Gluten Free Gnocchi Recipe - Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free Dinner Ideas

Over the summer I started to challenge myself in the kitchen and began cooking for the first time in my life. My motivation to cook came from the constant struggle I've been having with certain foods; namely wheat and dairy. While I've never been diagnosed with a specific food allergy or, my body is definitely sensitive to these things. Cooking for myself has taught me to make simple changes in traditional recipes, which makes a huge difference in the way my body feels after eating. Last night I made Gnocchi for the first time and it was so yummy. A bit time consuming, but worth it.

Ingredients
2 lbs. Russet Potatoes
1 egg, beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1 cup flour (gluten free or regular)
Pesto or sauce of choice- [homemade pesto here]

Bring washed potatoes to a boil until tender. Approx. 50 min.

Discard skins and immediately mash with the tines of a fork while they are still hot; creating a fluffy base using until no visible clumps are left. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Once cool, drizzle with beaten egg and 3/4 c. flour. Fold with a spatula, incorporating the egg and flour into the potatoes. Return a new pot of water to a boil.

Form potatoes into a ball using your hands. Gently knead, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour.

Cut the dough into 6-8 vertical slices. Roll each slice into a log, about the thickness of your thumb.

Start at one end of log and cut in 3/4 inch intervals all the way down, creating the Gnocchi pieces.

Dust pieces with a little more flour. (Can be frozen at this point. To freeze: spread out formed pieces with dusted flour on a baking sheet and freeze thoroughly- approx. 1 hr. Transfer pieces to airtight container or bag and freeze. To use: do not thaw- drop pieces into boiling water until they rise to top- approx. 4 min)

Add pieces to boiling water. Gnocchi will rise to top when finished. Approx. 2 min.

Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to bowls or a platter. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

For the Love of Laundry

Last night, as I was ironing my delicate cardi's, I realized something: I hate doing laundry! I don't mind separating, creating the piles, or loading it, but the entire process from start to finish is downright tedious. The one exception to my hate for laundry lies within my love for folding towels. I inherited the ability to create the perfect towel fold from my Mom (she was the ultimate perfectionist and could fold a mean, and I mean mean, towel) so towel folding is something I take great pride in. I might possibly have to share my secret for the perfect towel fold in a future post, or maybe even a video?! Anyway, I honestly do not think even a decked out laundry room could get me to like laundry, but how nice would it be to spend the hours it takes folding, separating, ironing, etc in one of these amazing rooms?!

A chandelier?! Seriously? I diiiie! Fantastic! {SaucySprinkles}

Ahh- I cannot get over the first room! Love love love.

My Style Muse

Ashley Olsen is, hands down, my style muse. The girl can rock a leather jacket with skinny jeans better than peanut butter goes with jelly. If I could spend a minute in her shoes (specifically her Louboutins), I'd seriously raid her closet and come out with more Chanel and fitted boyfriend blazers than Saks carries in a season! I love the way she pairs expensive looking pieces with inexpensive, everyday wear. Her look takes her from coffee runs to meetings, jet planes to red carpets, and she looks good doing it all.




The Olsen's have a really great line, Elizabeth+James, although it is rather pricey. I was really excited to read last week that they are coming out with a new line, Olsenboye, which will be a little more affordable!

Who is your fashion icon? I actually have a few, but Ashley definitely fits my ideal style to a T.

To click or not to click...

Okay, so I have a little addiction in the form of online shopping! I rarely do it anymore (except for Amazon- I am always getting things from there) but for a long time I'd go straight for the internet when it came to my wardrobe, especially in college. I've since re-introduced myself to in-store shopping experiences, but old habits die hard!

Here is everything that I have in my cart right now at Forever 21. I love how reasonable the prices are and how easy it is to mix and match there things!

Sleeveless Dress: $22.80

Coat: $29.80

Cardigan: $19.80

Beaded Feather Headband: $4.80 (Seriously! You just can't beat it!)

Bowler Tote: $24.80

Ruffle Necklace: $10.80

Feather Cloche: $14.80

Strut Boot: $30.80

Ring: $4.80

Sequin Pump: $19.80

The total of my cart is $183.00. Not bad for 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pieces of jewelry, 2 hair accessories, a dress, cardigan, coat, and tote!

Now I just need to figure out if I'm actually going to click 'purchase' or not! The holidays are coming quite quickly and I should be saving, hmmmm....