Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Curried Gnocchi


Some days, you just don't want to go to the grocery store. And by "some" days, for me, it's most days. Which is crazy, because I LOVE to bake, like to cook, but I am just rarely in the mood to find a parking space at our local HEB and run over people toes with my shopping cart fight the crowds for an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. You know?

Well tonight, my friends, THIS girl did NOT have to go to the grocery store. AND, with the help of my hubby, we had a very tasty dinner with things found in our refrigerator and pantry. Double high-five!

Gnocchi is one of those delicacies that I thought a) would take forever to make and b) would be too difficult. Well, wrong, and... wrong.


The ingredient list for gnocchi is a mere 4 items that you will definitely have lying around:

2 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg


I found my recipe (as posted on my Pinterest) from this guest post over at WhipUp, and I did not change a thing; hop over to the link above for a detailed description of how to make your gnocchi dough. This, so far, has been the easiest dough for me to handle confidently.

Scott's Curry Sauce

what you need:
1 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
juice of 2 limes
8 ounces plain yogurt or sour cream (we used sour cream because, remember, we did not go to the grocery store and sour cream is what was in the fridge!)
salt to taste


what to do:
Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the pork
Remove pork and drain the drippings
Add more oil to the pan and bring back to heat
Toss in onion and saute until clear, then add the garlic, stirring for 1 minute
Add spices to the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 more minutes
Add tomato paste and lime juice, stirring to incorporate with spice and onion mixture
Add the sour cream and cooked pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through; add salt to taste
Toss in cooked gnocchi and stir to coat pasta in curry sauce
Serve in a bowl, with mint to garnish!

Dreaming of India... and Italy,

HK

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Urban Harvest Farmer's Market

I had a craving for fresh, local produce this morning. Particularly tomatoes and fruit. Any fruit. I called my friend who shares a passion for local, healthy goods and we made a date for 10:30 at the Urban Harvest Farmer's Market located at the intersection of Richmond and Eastside here in Houston, TX.

Mind you, even though it was 10:30 a.m., it was still a ridiculous 95 degrees outside... the high today is 107!! WHOA. Bring on the rain!

I, of course, had to bring my camera. Farmer's markets are one of my favorite places to shoot. The vibrant colors, the assortment of shapes, the array of textures, the variety of people, the friendly vendors.... it just screams culture and community, and I just love to capture moments created at these little bits of loveliness.

I am still learning how to shoot all my photos in full manual, and I think I am really getting the hang of it! The following photos were shot with my Canon Rebel T1i, 18-35mm lens:


ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/400
Pears from Lightsey Farms


ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/400


ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/800


ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/1000

ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/640


ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/400


ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/125


ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/500
Tomatoes from Atkinson Farms

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/500

Purchased:
summer squash
tomatoes
pears
crimini mushrooms
butternut squash
peach lemonade

Cost: $19-ish

Friday, October 8, 2010

apples. more than just food.

I know I have said this many times and I will keep on: I love fall. It is God's gift to Houston, Texas.

One thing I love about fall is apples. For me, they are a symbol of cool weather, gentle breezes, bright suns, and falling leaves. Not to mention the perfect crunch followed by a light sweetness you experience when you eat one. Yum :-)

I bought a 3 lb. bag of apples today because I am making Scott an apple cake for his birthday (which is TODAY!). But, instead of hiding them in the refrigerator, I thought that they deserved a much more exciting home (at least until they are devoured).




This took me all of 1 minute to do, and it looks so tasty and fall-ish!

What you need:
Cake stand or trey
Apples!

What to do:
Place stand in the center of your dining room table
Adorn with apples to your liking

DONE.


Now wasn't that easy?

;-)

HK