Fast & Easy Dinner: Corn and Arugula Gnocchi in a Cream Sauce

I've made this dinner a few times now, and after the first time, I knew it was a keeper. No lie it is seriously scrumptious and surprisingly so. I've had corn in soup and casserole, but I never thought to put it in pasta. Brett has more than once requested that we have "that gnocchi recipe with corn in it and what not". It is one of his favorite meals now. Lucky me, it is exceedingly simple and fast to make. I will admit I found this recipe a few years ago while perusing the net in the search of healthy and cheap dinners. We were living in our first apartment, and I was new to planning meals. Much of my inspiration at times came from the internet, but I almost always modify recipes of meals, because the list of ingredients is too expensive for my bunch. With this meal, most of the ingredients I already had around the house except arugula and gnocchi, and it looked so unique. If it's different, I want to try it. 

First off...Gnocchi

If you do not know what gnocchi is, they are basically little potato dumpling that take the place of pasta in a dish. Luckily, with the spread of cuisines, you can buy them in your local grocery store. Yes, they sell them even at Walmart. Some stores have whole wheat version or mini gnocchi, but I love the classic gnocchi the most. At the stores, they may be hidden on the top shelf next to the pasta, but I promise you they are there, and they are worth the 2-3 dollars.

Gnocchi Facts

1. Gnocchi is Italian for dumpling.
2. Since gnocchi is made of potatoes, it is extremely filling. A little serving goes a long way. We always have leftovers.
3. Gnocchi takes 3 minutes to cook in boiling water! Over 2x fast as noodles!
4.  Gnocchi floats to the top of boiling water when it's done.
5. They are heavenly little bundles of joy that you will want to buy again and again.

Gnocchi can be prepared in the simplest of ways with a good marinara or my sister's favorite with pesto. Pesto Gnocchi and grilled chicken can be a complete dinner, but if you want to push your boundaries, I suggest you try this dish.

Note: I made a double batch of this recipe. This recipe will make half as much. 

 Boil water and add gnocchi. They are done when they float to the top of the pot - about three minutes or so.












Add corn, cream, seasonings, and cream cheese into a pan and stir for about 10 minutes.

 These are probably seasonings you already have at home. Also, if you cannot eat spicy food, leave the crushed red pepper out, but I think a little makes all the difference.

 Add cooked gnocchi back in.

 Stir in arugula and serve! Yum!

Corn and Arugula Gnocchi in a Cream Sauce

Modified from Better Homes and Garden
Servings: 4 servings 1 cup each
Time: 20 minutes max

2 cups frozen whole kernel corn

1 pound shelf-stable potato gnocchi

3/4 cup half-and-half 

3 ounce package cream cheese, cut up (regular, reduced fat, or neufchatel will work)

1/2 teaspoon each salt, garlic powder and dried basil or oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups torn fresh arugula (or spinach if arugula is not available)

 

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In large pot cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain gnocchi reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Do not rinse.
2. For cream sauce, in medium saucepan combine corn half-and-half, cream cheese, salt, garlic powder, dried herb, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the cream cheese is melted into the sauce and corn is heated. Stir in reserved pasta water.
3. Return cooked pasta to sauce; heat through, if necessary. Stir in arugula. Serve in bowls. Sprinkle with additional salt, pepper, dried herb, and crushed red pepper.

 And done! In the words of Barefoot Contessa, now how easy was that!

Exploring Red Wing: Our New Home

This is an older picture. The snow has been gone for weeks.

Sometimes this blog veers from food into the other tales of my life. Though I love food, there are many new changes in my life that I want to share with my readers. As previously mentioned, I am in a whole new places with no familiar faces besides my husband. For the past two months, this beautiful state has been a frozen wasteland, and I subsequently have been confined to a 500 ft apartment. It may not be much, but it's ours, and after taking a couple of months to adjust to the change of graduation and moving, I am ready to embrace my new home.

The gift of warmer weather and sunshine lately has done wonders for my mood. Just a week ago, the temperatures were below zero, and I never thought I would see temperatures in the 50s and 60s so soon. It is a much-needed blessing, because I have been told I have "cabin fever". Well, if you were unemployed and in a tiny apartment seven days a week, you may be too. Or maybe it's just me.

Regardless, Brett and I have taken this opportunity to explore the surrounding area. He explores the downtown with me in the evening while Baxter, my dog, and I check out the neighborhood during the day. I love our walks. My poor dog has been stuck inside more than I have. The ice and snow hurts his paws, making him limp and shiver as he tries to do his business. That is fun for no one, but this week, we are free!

So here are some things I have learned about Red Wing, good and bad:

• Local businesses are the heart and soul of this town: local bakery, butcher shops, grocery stores, restaurants, and a book store. One stop shopping is for the boring.
• Thrift shops have just become my new favorite things, considering we have three downtown, and two are within two blocks of where we live. Oh the possibilities!
• People are really nice here, and if you go to a park or in a store, someone is probably going to talk to you. 
• Getting your drivers' license, car registration, or anything else is a HUGE pain. Minnesota's DVS is nothing like Indiana's BMV. For once, Indiana is really, really good at something. 
• Coming from a world of fields and flat lands, the hilly and water front Red Wing is a huge change. Also, the Mississippi River is absolutely gorgeous. 
• It is odd to walk out my door and realize I live between two huge bluffs. It is like looking at mountains. Did I mention I am from a flat state?
• If I thought Indiana drivers were bad, then you have not been to Minnesota. Expect people to cut you off, not wait for their right of way, be impatient, and speed every where you go. 
• There are no ice cream stands or hot dog stands like back in Indiana. :( DQ and Culver's cannot compare to Sycamore and B&K Root Beer. 
• Everyone goes outside as soon as it warms up. I have seen many families outside walking just for the fun of it. Plus, Red Wing really promotes walking as part of being healthy.
• There are no country roads, just high ways and town roads. 
• I love living near downtown. It reminds me of where we lived in Lafayette and makes this place feel more familiar.
• Everyone knows where my husband works as soon as I say Prairie Island. Nuclear plants tend to be well-known, since they are not common. 

The bluffs along the Mississippi River

Though Red Wing, Minnesota is part of the Midwest, it is quite different from my hometown of Logansport, Indiana, and our college town of Lafayette. It may be full of farms, but it still retains that small town livelihood that was lost long ago in Logansport. I miss my family, friends, and the familiarity of back roads and being around people who know us best. This place is strange, but over the next year, I hope it will become home. A place where I am  happy to return to after adventures to far away lands. In saying that though, I have to become part of the town, and that is starting to happen.

So here are my goals for the near future:

• Get a job, if not two, in the next month or so, which is a great way to get to know people and start to pay off my student debt. See I can be optimistic sometimes! 
• Starting buying my meat and bread locally when we need it. At least if I buy my meat from the small shops here, I know where it is coming from, and it has to be better than anything at Walmart. Plus, it's pretty cheap anyways.
• Get a library card, and start checking out books. One, I love books. Two, I need to stop spending money on books. It's an addiction. 
• Make our apartment feel like home. Currently, I am in the middle of rearranging our enclosed front porch to make it functional yet comfortable, so we can actually have people over or just sit out there and play cards, eat dinner, whatever.
• Lastly, remember that this work is not in vain. Yes, we may have a few more hills to climb in the near future, but together, I know Brett and I can do anything and have fun at the same time. Could it really be worse than both of being a full-time students and working at McDonalds? I doubt it. 

Together, I know that Brett and I can make anywhere home, and it is time for us to start building our lives here. It's a new part of my life, and I am actually finally read to embrace it rather than hiding scared in the apartment. Some of us may take longer to adjust than others, but I am not ashamed of that. Considering my depression and anxiety issues, I am proud of how I am adjusting. It could be much, much worse, and I am thankful to have a supportive husband who is patient with me and understanding.

So I invite you today to go have your own little adventure, whether it is just a walk around the neighborhood or creating something new in your kitchen. Life is short, so enjoy as many moments as you can. Put down the smart phone, turn off the t.v., and spend time with the ones you love.

Have a wonderful day!

Waste Not Want Not: Crock Pot Veggie Broth from Scraps

So I love recycling. I know it is a little strange, but I love that the little things I do not only help the Earth, but they also make me feel good. Come on, who doesn't want to feel good about themselves? In addition, I try to keep our grocery bill down by using our food efficiently by getting the most out of what we buy. Since I live in an apartment, I cannot yet really make a compost pile, because I have no place to garden and no yard. Booo! Furthermore, I hate throwing away food scraps. I feel like they could be put to better use, which is why I jumped for joy when I figured out veggie broth could be made from vegetable scraps.

When we cut up vegetables, there is almost always some part we throw away: the stem of tomatoes, carrot peelings, large parts of celery stalks and leaves, onion skins and parts, the tops of bell peppers. The list goes on. Yet, all of these parts can be saved, and EASILY, to use later.

All you have to do is save your veggie scraps in a ziploc bag, and then throw it in the freezer! Amazing and easy! Even better, you can make the broth in a crock pot, making this by far one of the simplest things I have ever made. Plus, it made our house smell absolute amazing.

Veggies to Use:

• Peppers
• Onion (even the skins)
• Carrots
• Celery 
• Mushrooms
• Tomatos
• Zuchini 
• Squash
• Herb springs and stems
• Others

Veggies to Avoid:

• Cruciferous Vegetables:
• Broccoli 
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Brussel Sprout

• Dirty Vegetables (no dirt in the broth)
• Spoiled Vegetables

 Veggie Broth from Scraps Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 5-8 hours

Ziploc Bag full of vegetable scraps
8-10 cups of water
2 tbsp of Tomato Paste
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill the crock pot with vegetable scraps just below the rim. 
2. Add 8-10 cups of water (depending on how full your crock pot is).
3. Mince garlic and add to crock pot along with tomato paste and bay leaves.
4. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8.
5. Strain vegetable broth using a colander. Wire mesh ones will work best.
6. Use within a week or put in the freeze in mason jars, plastic containers, or whatever you wish to use.

Now off I go to make homemade tortilla soup and tomato soup! Yum!

Have a great day! Get cooking!

 

Baked Tomato, Squash, and Potato

I love vegetables! Yes, despite the evil depiction of vegetables to kids in cartoons, I grew up eating plenty of vegetables. However, my husband did not. When Brett and I first started dating, the only vegetables he would eat were iceberg salad, corn, and potatoes to which I would tell him, "The last two don't count. They're starches."

Yet, in a mere couple of years, my husband's palate has stretched infinitely. He eats a variety of foods, including every vegetable I throw his way. It took time and coaxing, but first of all, it took dressing up his vegetables. I had to prove to him that these things could taste good, really good, so I added spices, dressings, and what not to make vegetables look appetizing. Vegetables can be more than just steamed. They can be sauteed, roasted, and even baked.

This recipe reminded me of those days where I had to put a significant amount of time into dressing up Brett's vegetables. Luckily, those days are long gone. This recipe features vegetables. There is no way to pretend they are not there, because they are the star of the show! But it is one of the most attractive vegetable dishes I have ever made; it is really healthy, and it tastes pretty darn good too.

Dinner Idea: I served this with blackened salmon. It was delicious! I think fish goes really well with this, but chicken would work too.

 

Baked Tomato, Squash, and Potato

Recipe modified from Whole Living:
Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 small tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1-2 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick (I used 3-4 medium red potatoes, because that's what I had around the house.)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

 Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil over medium and cook onion until tender and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
   
2. Arrange the onion on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Overlap tomato, squash, and potato on top of the onion. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan, and drizzle with more oil.
   
3. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, 30 minutes more. Enjoy!
   
   
   

    Have a wonderful day! Get cooking and make something beautiful!