I'm the girl, Gracie. Here at GML you can follow my journey of dreaming, working, eating, loving, and blogging my way through life in NYC.


etc.

and a half.

Oh hi, friends!

Do you know what today is? It’s my half birthday :D I am now officially 23.5 years young. And, I can honestly say that this year has been the best of my life thus far. My mom has always told me that it was between the ages of 21 and 25 is when she truly “found herself,” and I feel like that’s what I’m experiencing as well. Over this past year I’ve found myself becoming more:

Here’s to another 6 months…!

girls’ night.

Yesterday I got to spend time with my long lost best friend Nicki. Homegirl and I haven’t seen each other in months, so it was great to finally catch up on our lives.

nickme Picture 006

[Both photos taken around Halloween last year]

We spent about an hour thrift store shopping, which is pretty much Nicki’s M.O. I came away with some cute finds! (Be sure to look out for them on my Diary of a Bargainista photo album).

We spent the rest of the evening doing what we’ve done since high school: rent a movie and eat good food :) On the agenda was Letters to Juliet, which was just okay.

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It doesn’t take much to impress me when it comes to chick-flicks, but the chemistry between the main characters was just so…vanilla. Still cute, though.

And on the menu?

Portobello & Sundried Tomato Gnocchi (yields 2-4 servings)

Nicki suggested we try to find whole wheat gnocchi, which I didn’t even know existed. When we came across it in the grocery store, I nearly died! The best part? It’s made with sweet potatoes.

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We didn’t have a recipe in mind, so I decided to play chef. The result? Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’d say this dish was quite restaurant-worthy.

ingredients:

  • 1 package (16oz) regular or whole wheat gnocchi
  • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (***We actually used this sundried tomato sauce, which was great because the oil it was packed in added a ton of flavor***)

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  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 8oz baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 tbsp jarred minced garlic (or 2-3 gloves)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper

directions:

  1. Begin by filling a large pot with water and set to bring to a boil.
  2. Sautee the onion with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-low heat.
  3. When the onion starts getting translucent (8 minutes or so), add the mushrooms and garlic.
  4. After another 5-6 minutes, add sundried tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat.
  5. When the water comes to a boil, salt the water and add gnocchi.
  6. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the gnocchi begin rising to the top of the water.
  7. Drain gnocchi, add directly to the vegetable mixture.
  8. Add another drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and combine everything.
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Then, dig in!

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Top with some parmesan cheese for a dish that you’d easily pay $20 for at a restaurant.

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I seriously can’t get over how tasty this was. YUM!!

dessert.

To add to the indulgent evening, I made myself an easy dessert out of these Van’s French Toast Sticks I saw on sale at the grocery store.

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Impulse buys aren’t all that bad ;)

I had a sheet of the French toast topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

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All in all it was a fun and delicious night!

reflect.

I’ll leave you with an excerpt from this morning’s devotional, which, was actually what reminded me that it was my half birthday. I found this to be incredibly comforting, so I wanted to share it with you.

There is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God. For his best beloved the Lord can find no surer or safer place. O Lord, let me always abide under thy shadow, close to thy wounded side. Nearer and nearer would I come to thee, i would abide there forever.

What a covering is that which the Lord gives to his chosen! Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bomb-proof casement, nor even an angel’s wing, but Jehovah himself. Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered. This covering the Lord will grant us all day long, however long the day. Lord, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power. – Spurgeon

xoxo G

  • What has been your favorite age thus far?
  • What was the last “restaurant-worthy” meal you made?
September 18th, 2010 |

22 comments to and a half.

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