So I guess I'll post recipes on here when I can't find them online. That's what blogs are for right? ;-) This one is from Rachael Ray's 2, 4, 6, 8, Great Meals for Couples or Crowds.
Chicken Sausage with Fennel and Gnocchi in a Cream Sauce
Serves 6, but me and the parents definitely demolished most of it for dinner
Salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
8 precooked chicken sausages, sliced (the original suggests an Italian inspired flavor, I used our fav chicken and apple variety and it worked out great)
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste (the kind in a squeeze tube that can be refrigerated)
3/4 cup of white wine (I used chardonnay)
2 pounds gnocchi (potato dumplings, found in the Italian or refrigerated or frozen section)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh parsley leaves (4 generous handfuls) (I used dried, and not nearly that much)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus some for the table
Set a large pot of water to boil for the gnocchi and add some salt. The gnocchi will only need about 5 minutes to cook, so wait to put it in.
Heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausages, then add the onions, garlic, and fennel (plus salt and pepper to taste) and cook for about 5 minutes. Then scoot everything to the sides of the pan and add the tomato paste to the middle and spread it around a little and let it cook for like a minute, then add the wine and cook for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the good stuff off the bottom.
Put the gnocchi in the pot and cook until they float, about 5-6 minutes (or according to package instructions.)Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring it to a simmer. Add the cream cheese and stir, simmer a couple minutes to thicken it. (It took a couple minutes for the cheese to break down.) Drain the gnocchi and add it to the skillet along with the parsley and Parmesan and stir it all together! So good!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
2010
So Hannah inspired me to write a little year in review thing! (Yep it’s all her fault :-P) She also reminded me that last year began with school being canceled for nearly a week before it even started because of the water main break in Jackson. Yeah, remember that? It feels like so long ago. Thus began my final semester of college, and the time when I lived with Ginny! It was awesome of course. I feel bad for her though (and everyone around me, really) because around the end of January I fell into a depression that lasted a good month (maybe month and a half?). That wasn’t so great. We just talked about “being for people” at church today and I’ve been blessed with some wonderful friends who are there for me and that was one of the times I could really see it. (Especially Mary and Emily- love you girls!) Fortunately, I had a pretty light load school-wise (compared to fall 2009 where I very nearly had a complete breakdown), so that was good. (… lent itself very easily into much procrastination though :-P ) It was great being back on campus and being closer to my friends and able to stop by and chat anytime. Spending hours in Hannah and Angela’s room when I didn’t want to be studying so I thought I’d distract them too = good times. :-D
By about February I was fed up with my job (though not the people I worked with ;-) ) but I hung in there. A week after spring break we went on a family trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, and it was awesome spending time with old family friends, and of course a day trip to Washington DC. Quite possibly one of the best family vacations. Graduation is kind of a blur and didn’t seem real or that big of a deal at the time… or now actually haha. Dave didn’t get to come though, and that was sad but we stopped to see him for the day on our way home before he shipped out the next week.
Of course watching all my senior friends freak out about grad school and jobs and everything made me start thinking about what I wanted to do (I’m a little slow :-P ) and I decided to apply to grad schools, which I worked on (with much complaining- sorry guys who had to put up with that!) over the summer/fall. We went up to Michigan a few times, and it was good getting to see people more often. Jenna went to college in the fall, so I’ve basically been an only child… sad! I’ve been getting to know more people at church though, so that’s been great! They’re pretty awesome.
What else did I do in the fall besides procrastinate on applications and look for jobs? Probably not much else. It’s been weird not being at school and around all my friends there, especially since most of them are still there. The week before Thanksgiving I did what I always swore I’d never do… apply for a seasonal position… in retail. *dun dun duuuunnnn* Yeah I work at Victoria’s Secret at the mall. It’s been a learning experience that’s for sure. It hasn’t been a bad job at all, I just dislike the mall environment and it’s not my dream position and it isn’t permanent. But life goes on! I guess it was a pretty okay year, all things considered. I wonder what will happen next!
By about February I was fed up with my job (though not the people I worked with ;-) ) but I hung in there. A week after spring break we went on a family trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, and it was awesome spending time with old family friends, and of course a day trip to Washington DC. Quite possibly one of the best family vacations. Graduation is kind of a blur and didn’t seem real or that big of a deal at the time… or now actually haha. Dave didn’t get to come though, and that was sad but we stopped to see him for the day on our way home before he shipped out the next week.
Of course watching all my senior friends freak out about grad school and jobs and everything made me start thinking about what I wanted to do (I’m a little slow :-P ) and I decided to apply to grad schools, which I worked on (with much complaining- sorry guys who had to put up with that!) over the summer/fall. We went up to Michigan a few times, and it was good getting to see people more often. Jenna went to college in the fall, so I’ve basically been an only child… sad! I’ve been getting to know more people at church though, so that’s been great! They’re pretty awesome.
What else did I do in the fall besides procrastinate on applications and look for jobs? Probably not much else. It’s been weird not being at school and around all my friends there, especially since most of them are still there. The week before Thanksgiving I did what I always swore I’d never do… apply for a seasonal position… in retail. *dun dun duuuunnnn* Yeah I work at Victoria’s Secret at the mall. It’s been a learning experience that’s for sure. It hasn’t been a bad job at all, I just dislike the mall environment and it’s not my dream position and it isn’t permanent. But life goes on! I guess it was a pretty okay year, all things considered. I wonder what will happen next!
Friday, January 7, 2011
When Relationships Break Down
Lately in the singles group at church we’ve been talking about community. As usual, it’s been really great and relevant to my life. So I share it with you.
Matthew 18:15- “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
What happens when our community (in other words, our relationships with others) breaks down? First, acknowledge the conflict. YOU go to the other person. Matthew 5:23-4 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift.”
Don’t involve third parties. This is a big problem of mine. Of course it’s easier to talk about problems with people to someone else. But from what I’ve seen, that’s usually what makes the problems escalate and get out of hand. If you’re not part of the solution, you don’t need to be part of the problem.
Use direct communication but chose words rightly and carefully. Don’t blame others for your problem. The purpose should be reconciliation.
Next comes forgiveness. Ephesians 4:31-2 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” WOW. Let’s read that one again. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Isn’t that basically what life is all about? All the time? And how we should act towards everyone?
Forgiveness is for the benefit of others. It is the act of cancelling the debt owed to me. We need to operate based on what God’s done for us, not what’s been done to us. And we need to accept forgiveness that is being offered to us by others. Some other important points about forgiveness: choosing not to dwell on the wrong. Hard, I know. Choosing not to bring it up. Choosing not to talk about it to others. Don’t let it drive a wedge. Otherwise how can it be forgiven? We need to operate based on what God’s done for us, not what’s been done to us.
Join us next time for Attitudes and actions that should characterize the life of a Christian; notes from a sermon series.
Matthew 18:15- “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
What happens when our community (in other words, our relationships with others) breaks down? First, acknowledge the conflict. YOU go to the other person. Matthew 5:23-4 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift.”
Don’t involve third parties. This is a big problem of mine. Of course it’s easier to talk about problems with people to someone else. But from what I’ve seen, that’s usually what makes the problems escalate and get out of hand. If you’re not part of the solution, you don’t need to be part of the problem.
Use direct communication but chose words rightly and carefully. Don’t blame others for your problem. The purpose should be reconciliation.
Next comes forgiveness. Ephesians 4:31-2 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” WOW. Let’s read that one again. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Isn’t that basically what life is all about? All the time? And how we should act towards everyone?
Forgiveness is for the benefit of others. It is the act of cancelling the debt owed to me. We need to operate based on what God’s done for us, not what’s been done to us. And we need to accept forgiveness that is being offered to us by others. Some other important points about forgiveness: choosing not to dwell on the wrong. Hard, I know. Choosing not to bring it up. Choosing not to talk about it to others. Don’t let it drive a wedge. Otherwise how can it be forgiven? We need to operate based on what God’s done for us, not what’s been done to us.
Join us next time for Attitudes and actions that should characterize the life of a Christian; notes from a sermon series.
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