Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Lemon Broccoli, Focaccia

Sorry, no pictures but it is delicious.

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi: made a single recipe (8 ounces ricotta) without the suggested sauce, fed us but not enough for leftovers - double recipe next time.  The recipe says this should take 1 hour but it didn't take that long (unless, perhaps, if you count the time when the water is coming to a boil, which I don't because I am working on other things at the same time).  It is really easy to make (my 4 year old was helping).

Mushrooms: Slice mushrooms (cremini, about 3/4 lb), set aside.  Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet, add 2 cloves sliced fresh garlic and a small pinch of salt, saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant (do not brown).  Add sliced mushrooms, pinch or two of salt.  Saute on medium heat stirring frequently.  As mushrooms soften, add butter (a little at a time), until there is a total of 6 Tbsp of butter in the mushrooms.  Once mushrooms are fully cooked, lower heat and add about 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Stir.

I would have liked to toss all of the mushrooms and gnocchi together in a single dish but not all of my children like mushrooms so I tried to mix them together on individual plates as best as possible.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Broccoli: For 3/4 - 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets (save stalk for stock), rinse and set aside.  Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet.  Add broccoli, 2 cloves of fresh sliced garlic, and 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice.  Cover and let cook on medium until broccoli is dark green but not overcooked.  Sprinkle with salt.

**Fun fact - the resulting juice from this dish is pink.**

Focaccia: Follow the recipe except, the only seasoning I used was the garlic powder.  After the 20 minute rest period, flatten on baking sheet(s), top with sliced garlic, coarse salt, and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake as directed.

Daniel's Blueberry Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

Our friend's son, Daniel, just turned 8.  For his birthday party he wanted blueberry cupcakes with blueberry frosting.  I welcome a challenge but, I have to admit, I was not quite sure how this endeavor would turn out.  After a brief Google search I found this recipe, which seemed like a good start.  The cupcakes turned out light and fluffy (I used all-purpose flour as opposed to my default whole wheat).

For the frosting I decided to get a little fancy and took some inspiration from Martha.  She called for blueberry jam, which I didn't have so the night before I cooked down 2 cups of blueberries and 1/2 cup of sugar then strained it to get out the seeds and skins.  After whipping up a simple cream cheese frosting, I spooned a bit of the strained blueberries on the frosting in the bowl and, without stirring, scooped it into a piping bag.  As I piped, the frosting and blueberries swirled themselves together.  It was messy but delicious and, if I do say so myself, beautiful.  I hope the birthday boy agrees!

For future reference: cupcakes 133 calories each, frosting 39 calories per cupcakes; 172 calories per frosted cupcake

Canning Notes: Grapes 2011

Last year we produced 23 cups of grape jelly and 13 quarts of juice.  We used Pomona's Universal Pectin, which is activated by calcium (comes in the packet) rather than sugar so we are able to use a small amount of honey rather than large amounts of sugar.  We made 3 recipes which was 12 cups juice and 1.75 cups honey.

We opened and began to use the jelly this year.  It all was jellied, the texture is different than traditional jam and there is a slight honey smell with the grape smell.  Flavor is great!  Spreads well, enjoyed by all.

Good Chili Variation

We had this soup last night and it was delicious. I omitted the turkey and doubled the black beans (about 5 cups cooked, rinsed, and drained total). We also omitted the jalapeno because I didn't have one on hand. For the cheese we used cheddar but I think the Pepper-jack would be better although I don't think the soup really needs cheese so it could easily be made vegan and still taste good. The spinach was straight from our garden; so good!

Choir Snacks

We are in the choir in our church. To make it more fun and enticing to be in choir (especially after already being at church for 3 hours) we can volunteer to bring choir snacks. This past Sunday was our week and it was all such a big hit, especially the spinach-artichoke dip. Here is what we had (it was all homemade):

Crackers

Thin slices of French bread

Hummus

Spinach-artichoke dip (I doubled the recipe and kept it in a crockpot on low until we served it; for the artichokes I used canned marinated artichoke hearts and I added no salt to the dip)

Caramel corn

Meringues (my husband's specialty)

Apple slices

Ham and Bean Soup

We had this last night and it was delicious. For the beans I used about 3/4 cup large lima beans, 1 cup white beans, 1 cup black beans, and 1 cup pinto beans. My husband said the limas were what made the soup stand out.

Ham and Bean Soup

1-2 pounds (3-4 cups) dry beans

2 cups stock

4 cups water (plus more for soaking beans)

2 bay leaves

1-2 tsp paprika

1-2 tsp dried parsley

4 cups cooked ham, chopped

pepper to taste

1. Soak beans (using either quick soak or overnight soak).

2. Drain and rinse beans; place in crock pot. Add all other ingredients. Cook on high for about 4-6 hours.

I Grew This

October's Bounty

too bad it was a cold, wet spring...

short tomato season...

few tomatoes...

no canning tomatoes...

but I saved seeds for next year!