Quisine and Quirks

It’s finally starting to feel like winter here in Texas. Just a few days ago, I sported shorts and a short sleeve blouse for Christmas Eve. Now it is 40 degrees out. Brrrrrr….. chilly.

After watching The Pioneer Woman this morning, I was inspired to make something warm and comforting for my “cowboy.” So while he was out doing manly things like buying tools, I started looking for a potato soup recipe. What else warms you up better than a little baked potato soup?

All the recipes I pinned on my Pinterest utilized a slow cooker. A hungry man (and woman) can’t wait 5 hours for some deliciousness. After browsing the internet, I settled on one from Cooking Light. Call me a bit of a bandwagon chick, but with the new year coming, I wanted to make some healthier fare. It also only took 20 minutes to make. Perfect!

With a few minor changes, this soup was a home run. I forgot to mention that I tried a different recipe a couple weeks ago from The Neelys. It was an epic fail. It tasted like beer and flour. Huge bleh! My bf is a great sport about my cooking. Even when I make dishes that are completely gross, my bf puts on a happy face and eats every bite as he tells me it’s the best he’s ever had. When he came back from doing his “manly” things, I told him we were having potato soup. He grimaced…lol.

This time though, he didn’t have to put on a happy face. He loved it! I served it up with a side of King’s Hawaiian Bread in lieu of bread bowls. MMM mmmm YUMMY! Enjoy!

Healthy Baked Potato Soup

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

5 (6-ounce) red potatoes

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup prechopped onion

1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 teaspoon and a pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

bacon bits (garnish)

1.5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup)

4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions (optional)

So there is one great thing about having a ton of pumpkin guts…. lots of pumpkin seeds. Between the two pumpkins we carved, I was able to sort out 2.5 cups of seeds. What to do with the seeds? Hmmm….what to do? I know! We will roast them! What a marvelous idea? I bet you didn’t see that one coming.

I love traditional roasted pumpkin seeds, but this year I wanted to kick it up a notch. Thank you Emeril for that catchy phrase. So I used some cajun seasoning and ground ginger to make it a whole new type of fragrant roasted seed. The house smelled awesome as the hints of ginger wafted out of the oven. Mmmm…. Well give this a try and let me know what you think.

Cajun Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of pumpkin seeds

1 tsp cajun seasoning of your choice (I used Slap Ya Mama)

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp paprika

1.5 tsp of extra virgin olive oil

ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350. Clean off your pumpkin seeds by rinsing them with water. Pat dry.

2. Combine all seeds, spices and olive oil into the bowl. Hold off on the black pepper for now. Mix thoroughly and coat evenly.

3. Cover the top of the mixture with ground black pepper. I ground enough pepper to cover the entire top of the seeds. Then mix.

4. Line a baking pan with foil. Spread the mixture across the pan. Roast for 350 for 30 min or until golden brown. Be sure to turn/stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes to ensure they don’t burn. Since seeds are all different, you may need to roast them for a little longer depending on how well you were able to pat them dry.

I decided to explore a different type of pasta dish for dinner. Instead of the usual angel hair or spaghetti, I opted for something more unique that would be easy to make. I settled on gnocchi. Little did I know, making gnocchi can be quite the task. The recipe was amazingly simple in appearance. It wasn’t until I started making the gnocchi dough that I realized that homemade pasta, no matter what type, is time consuming. Although the first go round took me a couple of hours, I had plenty of dough left over to store in the freezer. I also saved the Gouda Cream Sauce.

We had our second gnocchi meal tonight using the frozen left overs. To my surprise, it tasted much better than the first gnocchi experience. The sauce seemed more flavorful, and the dough was just as fresh and delish. This is the first recipe I am sharing on Quisine and Quirks that is a “yummy freezable.” Below is the recipe just for you. What other meals do you like that are considered yummy freezables?

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Gouda Cream Sauce

(adapted from TheNoshery.com)

Serves: 4

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

Gnocchi

• 1 1/2pounds of sweet potatoes, rinsed, patted dry and pierced all over with a fork
• 8 oz. fresh low-fat ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp golden brown sugar
• 2 tsp plus 1 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Sauce

• 3 cups heated milk (I used 1% low-fat organic milk)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 sage
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp and 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 8 oz shredded Gouda cheese

Directions:

Gnocchi

1. Place sweet potatoes on a plate. Microwave on high until tender. Usually this will be about 5-6 minutes on each side of the potato. Once the potatoes are tender, cut them in half. Allow them to cool.

2. Scrape out the potato flesh into a medium bowl.

Tip: I mashed the ends with a spoon of the potato until the insides squeezed out of the skin. This was the easiest way for me to remove the potato. Think of it like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. 

3. Add the ricotta cheese and blend well. It should start to look like a creamsicle orange once you have blended the ricotta well. Add the Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 1 tsp salt and nutmeg. Mash to blend. Mix in flour to turn your sweet potatoes into dough. Add 1/2 a cup at a time until the dough forms.

4. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough into separate pieces. (They will look a little like worms as you roll out each one).

5. Cut each rope of gnocchi dough into equal size pieces. I was able to cut about 10 pieces per rope. Then transfer to a baking sheet. Bring a large pot to boil. Add a tablespoon of butter to the hot water and a little salt. Then drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Then strain and let cool.

Sauce

1. In a sauce pot, combine milk, garlic and sage. Place over medium heat and heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Usually this takes about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove pan and cover to keep warm. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook. Stir until blended (about 1 minute).

3. Gradually add the milk. Whisk constantly. Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. (about 4 or 5 minutes)

4. Slowly add in 8 oz of grated Gouda. Cook on low heat while whisking to melt cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Increase heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes so sauce can cool and thicken. Serve over gnocchi.

Why spend money on a gift bag when it will probably end up in the trash? Today while buying my sister’s birthday present, I asked myself that same question. Plus the bag was $3.99. I’m not a cheap skate, but I didn’t even like the bag. Then I noticed a nice alternative, a cute reusable shopping tote for $1.69. Perfect.

It made me wonder why I never thought of it before. Many reusable shopping totes come in cute designs and patterns. They are also relatively cheap. In addition to the actual gift, your recipient can be eco friendly with their new shopping bag. Next time you feel pressure to wrap a present or to hide it in a gift bag, take some time to peruse the reusable shopping bags. You will feel a lot more environmentally conscious.

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