Entertainment

Say ‘oky gnocchi’ to trying this creamy pasta dish

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.International cuisine website “Saveur” features an article called “Pasta’s Predecessor: The History of Gnocchi,” that I found really interesting when trying to figure out how the little potato dumplings came to be.As with all traditional foods, there is controversy about where in Italy the dish originated, as well as when it was first developed, but according to the article, there are references to gnocchi all the way back to the Renaissance, which is pretty neat.Historical gnocchi was made with a variety of ingredients, and if you start searching, you’ll find modern chefs love to play with it, too.

Read MoreSay ‘oky gnocchi’ to trying this creamy pasta dish

Cook up all the ‘gourd’ things for fall weather

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.Early to mid-October is one of the harder times of year for me to decide what to cook.Since the Kansas weather can’t make up its mind, I’m never sure if it will be a day where I’m happy to heat up my kitchen by firing up the oven or if I’ll regret raising the temperature in our house.Despite that, I’m never wishy-washy about all of the fall vegetables that start to hit the grocery store shelves.

Read MoreCook up all the ‘gourd’ things for fall weather

Chewy cookies can be a real ‘raspberry’ in blue

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.“They have some gross cookies over here,” a gentleman said into his cell phone at a Hesston event we held this weekend, making sure to say it just loud enough for me to hear.Luckily, he was joking.

Read MoreChewy cookies can be a real ‘raspberry’ in blue

There is no point(s) to this easy ‘cheesecake’

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.Although I have never joined an official weight loss program—tracking points, writing down my calorie counts and eating only pre-portioned foods delivered to my door—I have always been fascinated how they work for so many people to slim down.For me, when working on trying to eat healthier, I normally just follow the rules of “eat more veggies” and “eat less sugar.”But I am definitely addicted to sweets, and it’s a struggle some days to keep myself from indulging—especially since I know how to bake, and my pantry is well-stocked with supplies.This week, though, I took a page out of the weight loss program handbook and tried a “zero-point” dessert, which for those unfamiliar, means that a person on Weight Watchers could eat it with no penalties on their diet for the day.

Read MoreThere is no point(s) to this easy ‘cheesecake’