gnocchi with vegetables and cannellini beans

I like frozen gnocchi.  A lot.  It took me awhile to discover these tasty morsels.  See, I have enjoyed gnocchi in restaurants for a very long time (a particular favorite is at Max SoHa in NYC).  But whenever I made it at home, I used dried gnocchi and it was always disgusting.  Then, one day last year, I serendipitously happened upon a bag of frozen gnocchi in a grocery store near my last apartment in Harlem.  I happily discovered that frozen gnocchi has a tender, fluffy suppleness that rivals fresh gnocchi.  And while I readily admit that frozen gnocchi isn't better than fresh, it is an adequate substitute (at least until I attempt to make gnocchi from scratch!).  

I hadn't made any gnocchi dishes for awhile, but was recently inspired and decided to have a go. It was a success, and I am sure I will be making many more gnocchi dishes in the near future.

This dish was inspired by a picture that I saw in a magazine.  I didn't read the accompanying recipe; I just saw a picture of gnocchi with zucchini and tomatoes, and this was born.  (Sorry for my questionable units of measurement.)

gnocchi with vegetables and cannellini beans

chop up: 1 medium zucchini, 1 medium carrot, 6 campari tomatoes, 2 spring onions, 6 cloves of garlic, fresh basil (about 8 leaves), and most of a container of baby bella mushrooms.

You will later add a few generous handfuls of fresh baby spinach, a can of cannellini beans, some wine, black pepper, scant tablespoon sugar, 1/3 jar of tomato sauce, and a package of frozen gnocchi.

Instructions:

Put a pot of salted water on to boil.  Over another burner on medium to medium-high heat, give a skillet two turns of olive oil.  Let it heat up and add the zucchini and carrots.  Cook them for a few minutes, then add the garlic, spring onions and mushrooms.  Cook that a little longer and add the tomatoes.  Drain a can of cannellini beans and dump them in.  Add black pepper to taste.  If you have about a cup of wine leftover, then by all means, pour that in (I emptied a bottle of Chardonnay).  If you think it needs it, sprinkle a scant tablespoon of sugar in as well.  Let that all simmer until the vegetables are just tender; overcooking vegetables makes them mushy, which will ruin just about any dish.  Pour off--or ladle out-- some of the extra juice.  Add in 1/3 jar of tomato sauce (I used some cheap Classico sauce).  Finally, throw in the spinach and fresh basil leaves.  Stir well until the spinach is just starting to wilt.  Cover and remove from heat. Let it sit and finish steaming the spinach while you prepare the gnocchi.

Prepare the gnocchi according to package directions.  Do NOT overcook-- it really does only take about 2 minutes, and they're done as soon as they float to the top.  Drain them immediately and stir them into the vegetable mix.  And you're ready to eat!  I topped mine with parmigiano-reggiano.

Obviously, this was a very loose recipe and there's lots of room for improvisation with your own culinary creativity!  Enjoy!

The pictures are: 

1.  The vegetables simmering in in their own juices and wine, before removing some of the liquid and adding the beans and tomato sauce.

2.  The completed sauce as I took it off the heat to finish steaming.

3.  yummy supper.

    

return with lox

I'm back... by (suprisingly) popular demand.

I did think anyone was reading.  I was wrong!  Several friends have requested that I put more cooking info (tips, recipes, ideas, etc.) on the blog.  I would love to help!  I love to cook and have all kinds of hospitality ideas.  I want all my friends that want to cook and entertain to never be intimidated by the idea.  So while I will definitely be posting on other things as well, I promise to share all my cool culinary finds and ideas with you.

With that in mind, I'm starting a "Lauren likes..." section.  I will post pictures and/or links to products that I really like.  And away we go.

This is not really a recipe, since it's just a sandwich and you don't really make anything.  It's just an idea and some product suggestions.  Anyway.

This is one of my favorite lunches to make for myself.  It's on Whole Foods prairie bread, which I love.  Spread a thin layer of cream cheese (I like Snofrisk, more on that in a second) on both sides.  Add thinly sliced European cucumbers, spring mix, and smoked salmon.  Delicious!  I had mine with some raw baby carrots.

In order to make this well, I think a few things are important.  First, European cucumbers are awesome.  They are seedless and taste amazing (and are, unfortunately, more expensive).

Second, the type of salmon you use is important.  At least it's important to me.  I hate, hate, hate overly fishy-tasting salmon.  Also, salmon is not so cheap, and it is quite disappointing for me to shell out my hard-earned money on some only to find it repulsive.  Luckily, I have found my perfect smoked salmon match at Whole Foods, and it doesn't even cost an arm and a leg.  It has a delicately smokey flavor, it's not too salty, and while you're aware that you're eating fish, it doesn't taste like it had a terminal illness prior to being caught and smoked.  Here it is (sorry that I forgot to take a picture before I opened it! I was hungry!):

And last but not least, the cheese.  I love this new cheese I found at Whole Foods:

If you enlarge the picture, you'll see that it's made from goat's milk.  This gives it a little bit of that characteristic bite found in chévre. It's not overwhelming by any means, but I think it has a better taste and slightly better texture than regular cream cheese. 

For those of you that are gluten-free (love ya, Megs!) or don't want a sandwich, this could also be a salad.  Omit the bread, replace the snofrisk with goat cheese crumbles, and add tomatoes.  Drizzle it with olive oil and lemon juice.  Yum!  And if you're vegan, better luck next time (sorry, fern).  

on airports.

I just arrived back in Jville after about 3 weeks traveling for auditions. I am missing NYC (especially YOU, nyc friends!) in a big way, but am so happy to be back in my own house again and not living out of a suitcase. This morning was the best part—a great quiet time at my kitchen table with my carefully prepared café au lait in my favorite mug. I made a chocolate-caramel-sea salt tart for my parents last night, and have spent today teaching and “nesting” (cleaning, unpacking, resettling, etc.) It’s good to be back in my own space again. I plan to spend tonight reading and watching movies. Good stuff.

There are many things I feel I could share, but for some reason I want to tell you about the Detroit and Cincinnati airports. I don’t have much to say about the Detroit airport other than to say that there is a psychedelic tunnel there that reminds me very much of waiting in line for Space Mountain at Disney World. There was even music to go along with it. It was weird. Apparently, other people thought so too because there were videos of the tunnel on youtube. Here is one of them. I prefer the more clichéd tunnel at the Zurich airport, which my Swiss friend, Reto, says is the shame of his nation. Here is the romantic ending of the tunnel’s video.

The Cincinnati airport made more of an impression on me. First of all, it smells strongly of popcorn. There are worse smells, but at 8 am it wasn’t very appealing to me. The second thing I noticed is that there were airport info desks throughout the airport with signs indicating that all the info desks were staffed by volunteers from the community. While a very nice gesture, it struck me as being very, very odd. Who decides to go to the airport and volunteer to direct travelers to their gate and/or where to buy a magazine?  My mom suggested that perhaps those who couldn't afford to travel might like to at least go to the airport.  This suggestion is far beyond depressing to me.

Also, the Cincinnati airport features this statue, with a sign saying something about the "Spirit of Pigcinnati”. While I realize there is some significance to the flying pig in this fair city, it seems like a town that could summon enough volunteers to staff their airport info desks deserves a better monument in its airport.

My final comment on the Cincinnati airport is that the sinks in the bathroom have made it into my Top 5 Weirdest Public Sinks list (which I just now created). The sinks look normal enough—like any other sinks. I approached a sink and stuck my hands under the faucet. Nothing happened. I looked to see if I had to turn something on, but no. I did, however, see a small sign that instructed hopeful hand-washers to walk up to the sink in order to activate the sensor that turned on the water. The sign then went on to inform us that black clothing would not activate the sensor. Because I was wearing a black shirt and black coat, I had to bend down and swing my colorful scarf in front of the sink in order to turn on the water. Had I been wearing a black scarf also, apparently I would have been forced to leave with dirty hands.

I started to also write about traveling with my cello and maneuvering airports with her on my back, but that would make the post way too long and I would probably come across sounding like a bitter woman.  So I’ll save it for another time when the wounds aren’t so fresh.

The weather here is nice and I learned how to make that great chocolate-caramel-sea salt tart. Come visit.

the least of these.

I don't intend for this blog to be political, and will rarely, if ever, discuss politics here.  (Namely because I have differing political views from nearly all of my friends!)  However, this extends far beyond the political and is one of the most distressing things I have seen in a long, long time.  This bill is radically anti-life, and the lives of thousands of unborn babies are at stake.  One of the things that distresses me most is that this would bill require all hospitals to offer abortions, even Catholic hospitals.  Several Catholic bishops have said that if this is enforced, many Catholic hospitals would be forced to close since they won't participate in the murder of babies and the destruction of women's lives.  Considering how many Catholic hospitals serve our communities nation-wide, this should be a concern to those who claim to be fighting for the rights of everyday people. 

President Obama has vowed to sign this horrifying bill into law when it crosses his desk.  He has already decided to permit the use our tax dollars to fund the slaughter of the unborn worldwide.  Let's pray he changes his mind about signing this bill into law.  Like most Americans, I want very much for this country to be a place where everyone is taken care of.  Let's begin with the most vulnerable among us.

One of the most powerful things I've seen in awhile.

it's here.

I'm leaving tomorrow for auditions.  It's really happening.  (I may not be updating this blog for awhile.)

Am I nervous?  Yes.  Definitely.  But throughout the process so far, God has proved Himself to be indescribably gracious and merciful.  So I'm just reminding myself of that and meditating on 2 passages of Scripture that have been helpful to me during this time: Isaiah 54 and 42.

My auditions are on January 30, February 4, and February 14.  Please pray that they will go well, and that my nerves will be under control.  I haven't taken an audition like this in 6 years, so I'm a little concerned about what my performance energy will be like.  

Hopefully my brief interactions at the schools will also give me some insight into which one would be a good fit for me.  I don't have a strong preference at this point.  

 I am so thankful for all the awesome, supportive friends I have (i.e., you!)

the list: 25 things.

Quite a few friends have done this list recently, and have asked me to do it too.  It's just 25 random things about myself.  I think it's a little narcissistic and silly, but it's also a little fun to see what people come up with.  So here you have it.  Unfortunately, I think some of my random things may also fit into a list of shameful confessions.  (I'd like to see 25 things about you!)

1. I am obsessed with coffee. I have 5 different coffee makers (drip, french press, espresso machine, turkish, vietnamese), and a Bodum milk frother.

2. When I was little (like 2-4), I had an imaginary sister named Catherine. I insisted that she have a place set at the table and that she be buckled up in the car. I even introduced her to strangers, much to my mother's chagrin.

3. I love to cook. I spend a lot of time looking at food blogs and planning menus. I also often try to make recipes without using a lot of equipment (even when it's called for), because when I travel I am often in places with limited resources and I don't want to be dependent on gadgets. I am also obsessed with good ingredients, and derive a shameful amount of pleasure from specialty grocery shops.

4. I am a true picture of God's mercy, love and grace.

5. Periodically I buy very nice tea and say I am going to become a "tea person" (in addition to, not instead of, being a "coffee person"). But you know what? Frankly, I think that tea is overrated. I like it and all, and there are those times when a cuppa really hits the spot, but I think I am going to quit forcing it on myself.

6. I cry every day. Not sobbing, of course, but I am easily moved and tear up quickly over the smallest, sappiest things. I try to hide it because I know it's ridiculous, and most of the time I am successful. So that's why you've never noticed.

7. Although I would never describe myself as a fan, while in the South I listen to a fair amount of country music. I mean, in what other genre can you have a romantic rendezvous, a fight, a tragedy, and then faithful, undying love... all in one song?

8. I am highly emotional. Despite my best efforts to always think rationally and be level-headed, my feelings often get the best of me. On the Myers-Briggs personality test, I am over 90% "F", or feeling, as opposed to "T", thinking.

9. I have a serious case of wanderlust.

10. I love to take care of people.

11. I'm not shy, but I get pretty nervous and uncomfortable when I'm around a lot of people that I don't know.

12. I especially like to watch foreign films because even if the film itself isn't that good, you can still learn something about the language and culture.

13. This may be my weirdest one: I cannot bear to be anywhere near someone who is brushing their teeth. I will freak out. The sight of it, the sound of it... AAUUUGGGHHHHH. It totally sets me off. I have had to train all of my roommates to NEVER approach me, talk to me, or come into the same room as me if they are brushing their teeth. I cannot even begin to tell you what that does to me. (I brush my own teeth regularly, don't worry. And I want everyone else to brush, too-- just not in front of me.)

14. I usually have trouble relaxing enough to go to sleep.  Then after I do fall asleep, I have even more trouble waking up.

15. I can think of a few places where I might not really want to go, but I can't think of anywhere that I wouldn't go.

16. I love languages.

17. I love being a girl.

18. I love "winging it" in a foreign country where I can't use English. I love the challenge and feeling of accomplishment when I get what I need and do what I want to do in a totally foreign environment. When I travel, I try never to stay in really nice places, but to live, shop, eat, travel, etc. like the locals do-- no matter how rough or strange it is.

19. I almost never forget people's names and faces. I also remember personal details more easily than other facts. Unfortunately, knowing the names of historical figures' children and pets does not usually help on exams.

20. I have studied for the LSAT three times but never actually taken it. One of my friends finally pointed out that crying in the courtroom is generally frowned upon, and I might have trouble controlling my emotions during heated litigation.

21. I am quite possibly the most non-athletic person ever.

22. I am absurdly competitive. Even when I'm just playing a trivia game online, I sometimes imagine that I'm competing against others for a big prize and/or impose time limits if they're not given.

23. I have terrible spatial and mechanical intelligence. Even children's puzzles are sometimes challenging for me. It's so bad that when I took a sewing class in 7th grade, I was never actually able to make anything because it would take the whole period each meeting for me to thread the machine and lay the pattern out on the fabric. The teacher told my mom to let me quit and said, "You know, she doesn't have to be good at everything."

24. I took ballet, tap and jazz dance for 9 years. My parents originally signed me up because they hoped to reduce the number of times I tripped over my own feet while walking. I still trip a lot, but it probably would have been worse.

25. I am the epitome of the all-or-nothing person.

flashback: a glimpse of lauren at sixteen.

Last month my mom was driving us along twisting, winding roads lined with magnificent oak trees and lovely Victorian homes (one of which Harriet Beecher Stowe supposedly inhabited for awhile). As we turned onto a little street called County Dock Lane, I suddenly had a flashback.

Twelve years ago, when I was a new driver, Mom and I were both in the car on that same little road.  Except that time, I was driving.  My mom had a great deal of trouble adjusting to the passengers' seat, and I did drive too fast.  We often fought in this situation, and that day it all came to a head right in the middle of County Dock Lane. She criticized and threatened one too many times, and my response was to slam on the brakes, throw the gear into park, fling open the door, and jump out of the car.  Right in the middle of the road. 

I yelled something about how she was never happy with what I did, how I could never please her, etc.  Or maybe I screamed something about how she was a control freak but she couldn't control me.  I don't remember exactly, but I'm sure it was one of the two (my repertoire was not large, but the selections were always performed with great dramatic flair).

I ran around the car and dove into the back seat.  Life was so horrifically unfair.  Being sweet 16 was not as lovely or fun I had hoped (read: miserably awkward social misfit), and my mom was always nagging me about stupid, meaningless things like picking up after myself, being ready to leave on time, practicing, and now, driving too fast.  I was determined to ignore her senile rants.

Eventually, we settled on her never, ever riding in the car with me driving.  And about a year later, I left home and spent most of the next 10 years in places where I didn't drive anyway (London, New York, Moscow).

FYI, I am a somewhat more cautious driver now, although sometimes I speed because I never did completely master the whole being ready to leave on time thing.  I am happy to report, however, that my home is generally quite tidy and I voluntarily practice for hours on end. And in case you're wondering, Mom really tries to relax when I'm driving now (and I try to slow down).  But the occasions upon which I am the driver and she the passenger are indeed rare. It just works out best for everyone that way.

So a few days ago when we were on County Dock Road, I laughed and reminded her of the incident.  She said she didn't remember it. She rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "I blocked all that stuff."