Gnocchi Chicken Soup

Here is a recipe that Emily tried for the first time tonight, and it turned out delicious! If you have never had gnocchi before, you are missing out. I was first introduced to them in Argentina, usually served with red sauce. The gnocchi themselves are made of mashed potatoes and flour, and are really labor-intensive to make. Then I discovered you can buy them pre-made in the store! Score! Then when I introduced them to Emily (Gnocchi, I'd like you to meet my wife, Emily...) she started serving them with Alfredo sauce. Even better! So, you can imagine how happy I am that we have found even more ways to enjoy gnocchi. Try it out for yourself:

1/3 cup olive oil or butter
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1/3 cup flour
1/2 carrot shredded
1 stick of celery
1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 chicken bullion cubes
Cracked pepper to taste
17.6 oz. of Gnocchi
On medium heat, melt butter in a soup pot, add in the garlic and saute, add your chicken and cook through out.
Stir in flour and mix well until the flour is cooked into the chicken. Next, add your milk and heavy cream.
Then add the veggies(carrots,celery,spinach). Add three bullion cubes. Add your Gnocchi last it takes 3-4 min. to cook throughout. Mix well until soup thickens and stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Baked Spaghetti

Hey, I wanted to post a recipe here that Emily makes that I am quite fond of. She says it's pretty simple, although it's beyond my skills. I had fun photographing it and played around a little in PS (photoshop, not PlayStation), here is what I came up with. Enjoy!Here is the text in case you are having trouble seeing the jpg.

Baked Spaghetti

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green pepper

1 T. butter

1 (28 oz) can tomatoes with liquid

1 (4 oz) can mushroom pieces and stems drained

1 (2 ¼ oz) can sliced olives

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

12 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

¼ c water

¼ c Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, sauté onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Add ground beef. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Pace half of the cooked spaghetti in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable/meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Mix the soup and water until smooth. Pour over the casserole. Repeat the layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.

Italian Style Meatballs

1 pkg. (6 oz) Stove Top Chicken Stuffing
2 lb. ground beef
1 1/4 cups water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all ingredients in large bowl; mix until well blended. Shape into 24 meatballs, using about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture for each meatball. Place in single layer on foil lined baking pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.