In The Kitchen...

There has been lot's of cooking going on in my kitchen. From last week for my birthday to this weeks treats for Easter. I will show ya the treats I am making for Easter up next.... I decided to do all homemade goodies for my kids this year in their baskets! Can't wait!!! For now I am sharing the goodness that occurred last week in my little cucina. I made a ton of cupcakes...big and small for our Bible study small group last Wednesday! They were gone in a matter of seconds!

I have also been on a soup kick lately...This one is a special soup recipe called Frikadeļu zupa from my Great Grandmother. My Gramma taught me how her Mother made it back in Latvia many years ago. So, I tried my hand at it and made myself a birthday dinner. Thanks to my Gramma...I did good. The base is a broth using chicken bullion then i added potatoes, carrots, garlic clove, celery, parsley, green onion, onion, diced tomato with a bit of green chili, celery,cabbage and little melt in your mouth meatballs then topped it with sour cream and a few snips of green onion ..oh yeah and there was some salt and pepper to taste...It was great! And now a soup I will surely make on a regular basis...
Plus it is very healthy since everything it is fresh!

Oh and did I mention the red velvet cake my dear Mr. Darling surprised me with? Yup...He didn't make it...But the thought counts and we enjoyed it too! There is actually some left..can you believe! If it doesn't get eaten by tomorrow it will have to go in the trash..I'd hate to do it but, I am feeling caked out...I can't believe I said that...Since I love cake!

Then there's breakfasts during the week. I already shared the birthday waffles...We also eat stuff like oatmeal or toast with eggs and bacon. I just had to share the small container I found thrifting which matches the bigger one I found thrifting last year! So, I keep my oatmeal in the big one and sugar in the other...So cute! Great find too! I was excited and yes, I giggled and did a happy dance!
Oh let us not forget the Thomas Muffin brand thin bagels with sesame seeds and bits of onion on it slathered with real butter...I have the perfect kitchen contraption for my butter now. Thanks to my Aunt who gave it to me from our family yard sale several weeks back. It's called a butter bell. You put real butter in the bell part then place it into the container which is filled with cold water..This enables you to keep your butter out of the fridge for days as you change the water every few days..The butter will not spoil...I researched they came from France and works very well as you can spread your butter with ease instead of refrigerated butter that makes it hard to spread nicely. I just love doo dads that are useful and unique! You can find them through Ebay or their site butter bell. Well, I am off to plan out all the goodies that will be cooking up for celebration. Wishing you a Happy day!

Mellow Yellow....

Today was just kind of one of those days...A mellow yellow day where it was sunny yet chilly out. We did our lessons, a bit of laundry, dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. My dear Freckles picked me a whole vase of cheer....Well, she made me a collage. Sweet isn't she? I ate left over black bean soup for lunch with a couple circus cookies. I found the black bean soup recipe in the Dec~Jan 2011 issue of Mary Janes Farm. There's a whole section on Soups For Supper. I already made the Tamato Tarragon Bisque and paired it with grilled cheesy sandwiches. It was delish. Next on my list is Cheddar & Potato then Butternut Squash Soup. Last week we were over a friend's for dinner...She made a really good Corn Chowder which I plan to make as well. I love soups really anytime of the year... Especially on the chilly nights. They are wholesome and MMM MMMM good for you too! Did I mention they are easy to throw together as well? Here's the recipe for Black Bean Soup. I know it looks scary in the picture, but trust me it is really tasty!

Black Bean Soup
Saute 1 diced onion, 1 cup diced carrot, 1 stalk diced celery, and 2 cloves minced garlic in 3T olive oil. Add 1 1/2  t ground cumin and 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes; Cook for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water, 2 cups chicken broth, and 2 cans (16oz.) organic black beans undrained; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Add 2 T fresh chopped cilantro, 1/4 t cinnamon, and 1/2 cup orange juice; cook for 10 minutes. Mash some of the beans in the pot. Stir in 2 t lemon juice and salt to taste. Serves 6.
Enjoy!

 
A bit more Spring cleaning and sorting through junk for our fundraiser garage sale is in order. Also getting ready for a visit to my mom's. The kids are going to be doing some TO DO stuff for some moola! That's always nice. Then we're off to celebrate my sisters birthday/ (SLASH) My birthday lunch for the girls and a wee bit of  shopping... Mama is gonna get us girls a little token for our birthday's! Woot!!! I am also putting out a few Springy things and thought I'd show ya this cute chubby chick I got from my mom's garage sale last Summer... Now to fill it with some goodies! Hope you all have a delightful day...Weather it be a good day or bad day or just one of those mellow yellow days...

Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

About a month or so ago I met with a bloggy friend Clarice... for lunch at the Olive Garden and ordered their creamy chicken Gnocchi soup which I fell in love with and later had withdrawals for it and so I thought to myself ..."I wonder if I can find the recipe for it and make it at home on occasion or heck... on a regular basis that is... So I searched the web and here it was. I tried the recipe and it was exactly like Olive Gardens soup...I am so thrilled. I made it twice already . The second time was a Sunday lunch I invited 5 people over after Church and they all loved it too! I didn't add the spinach though and I made my own gnocchi...I heard that the store bought kind is kinda yukky! Though I can't say, since I never had it. So hare you go...It's relatively easy to make just be sure to give yourself a couple hours for it takes some time to make the gnocchi...or you can surely prepare it ahead of time then throw the soup together. It is worth the time!!!!

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

1. 1/3 c. olive oil
2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
3. 1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
4. 1/3 c. flour
5. 1/2 c. shredded carrots
6. 1 stick celery, chopped
7. 1/2 c. fresh chopped spinach
8. 2 & 1/2 c. milk
9. 1 & 1/2 c. heavy cream
10. 3 chicken bullion cubes
11. salt & pepper to taste
12. 17 oz. pre-made gnocchi
13.  ( I made my gnocchi from scratch * recipe below)

On medium heat, cook chicken and garlic in a large pot in olive oil until cooked through.

Stir in flour and mix well until the flour is cooked into the chicken.

Add the rest of the ingredients except for the gnocchi.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add gnocchi; cook for 3-4 more minutes till cooked through.

Homemade Gnocchi

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Scant 2 pounds of starchy potatoes (2 large russets)

1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten

scant 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

fine grain sea salt

Fill a large pot with cold water. Salt the water, then cut potatoes in half and place them in the pot. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender throughout, this takes roughly 40-50 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the water one at a time with a slotted spoon. Place each potato piece on a large cutting board and peel it before moving on to the next potato. Also, peel each potato as soon as possible after removing from the water. Be mindful that you want to work relatively quickly so you can mash the potatoes when they are hot. To do this you can either push the potatoes through a ricer, or do what I do, deconstruct them one at a time on the cutting board using the tines of a fork - mash isn't quite the right term here. I run the fork down the sides of the peeled potato creating a nice, fluffy potato base to work with  Don't over-mash - you are simply after an even consistency with no noticeable lumps. Save the potato water.

Let the potatoes cool spread out across the cutting board - ten or fifteen minutes. Long enough that the egg won't cook when it is incorporated into the potatoes. When you are ready, pull the potatoes into a soft mound - drizzle with the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top. I've found that a metal spatula or large pastry scraper are both great utensils to use to incorporate the flour and eggs into the potatoes with the egg incorporated throughout - you can see the hint of yellow from the yolk. Scrape underneath and fold, scrape and fold until the mixture is a light crumble. Very gently, with a feathery touch knead the dough. This is also the point you can add more flour (a sprinkle at a time) if the dough is too tacky. I usually end up using most of the remaining 1/4 cup flour, but it all depends on the potatoes, the flour, the time of year, and the weather. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It should feel almost billowy. Cut it into 8 pieces. Now gently roll each 1/8th of dough into a snake-shaped log, roughly the thickness of your thumb. Use a knife to cut pieces every 3/4-inch (see photo). Dust with a bit more flour.

To shape the gnocchi hold a fork in one hand (see photo) and place a gnocchi pillow against the tines of the fork, cut ends out. With confidence and an assertive (but light) touch, use your thumb and press in and down the length of the fork. The gnocchi should curl into a slight "C" shape, their backs will capture the impression of the tines as tiny ridges (good for catching sauce later). Set each gnocchi aside, dust with a bit more flour if needed, until you are ready to boil them. This step takes some practice, don't get discouraged, once you get the hang of it it's easy.

Now that you are on the final stretch, either reheat your potato water or start with a fresh pot (salted), and bring to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches by dropping them into the boiling water roughly twenty at a time. They will let you know when they are cooked because they will pop back up to the top. Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or so after they've surfaced. Then plop them into your soup mixture. I put in about 80 of them to the soup. You can use the rest for another time just freeze them up to 6 months. I heard they are also good in pesto sauce. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Okay, so this might just be a bit fattening...but it is all from scratch. Which I intend to do more of. Cooking from scratch is much healthier for you than buying pre- packaged and it costs less in the long run. Hope you make it and love it ! Happy cooking!!!
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