Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Just before Christmas, I met my friend Amy (who I work with) for lunch at The Olive Garden. Amy suggested the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. I'm a big chicken soup fan, and their Chicken and Gnocchi Soup looked different. It was delicious. I had two bowls and really wanted more, but I was stuffed. I came home and looked on the internet and found a few people had come up with their own versions. On the fourth no-school-snowy day of the year, Catherine wanted to cook something, and I told her it was a good soup kind of day. With a little help from mom, this is the one Catherine made for our lunch. Although I cannot remember exactly what The Olive Garden one tasted like, this one was definitely a winner.

• 2 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced
  (I boiled 2 chicken breasts. The original recipe also recommends using rotisserie chicken)
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup light cream
  (the original recipe called for 1 quart half and half. We only had a little light cream and milk, and since it still tasted great, I will continue to make it this way, as it will cut down on the calories and fat)
• 3 cups milk (I used Hood Fat Free Smart Milk)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup carrots
  (the original recipe calls for shredded carrots. I used several baby carrots, cut length-wise, and then sliced as thin as I could without cutting my fingers off, and then cut those slices in half, to make little "shreds")
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup spinach
  (the original recipe calls for fresh spinach, but I used about a half of a package of frozen, thawed and drained)
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. gnocchi
  (I found pre-made gnocchi in the pasta aisle -- not refrigerated. Next time, I might want to try with a fresher version, or even a frozen)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook gnocchi according to the package directions.
2. Saute the onion and celery in the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
3. When the onion starts to become translucent, add the garlic.
4. Cook for 1 minute and then add the flour to make a roux.
5. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about another minute.
6. Add the cream and milk.
7. Into the roux, add in the carrots and the chicken.
8. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth.
9. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach and seasonings.
10. Simmer until the soup is heated through.

Yields 8 Servings
Nutritional Information
330.3 Calories, 14.8 Total Fat, 7.0 Saturated Fat, 38.9 Cholesterol, 634.8 Sodium, 66.2 Potassium,
33.7 Total Carbohydrates, 1.9 Dietary Fiber, 8.5 Sugar, 16.7 Protein

Glass Jaw

This is an "everything but the kitchen sink" drink. Nick gave me this concoction as a "knock you on your a$$" kind of drink. I am modifying the whiskey to be only a half-ounce because I like a little taste of it, but not too strong.

Mix and serve in a tumbler:

• 2 oz. coconut rum
• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. tequila
• ½ oz. whiskey
• Orange juice and ice to taste

Apricot, Lime, Soy Sauce Chicken Wings

As I've said so many times, my friend, Martha, is my go-to person for recipes. My own personal Iron Chef, who tests out recipes and then tells me which the right ones to go with are, but also how to tweak them in a way that makes them exceptional.

For this past weekend, we were hosting another Family Game Night, which also doubled as a birthday celebration for Jim's 45th birthday. I wanted to make some foods that would be worthy of a game night. I asked my group of friends, and I went with many of their suggestions -- tried and true recipes that I already have on here, like Macaroni and Cheese and Pulled Pork, but I added Martha's recipe for Apricot, Lime, and Soy Sauce Chicken Wings. I got so many raves from the family on the spread we put out. I am quite pleased with the results!

• 8 lbs. chicken wings, split
• 1 cup fresh lime juice (4 large limes, or 8-10 regular sized limes)
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 4 large garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. If wings are not already split, cut off wing tips, and halve the wings at the joint.
3. Divide wings into 2 large, disposable roasting pans (about 12x16") each, arranging in a single layer. (I bought smaller, lasagna-sized pans, so I used 4 pans)
4. Puree remaining ingredients in a blender and pour mixture equally over wings.
5. Bake wings in upper and lower thirds of oven for 50 minutes.
6. Turn wings over and switch position of pans in the oven, then bake another 45 minutes to 1 hour more, or until liquid is thick and sticky.
   
   Watch carefully so the wings do not burn. I actually checked every 20-30 minutes and turned and rearranged, for fear of burning. I did well with that, however, I was a bit of a klutz and accidentally spilled some of the liquid when trying to put the pan back in the oven... it sizzled and smoked for a while, which didn't help the sanity of the kitchen... lol