Thursday, October 1, 2009

Charleston Cooks: Gnocchi and Risotto, My Schedule

Happy Thursday! Almost to the weekend!! My friend Kristen and I had a great time at our Charleston Cooks class last night. We learned the secrets behind a good gnocchi and risotto and I learned some new knife skills. Throughout the two hour class, the group worked as a team to create the following dishes:
  • Red Wine Rosemary Mushroom Risotto
  • Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
  • Cinnamon Apple Risotto Fritters
  • Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Hazelnut Brown Butter
  • Scallop and Leek Risotto
I was a little intimidated by the head chef, but eventually got out my camera and snapped a few pictures. Prep work:


Uncooked sweet potato gnocchi (mmmm):



Gnocchi fresh out of the boiling water covered in a little oil:



Dessert Risotto balls pre-frying:


My samples (since most of the dishes contained meat, I could only sample a few but they were totally rich and delicious), sweet potato gnocchi and Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi:


The Gorgonzola cream sauce was a little much for me. The sweet potato gnocchi on the other hand...heaven!


Picture of the classroom from our dining seats:


Dessert risotto-super creamy! Kristen and I split a few bites of this bad boy:



Kristen and I, pretending to cook after class was done ;)

For some reason I didn't really get any pictures of the traditional risottos! Is there anything you would love to learn to cook or bake? I'd love to learn to become a better bread baker.
As I mentioned yesterday, a reader asked if I could post my typical week day timeline/schedule. My schedule is usually pretty nutso (by choice). I am VERY lucky in that my job is flexible with my hours and I owe a lot of my getting everything done to that fact. Here is a typical day in the life of…Note: Please be gentle, I know I overload on occasion and I am trying to work on getting to bed earlier ;)
  • 5 AM: Wake up !!

  • 5-5:30 AM: Shower/get ready/dressed

  • 5:30-5:45 AM: Finish making lunches & fill coffee mugs (for Josh and I)/ eat breakfast/take Frank out

  • 5:45-6:15 AM: Drive to work

  • 6:15-3:00 PM(ish): Work

  • 3:00-3:40(ish) PM: Drive Home

  • 3:40-5:30 PM: Usually do some form of housework (laundry/ironing/cleaning), prep dinner, take Frank out/for a walk

  • 5:30(ish)-5:50 PM: Leave and drive to gym (I teach at two gyms and one is a bit further from my house…takes about 20 minutes to get there)

  • 6:00-7:00 PM: Teach 1 hour class

  • 7:00-7:20 PM: Drive home

  • 7:20-7:30 PM: Quick Shower

  • 7:30-8:30 PM: Eat dinner/do dishes/ prep lunches for the next day/set up coffee

  • 8:30-10:30/11/12 PM: Range of activities- occasionally more house work, usually read blogs/write my blog, do additional work work (if necessary), watch tv, hang out with Frank & Josh

And thats how I roll! That is a typical day, but it totally varies (i.e. Wednesdays I work out in the morning). I am hoping to adjust my overall schedule in the coming months...more info on that to come!

38 comments:

Aggie said...

Oh my that gnocchi looks heavenly! That is one of my favorite pastas! I would love to make it homemade! What a fun class! Thanks for sharing!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Look at you!! Awesome kitchen work :)

Leah @ L4L said...

Looks like fun! I'd also learn how to make bread, and homemade pastas.

Ashley Lauren said...

What an amazing menu! The class looks like a ton of fun :)

Lindsey @ Sound Eats said...

That looks so fun! Whenever I've tried to make gnocchi it's come out embarrassingly terrible.


(Btw this is from my new site, used to be Mrs. LC)

Sarah @ The Foodie Diaries said...

I'm so jealous! I've always wanted to learn to make risotto better because it's such an amazing staple--but easy to mess up. I literally died at the sight of that SP gnocchi.. and that dessert risotto, it looks like rice pudding turned into cake form on crack!

Everything looks incredible.. glad you had fun and learned some new tricks!

Rebekah said...

Where did you take the cooking class? I would love to find a cooking class in my area to try...any thoughts?

vanillasugarblog said...

I seriously need better knife skills. I am horrible at it. And a set of reall professional knives would help too. LOL

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

I want to take a cooking class like that. It looks like so much fun! I would do almost anything for a good sweet potato gnocchi!

Jenna said...

That sweet potato gnocchi looks aaaa-mazing! So much fun!

Ada said...

I am not a huge fan of past but gnocchi is a whole other ball game:) I love how soft and chewy it always tastes.

Wowzers, you have one hectic schedule girlie! I hope you can squeeze some relaxation time in there:)

mtbcy said...

Holy moly that schedule is intense! Next time I feel lazy about getting up at 6 to exercise I'm going to think about you for motivation! Umm... sweet potato gnocchi? That sounds amazing!

I Run for Fun said...

I'd love to taste that gnocchi! Cooking class is such a fun thing to do with a friend. I don't think I could handle a schedule like that. You have such endless energy.

Lauren said...

What a great cooking class! It looks so similar to the cooking class I attended over the summer.

That is some schedule you've got going girly! You are going non stop for nearly 20 hours a day. Where do you get the energy? :)

Happy Friday tomorrow!

K from ksgoodeats said...

That event looks like so much fun! Your creations sound fantastic! Risotto is so good.

One of these days I'd like to make variations on bread (I've done whole wheat but I'd like to try sourdough, baguettes, etc.). I'd also love to bake a cheesecake but that could be dangerous ;)

Stephanie said...

dessert risotto?! I am in loveeeee!!! looks fabulous girlie :)

Unknown said...

That gnocchi looks SO good! I would love to make sweet potato gnocchi!

I also want to be a better baker than I am now. Your schedule isn't too crazy - you at least have time to do chores, I never have time for that!

Maria said...

What a fun class. Gnocchi is my favorite! You have a busy schedule. I work ten hour days so my days are packed too. I always make our lunches the night before. It really helps out. I am going to Body Combat in the morning. Love it!

Chef Fresco said...

How much fun! Yum!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting your schedule! I'm still trying to find the right balance of working out/homework/work work/family and it's always helpful to read how other people successfully manage!

Lizzy said...

how did you find this cooking class, i would love to take one! All the dishes look amazing! :)

Your typical day looks similar to mine, give or take a little bit, but overall were just busy girls! haha

Britt said...

Oh my goodness the food from your class looks amazing! Looks like it was a lot of fun. :-)

Some day I need to learn to get up at 5am. Its so stinking hard with it dark out. I think that little bit of extra time in my day would do wonders.

BroccoliHut said...

Amazing! You are such a chef!

Evelyn Fisher said...

That class seems awesome. Those gnocchi look so good.

J @ Whole Body Love said...

I would love to learn to cook more ethnic foods: Indian, Mediterranean, French...etc.

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

looks soo good!! espt the gnocchi! your daily sched looks pretty balanced!

i would love to take a cooking class one of these days!

Anonymous said...

that gnocchi looks soooooo good! I also want to learn to make bread! that's the mission impossible for me!

thanks for posting your schedule, I wonder what kind of job do you have that require you to start working so early?

Unknown said...

that class looks so fun! awesome :)

ps-- you can make yeasty bread, it's not that bad!

Bridget said...

Is there a recipe for the Sweet potatoe gnocchi!?!? Wow that is one busy day you have there! I need to stream line my morning routine haha! Also if I go home right after work I find it so hard to re-gain motivation to work out!

Holly said...

I have always wanted to take a cooking class! Looks like so much fun, especially with a friend.

Wowsers, girl, you have a crazy busy schedule! I do better when I'm super busy, too - for some reason I seem to get more done?

Krista said...

The cooking class looks like it was tons of fun!

You get up crazy early, girl! But I'd rather start work early/finish early rather than go in later.

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

That seriously looks almost exactly like my schedule!!

Cookin class looks so much fun--I'm trying to get to one sometime this month!

emily said...

Your schedule is crammed! I always want to get up at 5:00 to work out, or just for "me time", but I haven't been able make myself yet. You and a few other bloggers make it seem so possible.
What other food would I like to be able to make? Real Bread, sushi, korean, vietnamese, and other asian cuisine.

Anonymous said...

That cooking class looks like so much fun! Sweet potato gnocci?! A new local Italian place also serves gnocci in a gorgonzola cream sauce... I think it'd be a little much for me, too.

You are SO BUSY!

teresa said...

fun fun class! i am dying to try something like that! you're amazing to keep so busy and still be so upbeat, i'd be exhausted!

Yum Yucky said...

Well look at that. I'm a gnocchi feign, but I never saw it look so very beautiful.

Melissa said...

Erica, sorry I'm so slow to respond but I did want to thank you for posting your schedule. You do keep it a little crazy! I wish I could do the morning thing a little better....no issue with the staying up late but no good at getting up early! Thanks!

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