You Can Always Rely on Gnocchi...

I won't lie, it's all a bit of a struggle this week. 

The gherkins are my ideas, the jar is
writer's block. I have no idea who the
old lady is, but she deserves all the
 acting awards in the world.

It's the time I share my glittering insights on life. This week, however, I've been looking at a blank screen for the past hour. I have a smidge of a hangover and a distinct lack of motivation. I'm in my pyjamas, I'm probably pre-mentrual, and I absolutely can't be arsed. And yet here we are. It's blog time. I have to crack on. 

Some weeks, I know what I'm going to write, days before I sit down to do it. A thought will have been festering. Like when I wrote about my No More Page Three T-shirt now being irrelevant. I'd had that in my head for a week before I shaped it into paragraphs. Other times, something big will happen that everyone's talking about. Last week it was the possibility of a General Election. When that happens, I find that my gut feeling to the news can be used as a topic. I know that I'll be able to work it into 800 words of eloquence. Or nonsense. But either way, sentences are formed.

This week, that hasn't happened.

This is me last night.
 Shovelling down the
Bhel Puri without a
thought in my head about
what I could write today.

My brain's main topic of thought these days is politics but I went there last week. As I'm not a political commentator - no, really, I'm not. I know it's hard to believe - then a second week on the topic is a bit much. Beyond that, the majority of my feelings right now are joy-filled contentment that the clocks have gone back, it's the time for scarves and gloves, and that Christmas tunes can be legitimately played on any car journey. I have written about my love of Winter many times before. TLDR: It's the best. So, after that, I'm struggling for something new that I can share.

My next port of call, when I'm stuck like this, is to actively look for topics. So, I read the smaller stories on the BBC news website. I scroll through Twitter for something that jumps out. I check out Instagram. Today, that is proving less than fruitful. I am writing this the day after Halloween. A festival that passes me by, because A) it's silly, B) I'm 41 and C) I am child-free and live in a child-free area. (This makes it sound like it's a town rule. It isn't. There are just no kids on my road. I am spared the cottonwool cobwebs and spiderweb window patterns as I go about my business.) So the morning after the night before, as I scroll through social media looking for something to explore on my blog, I'm just seeing a gazillion uploads of fancy dress. It's not really helping.

So we're down to the worst case scenario. The scraping of the bottom of the barrel. The thing I know I always have in my back pocket, should the need arise. Folks, it's time to pull out the recipe card.

Here is the nicest meal I can think of, off the top of my head. It's got three ingredients, and takes fifteen minutes tops. I'm sorry it's come to this, but it has. At least I'm imparting something, anything. I've done the best I can under very trying circumstances.

Nicky's Gnocchi

Serves 2

1 packet of trimmed green beans
1 packet of gnocchi
1 tub of marinated prawns (Marksies chilli and coriander works for me.)

Right then. This is as simple as it gets.

• Pan fry the green beans. Cut them in half if you want. Use oil if you want. Either way, move them around the pan for five minutes or so until they're slightly softer than they were.
• Move the green beans to one side of the frying pan and add the gnocchi. It will be firm and will roll around as you move the pan. Five minutes of that, and the outside of the gnocchi will start crisping, whilst the inside gets softer. Another five minutes of letting it cook and the gnocchi will start to look like baby roast potatoes. 
• When you're happy the gnocchi and green beans are cooked, add the prawns. Cut them in half if you want. Add all the flavoured oil and herbs from the pot. Stir everything together for a minute. You don't need long as the prawns are already cooked. 
• When everything is hot and mixed together, you're done. Eat up, it's fit. 

So there we go. Some thoughts exploring pesky writer's block, plus a handy little recipe should you ever find yourself thinking, 'Oh, I have green beans, gnocchi and prawns in the fridge but I don't have the first idea what to do with them.' Look, I am happy to help. But for now, let's take some time to regroup and we'll try again next week. It can only get better from here.

Have a lovely week, folks.