Charleston Cooks: Gnocchi and Risotto, My Schedule Filed under ( Family, life )

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!