Tag: gluten-free friendly

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Roasted Tomato Pesto

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Most Lents, God does a far better job than I do of picking penances for me. Take this year for example. I thought I’d do the usual no sweets, get to daily Mass more, and go light on Facebook before noon. He laughed and said, “How about bridesmaids’ dresses?”

Seriously.

Trying to find bridesmaids dresses for my postpartum, nursing, 30-something, moms of many bridesmaids, all of whom have completely different body types (and who happen to currently reside in Michigan, Illinois, and Washington State respectively) has been the bane of my existence these past four weeks. Throw in the comments of my (otherwise very supportive) mother, who is less than fond of my color selection, and this Lent almost has me recalling with wistful fondness my “vegan, Mormon, celiac on a diet” Lent.

Almost. Because if that were this Lent, I wouldn’t be eating today’s meatless Friday recipe.

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Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Bacon, & Brown Butter

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Things are about to get awfully quiet around here. And I’m not going to like it.

Last spring, one roommate abandoned me for San Francisco—something about it offering more amenities than Steubenville. I know: crazy talk. Now, in a little over a  week, my other roommate will abandon me for a small apartment two blocks away (and a bit deeper in the local ’hood). Apparently, she wants to actually live with her new husband after they get married. It happens.

So, here I am, facing the impending winter and a whole lot of quiet. Accordingly, the melancholic in me has been thinking back to last fall, when the house was full up with girls.

Granted, getting all of us in one place sometimes felt like a minor miracle. Between travel, boyfriends, and work, it didn’t happen very often. But when it did, there was always food involved— like the crisp November night, when I decided to investigate what happened when you fry gnocchi in brown butter, then toss it with roasted butternut squash, bacon, sage, and pumpkin oil.

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Three Summer Salads

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Sorry for the light blogging folks. I’m afraid it’s going to be what way for the next month or so. A major book deadline is looming, which means the unpaid blogging has to sit on the back burner until my professional obligations are met and the bills are paid. The good news, however, is that all this work right now is going to free up my schedule more in the late summer and fall, so then, I’ll be able to food blog to my little heart’s content.

In the meantime, since there is not much time for cooking or blogging (and because it’s hot!), I’m pretty much living off of three basic meals right now. I’m sharing them just in case you’re equally busy and could use a quick, healthy boost (and to prove that it’s not fancy macaroni and cheese and salted caramel and cashew ice cream cake around here all the time!).

1) Farro Salad, with Tomato and Feta, Serves 6-8

I am obsessed with farro these days. How I made it through 40 years of life without trying this stuff, I will never know. It tastes…hearty…and nutty…and so, so satisfying. Low in carbs, high in protein, it’s what you always hope brown rice will taste like, although it never does.

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