gnocchi?!), since it's made from potatoes (starch), it's super filling. And it's a meatless meal. I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals, so that's another reason why I love this dish. Cheap, meatless, yummy, easy, perfect.
Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes (mine were on the smaller side, so I used about 8 potatoes)
3-4 cups flour
1 egg
salt
Put whole potatoes in a large pot of water (you won't be eating the skins, so you don't *have* to wash them, but I do anyway). Boil for 45 minutes.
While still warm, peel the skins off (they're so soft that you can just use your fingers -- after letting them cool a bit first!).
Place in your mixer and whip with your whisk attachment. If you don't have a mixer, you can just use a large bowl (or the pot) and a potato masher. But when I first did it that way, it was too chunky, so I used my mixer instead. Perfect consistency that way. After it's blended, make a well in the center. Crack the egg into the well and then sprinkle with flour (start with 3 cups and add more if you need it).
Then you knead. Knead until it all comes together. Add more flour if you need to. Now, this next part you can do one of two ways (i.e. the traditional way or my made up way). The traditional way is to take softball size balls of the dough and roll them out into long strips (like as snake). Then you cut them into 3/4" size pieces. I didn't really like doing that, so what I do is just take a portion of dough and roll them into balls in my hands (probably 1-1.5" balls). Much bigger than the traditional size, but I like them better that way. Plus, I have young kids, so it's easier for them to stab their forks into that way.
Next, you drop them into a few inches of simmering water. Do it in batches so you don't overload your pan (which will lower the cooking temperature of your water and make the process take longer). Swish them around a bit while they cook so they don't stick together. When they float, they're done.
Drain, and then brown them in a couple tablespoons of butter until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan (or tomato/spaghetti sauce) and serve!
What's your favorite starch?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
katherine wardropper . . sculpted jewelry
silk creations with an elizabethan echo
"inspired by faerietale, fantasy & costume"
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
sea shell mobile . . .
i can't pass by an intriguing or unusual shell when walking along our sandy shores ...
here is a wonderfully simple idea, a shell mobile to make
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Be Happy And Give Us A Smile
I often wonder why people seem reluctant to smile these days. It costs nothing to smile so come on people lets start looking a bit happier. This article is all about this and about having a more positive outlook on life which will bring positive results.
I am somebody who used to always think in a negative way, I have now managed to stop this and my life has improved no end. I now like to be around positive people, as these people tend to be more successful and happier. In my opinion there are too many people who are always moaning and groaning and are seemingly depressed.
Growing up I had many things to be negative about, I had a stutter, I have a bald patch, I was overweight and am also quite short for a male at five foot four. I was one of the ones who walked around in a depressed state and I used to feel sorry for myself. Even when I write about it now, I laugh about how stupid I used to be.
I realised early into my twenties that I needed to change my approach to life. I was quite fortunate in that I had a friend at the company I worked for, who was to prove an inspiration to me. His name was Stuart, and even though this may seem cruel, Stuart did not have a lot going for him. I won't go into details but lets just say even with the problems I felt I had, I was not jealous of him. I became quite good friends with Stuart and we would regularly have lunch together. I would meet him in the canteen at 1pm and would be waiting in my gloomy state of mind, with my gloomy face, for him to arrive. Arrive he certianly did, always with a beaming smile on his face. This always amazed me as I could never understand what he had to be happy about. We would sit down and talk whilst eating our lunch and he never had a negative word to say. When he talked, he talked with passion, about his work and interests. One day it dawned on me, if Stuart (who from what I know of him, seemingly has nothing going for him) can always be positive, happy and smiling, why can't I?
This was the beginning of my new outlook on life. An era of being positive, appreciating what I have got and more than anything else, plenty of smiles. I now am happy with my weight, height, bald patch and am proud to say I have now overcome my stutter.
I am somebody who used to always think in a negative way, I have now managed to stop this and my life has improved no end. I now like to be around positive people, as these people tend to be more successful and happier. In my opinion there are too many people who are always moaning and groaning and are seemingly depressed.
Growing up I had many things to be negative about, I had a stutter, I have a bald patch, I was overweight and am also quite short for a male at five foot four. I was one of the ones who walked around in a depressed state and I used to feel sorry for myself. Even when I write about it now, I laugh about how stupid I used to be.
I realised early into my twenties that I needed to change my approach to life. I was quite fortunate in that I had a friend at the company I worked for, who was to prove an inspiration to me. His name was Stuart, and even though this may seem cruel, Stuart did not have a lot going for him. I won't go into details but lets just say even with the problems I felt I had, I was not jealous of him. I became quite good friends with Stuart and we would regularly have lunch together. I would meet him in the canteen at 1pm and would be waiting in my gloomy state of mind, with my gloomy face, for him to arrive. Arrive he certianly did, always with a beaming smile on his face. This always amazed me as I could never understand what he had to be happy about. We would sit down and talk whilst eating our lunch and he never had a negative word to say. When he talked, he talked with passion, about his work and interests. One day it dawned on me, if Stuart (who from what I know of him, seemingly has nothing going for him) can always be positive, happy and smiling, why can't I?
This was the beginning of my new outlook on life. An era of being positive, appreciating what I have got and more than anything else, plenty of smiles. I now am happy with my weight, height, bald patch and am proud to say I have now overcome my stutter.
david good . . . mischevious goblins
"a childhood fascination with myths and folklore,
and a love of the writings of Tolkein"
a little break.
eine kleine urlaubsbedingte blogpause.
es geht in die (hoffentlich sonnigen) berge :)
am sonntag (02.08.09) bin ich wieder da und es gibt einen ausführlichen bericht!
a little blogging-break,
because i'm in holidays until sunday, august 2.
see you soon,
love, hippiegirl♥
Monday, July 20, 2009
Crouton Stuffing
Sorry for the lack of posting around here lately! Things have been crazy for us, what with our move, home improvements and then we took a 2 week vacation. Then it takes you like a week to recover from your vacation (why is that?!), so I'm finally back!
This is a "recipe" (i.e. more of a method) that my hubby gets credit for. We had some croutons we needed to use up in the pantry, so he used them to make Thanksgiving stuffing one year. It was fan-tas-tic! So much better than boxed stuffing.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
croutons (we really don't measure, just eyeball it)
chicken stock
butter
Melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and celery until tender (we like to chop up the leafy green parts of the celery to throw in our stuffing, too).
When tender, add croutons. Stir them around to get some buttery goodness all over every crouton.
Then add your chicken stock. You'll probably only need a cup or so, just enough to moisten the croutons.
And there you have it! Super easy, super quick and super yummy! It's a perfect side dish, or you can use it in Chicken Stuffing Skillet, which is how we used it tonight.
This is a "recipe" (i.e. more of a method) that my hubby gets credit for. We had some croutons we needed to use up in the pantry, so he used them to make Thanksgiving stuffing one year. It was fan-tas-tic! So much better than boxed stuffing.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
croutons (we really don't measure, just eyeball it)
chicken stock
butter
Melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and celery until tender (we like to chop up the leafy green parts of the celery to throw in our stuffing, too).
When tender, add croutons. Stir them around to get some buttery goodness all over every crouton.
Then add your chicken stock. You'll probably only need a cup or so, just enough to moisten the croutons.
And there you have it! Super easy, super quick and super yummy! It's a perfect side dish, or you can use it in Chicken Stuffing Skillet, which is how we used it tonight.
Have you done anything fun so far this summer?
Any exciting plans?
Any exciting plans?
something special. part II
Teil zwei der Bilder.
Okay, sind ähnlich... aber doch anders ;)
DIY-Shorts
Außerdem tut es mir wirklich leid, dass ihr gestern umsonst Fernsehen geschaut habt.
Voraussichtlich wird der neue Sendetermin am nächsten Sonntag (26.07.09) wieder zwischen 18.45 und 19.30 Uhr liegen.
Hier noch ein paar Bilder vom Dreh.
love, hippiegirl♥
su blackwell. . . paper sculpture
. . . detail from the " girl in the wood"
from "alice in wonderland"such magical & fragile 3d landscapes created by
Sunday, July 19, 2009
something special.
Am Donnerstag wurde ich für den Hamburger Streetstyle-Blog FashionJunk (check it out!!) fotographiert :)
Zugleich war ich auch Teil eines TV-Drehs für Das!Trend (NDR), die über Fashionblogs berichten wollten.
Eine großartige Erfahrung. Es hat wirklich total viel Spaß gemacht und an dieser Stelle noch einmal vielen Dank an Ksenja und Mario von FashionJunk, dass ihr mich gebeten habt, mitzumachen und natürlich auch an das nette Dreh-Team vom NDR!
headband,top,necklace:h&m.shorts:DIY.jewelry:vintage.fleamarket.presents.
shoes:asos. sunglasses:c&a.
shoes:asos. sunglasses:c&a.
Den fertigen Bericht könnt ihr heute Abend ab 18.45 Uhr auf NDR bei Das! verfolgen.
Auch wir sind schon sehr gespannt auf das Ergebnis!
Hier noch ein paar wenige Bilder vom Dreh.
On thursday, the streetstyle-blog fashionjunk (check it out!!!) photographed me for their blog.
Apart from that i was also part of a TV-production about fashionblogs.
It was such great experience and so much fun!
Unfortunately, you can only watch it in the german TV (today, 18.45 on NDR). Maybe i can publish it here later!
Peace, Hippiegirl♥
EDIT: Ja, ihr habt richtig geguckt, der Bericht war nicht dabei. Gründe kenne ich bis jetzt leider noch nicht. Der neue Sendetermin wird dann hier bekanntgegeben!
Apart from that i was also part of a TV-production about fashionblogs.
It was such great experience and so much fun!
Unfortunately, you can only watch it in the german TV (today, 18.45 on NDR). Maybe i can publish it here later!
Peace, Hippiegirl♥
EDIT: Ja, ihr habt richtig geguckt, der Bericht war nicht dabei. Gründe kenne ich bis jetzt leider noch nicht. Der neue Sendetermin wird dann hier bekanntgegeben!
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