Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I just handed in my final assignment of my sophomore year (a review of the Blue Valentine screenplay for my film class...have you seen that movie? It is depressing! I'm sure it would be a lot better to actually watch the movie because then I could stare at Ryan Gosling and everything would be alright).

But anywho, I am officially halfway through college! What?? When did this happen? I'm so old.

I get to stay home and relax for a few weeks before returning to Boston for the summer. So hello Grey's Anatomy reruns and bag after bag of banana chips! And I get to cook again! I missed my kitchen probably more than anything (except for my mother of course!).

My first night home I decided to try something that I've been wanting to try for forever now: gnocchi! It is a little time consuming, but actually a lot simpler than I thought it would be. All we had were sweet potatoes, so I used those and used whole wheat flour to bind it all together. Delicious, healthy, and fancy! Your family will be so impressed!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Serves 4

Gnocchi

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 (approx.) cups of whole wheat flour

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions

1. Cook your potatoes however you'd like. I baked mine in a 375 degree oven for an hour, but you could also boil them. (Side note: remember to poke holes in your potatoes with a fork before you bake them. I may have accidentally forgot and came very close to having exploded bake potato all over my oven.)

2. Remove the skins and mash potatoes in a bowl and let cool.  Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and egg and mix together.

3. Add the flour. I would start with about 1 1/4 cups and then add more as needed. You don't want it to be so sticky that you can't handle it, but don't add too much flour.  I think I added too much and it made the gnocchi a little tough and took away from the sweet potato flavor.

4. Roll the dough into a ball and then cut into 4 sections. Each section will be a serving. Roll out each section onto a floured surface into a skinny snake and cut dough into one inch nuggets. (If you aren't making 4 servings, this is when you can freeze any extras for later.)

5. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Reduce the water so that it is just on the edge of boiling, but not a roiling boil.  Add the gnocchi, one serving at a time, and cook until they float to the top. Wait another thirty seconds and then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Continue cooking the rest of the gnocchi. And set aside.

6. Empty water from pot and add 1 Tbsp of butter. Sautee the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

7. Add gnocchi and cook until golden on the outside.

8. Add spinach and cook until just wilted.

7. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese over top. And enjoy!

We ate it with some garlic bread and my mom's delicious, garlicky broccoli. Yum! It is going to be a delicious few weeks! 

Southwest Salad

Yay!! Monday's almost over! One week from today I'll be on the New York Thruway heading towards my house!!!!! I can't wait for a few weeks to just veg out on the couch and relax, and cook lots of FOOD! Especially after this crazy week!

I had the most delicious salad for lunch today and it's super simple! It's Southwest Week at the salad place in the food court I work at. My favorite week!

It consists of...

• lettuce (duh!)
• corn
• black beans
• Mexican rice
• beets (because I am in love with beets and put them in every single salad now)
• mushrooms
• sunflower seeds**

I ate it with Avocado Caesar dressing (heaven), some polenta, and a piece of cornbread. Perfection!

**I would recommend using those tri-colored tortilla chips (or even just a handful of tortilla chips crumbled up) instead of sunflower seeds. I was just trying to be more healthy after eating Blueberry Yogurt-Covered Pretzels for dinner last night.

They are seriously heaven. End of story. And I have so many dining points to use up, so....

Honestly I only bought a huge bag of them because I figured that would prevent me from having to keep going back to the store to buy more. But it actually just made me eat an entire bag in one sitting.

Oops.

So yeah...I ate lots of salads and healthy stuff today. (And now I'm working on the huge bag of banana chips that I also bought this weekend.)

Help me.

I hope everyone has an awesome week! Good luck on everyone's finals and papers and final projects!

What's your favorite salad combo?

21 Jump Street

If you are in college, high school, or are very very immature and enjoy laughing for two hours straight, you NEED to see 21 Jump Street.

Let me preface this review by saying that I generally don't like comedies. Napoleon Dynamite, The Hangover, anything starring Will Ferrell (except Elf)...they just aren't my thing. I think 90% of comedies are just stupid. However, when a comedy is done well...it can be one of the best movie experiences, because let's be honest, fewer things are more enjoyable than laughter.

21 Jump Street is an example of a comedy that was done right. Even besides making you laugh out loud at least every couple of minutes, it was a very well-written and executed film.

However, for those of you not taking film classes and who just want to laugh at penis jokes and high school awkwardness...this is definitely the movie to see. It's definitely raunchy; as I read in a review in Scene magazine, "they use 20 different terms for the male genitalia." So if you're young, don't ask your mom or grandma to come see it with you; if you're a mom or grandma, don't bring the kids along!

It's very immature. Very, very immature.

But sometimes that's just exactly what you need.

And let's discuss Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum for a minute. First off, kudos to Jonah for losing all that weight. He looks great! And kudos to him for being freaking hilarious as always.

Also, I love Channing Tatum. Who knew he could be so funny? I thought he only knew how to be the sexy, shirtless lead in romantic comedies, but he is downright hysterical. Did any of you see his monologue on SNL? That's some funny stuff! There's this whole side to him that I never knew existed.

Jonah and Channing are an amazing duo. And they each fit their characters perfectly. Channing was the cool kid back in high school who always picked on the nerds, like Jonah's character (who tried to be the next Slim Shady).

Oh my god, so funny...

...he looks just like him!

The two end up both becoming police officers and, ironically, best friends. The job turns out to not be quite as exciting as they were expecting when they're put on bike duty in a public park, but they almost get their first arrest when they spot a gang of men smoking weed. Unfortunately, Channing's character never actually memorized his Miranda Rights and Jonah Hill's character was just too Jonah Hill to actually catch the guy and they all go free.

However, they end up getting assigned to an undercover case where they have to go back to high school to try to find out who's supplying this designer drug to all the students. This results in crazy drug trip, lots of anticipatory explosions that never occur, a hilarious high school party, and a Korean Jesus.

Yes...really.

You need to watch this movie for that alone.

And don't forget to be on the look out for a cameo appearance by Mr. Johnny Depp. Kudos to you if you find him!

Bison Burgers and Sweet Potato Tots

I've heard a lot about Bison burgers and how much better they taste and how they're a lot better for you, but I had never tried one before. (mostly just because I wouldn't know where to find a Bison burger)

So once again, thank you BU Dining Services!

This week they are offering Bison burgers in place of any burgers at the place I work at for only $2 extra. So of course I had to try it! I got a cheeseburger with Bison meat, Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, mushrooms and peppers on wheat bread. Oh. My. God.

The burger was amazing! It tasted like a slice of steak. Literally. I was pretty skeptical at first, I didn't think it would taste any different than a regular burger, but I was very impressed. It didn't taste greasy at all, it literally tasted like a hunk of steak..it just looked like a burger. So good!

I know I didn't really get a good picture of the meat, but if this was sitting in front of you, you would spend more time eating and less time taking pictures too!

I'm not sure I would spend the extra money on Bison meat in my regular, everyday life, but you should definitely try it at least once! And you can always come to BU and help me use up all my dining points by the end of the semester!

Now let's talk about sweet potato tater tots!

The food Gods loved me today! I LOVE sweet potato fries and these are just as good, if not ten times better! Because with fries...you get a skinny little bit of sweet potato filling with just mostly fried, greasy outsideness. (Wow that was a great explanation..not.) But anyway, the sweet potato tots obviously still have the greasy, unhealthy outside because they're made in the fryer, BUT there's more room for delicious sweet potatoness.

Mmmmm...look at it all! And it was so bright and orangey and delicious!

What a fantastic lunch! Hopefully this is only offered for the week though or I'm in trouble!

Have a fantastic week everybody!

I'm Jinxed

This about sums up how every member of Red Sox Nation is feeling right now.

Seriously.

Also, this tumblr post about sums up the three words that keeping running through every Bruins fan's head haunting us relentlessly.

It has been a sad weekend for the residents of Boston. And I have a confession...it's all my fault.

I'm jynxed.

And I'm sorry.

Let me explain:

I was wearing my new Tim Thomas shirt while watching the Bruins game. As you all may recall, they lost.

I then had to run to a group meeting so I changed my shirt. Note: This was NOT because I was ashamed to be a Bruins fan! I will never be ashamed! It was simply because I have been wearing that shirt practically all week during every single game, jumping up and down and screaming, during this 80 degree heat we've been having. And I haven't washed it. Don't judge me! I'm in college....I do laundry once every three weeks...it happens. So point of the story...I wasn't going to go out in public smelling like an unwashed Bruins fan that has had a rough, depressing week.

So I dumped my shirt in my laundry basket (to be washed today before the game!) and opened my drawer. The first thing I saw was my Red Sox shirt. 'Hey,' I thought. 'I'll put this on seeing as they are finally winning (by 9 runs nonetheless) against the Yankees.'

Good choice, right?

Wrong.

While I was wearing this shirt, the Yankees scored 15 runs and beat the Red Sox 15-9. The turning point of the game? The second I put on my Red Sox shirt.

Let's recap:

I was wearing my Bruins shirt and the Bruins lost. I then put on my Red Sox shirt when they were winning 9-0 and the lost 15-9.

Conclusion: I'm jinxed.

It's my fault the Bruins lost. It's my fault the Red Sox lost. And it's my fault that millions of people all over New England are depressed.

So now what do I do? Wear a Bruin shirt or not? Should I also remove all the Bruin nail polish from my fingers and toes?? I'm so torn.

I'm really not a superstitious person. Except when it comes to sports. I wouldn't even wear my brand new Victor Cruz jersey during the Superbowl because I had been wearing my Manning jersey during every other game that had gotten them there.

And when I see things like this happen...it confirms my superstitions.

I'm sorry Boston and I'm sorry Bruins and Red Sox fans everywhere.

Let's have a better day today!

Fenway Park's 100th Birthday

Happy Birthday, Fenway!


One of the best things about going to BU (and I know I mention a new one nearly every post, but this is really one of THE best) is the fact that I am blocks away from Fenway.  Last year I could see it from my dorm room...so cool! And when me and my roomie actually went to a game last spring it was so nice to walk 15 minutes over to the park and then laugh at all the poor saps lined down Brookline Ave waiting to get on the T at Kenmore as we ducked by everyone and made it back to our rooms before half of them even got underground.


It's great.


One of the best things: the flyovers. I saw it a lot last year, but honestly just forgot about it this year. So when I was watching Opening Day at Fenway a week ago on TV and the National Anthem was coming to a close I started to hear a rumble in the distance. And then I started hearing a rumble on TV and saw the planes approaching on the TV.


For a split second I honestly thought 'wow, that's a weird coincidence' and then I slapped myself in the head and said, "Oh....yeah." And then there they were, right outside my window, flying off into the distance, and also on my TV screen. It never gets old.


Yesterday during the 100th Birthday I stood at my window with my camera ready as the National Anthem was being played by the Boston Pops waiting to see them, but they must have gone a different direction because they didn't fly where I could see them. So sad.


Let's talk about Fenway Park. It really is truly great. (The team that plays there....not so much).


I know I can't live up to all the great things that have been said about Fenway over the past few days, so I won't try. (And as much as I want to, I won't quote John Williams' famous quote, because let's be honest...I got the point the first twenty times I heard it).


Then again, it's probably worth repeating: "You think of Boston, you think of Harvard and MIT as being the brains of the city, and Faneuil Hall might be the soul. But I think the beating, pounding heart of the city for Bostonians is Fenway Park. That’s the heart of the town." -John Williams


Couldn't have said it better myself, John. And excellent job with the Pops yesterday!


Clearly there's nothing I could say about Fenway that hasn't already been said, so I'll just take a trip down memory lane. I do have a picture of my first trip to Fenway, but it was taken on a disposable camera so the physical print that you can hold in your hand, that we had to go to WalMart to have developed!!, is at home and not at the tip of my fingers on my computer. Must have been a long time ago!


I've been several times since then, though. And I've usually had really good seats. My aunt took me to one game where we were directly behind home plate like 3 rows back, it was insane. My aunt was even in the Globe because there was a picture of the batter. It was great!

This was the year they won the second World Series.

A home run by Papi.

One of Manny's last games in a Sox uniform.

This was last year, the first game I had every been to where the Red Sox didn't win. My good luck charmness is gone. =[


Hopefully it was just a fluke though, because I'll be back in a couple of weeks for my mom's birthday. So they better win as a birthday present for her! And as an Officially-Being-Halway-Through-College present for me! (Wow that's crazy to think about). 


Andddd I recently bought standing room only tickets to the Red Sox/Yankee game on September 11th for only $25. I hope they'll have a cool ceremony or something for 9/11. And of course I hope WE WIN! Especiallyyyyy since I'm the best friend a person can have and also bought a ticket for my Yankee-loving friend to come with me. Let the trash-talking begin.


Although, let's be honest, if things continue as they're going now...we'll probably be out of the Playoffs by then and we'll get murdered, but oh well. Sorry Red Sox. (Bring back Tito!) But I'll still be cheering my head off for you and singing Sweet Caroline at the top of my lungs regardless. Us Boston fans stuck by you through 86 years without a trophy and we will certainly still stick with you if it's another 86 years until the next. And one thing's for certain...Fenway's been there through it all. 


For the Red Sox.


For Red Sox Nation.


For Boston.


For all of New England.


For baseball fans everywhere.


Happy Birthday. Here's to 100 more!

Zinga!

I have a problem. It's called frozen yogurt. Seriously...that stuff is delicious. And now I have discovered a place within a ten minute walk from where I'll be living all summer that sells delicious frozen yogurt BY WEIGHT! Which means...you are given a giant cup and you can then go fill it up with as many and as much of the 12 flavors of frozen yogurt they have.

AND THEN you can go top it off with one of the 5,000 (slight exaggeration) toppings that they have, which range from everything from fresh fruit to Oreos to cereal.

And then you go set your giant masterpiece of fro yo and toppings and place it on the scale and pay based on how much it weighs.

Genius.

This place is called Zinga! (exclamation point is included in the name). And it is right in the middle of Kenmore Square. The place was very cute with bright, neon colors everywhere and a very friendly staff.

For my first visit, I went with the blueberry tart yogurt and piled on a LOT of fresh berries, mangos, and kiwis. Delicious! The yogurt was perfect, it wasn't too sweet but also wasn't really tart where you felt you needed to add some Oreos or something in it to make it edible. I was very impressed. And I'm picky about my frozen yogurt.

There are 12 flavors out every day and apparently they rotate through different flavors on a regular basis. I will definitely be returning quite frequently until I see the birthday cake flavor. And then you can bet that I will be returning every single day until it goes away again. Because let's be honest...it's almost healthy to eat birthday cake if it's in frozen yogurt form. Right? Right.

I'm not exactly sure what the price per ounce is, but I filled my cup up to probably the size of a small at a normal fro yo place and then piled on a lot of berries and it only came to $3.67, which I thought was very reasonable.  Without the heavy berries it probably would have been very cheap.

And don't limit yourself to just one flavor per cup either. The possibilities are endless. Go crazy!

And I just saw Pistachio on their menu too. Gah! Those tricky devils know exactly how to keep me coming back again and again until I can try every single flavor. Good thing I'll be here all summer. Zinga...I accept your challenge!

Happy Thursday!

And of course...GO BRUINS!