Gnocchi ! ! !

Hi everyone, how is your night going??? Funny how we plan things for the evening and then it never turns out the way we planned. I had all the intentions of going downstairs and making some Father's Day cards for Hospice.......did I make it down there???? Nope, I ended up doing some cooking, not such a bad thing.....I suspect JP will be thrilled and surprised too!!!

 

So tonight, I fried some bacon in the oven. I buy bacon in bulk at Festival Foods. I place the bacon on a cookie sheet with a layer of parchment paper so it does not stick. Lay the bacon side by side and put in the oven @ 400 degrees. As the pieces brown, I take them off and layer some more bacon on the cookie sheet till it is all cooked up. When there gets to be too much bacon grease on the sheet, I pour the grease into a can and either save it to cook with or throw the grease out. You can have just so much bacon grease in the refrigerator and then you need to seriously do something with it. What do I do with all that cooked bacon??? Freeze it, when I need some, just take it out of the freezer and stick it in the fry pan with the eggs....perfect.

 

Next on the agenda was chicken soup. I started boiling the chicken thigh and leg, then added the celery and onions, chicken bullion and a few seasonings. Took the meat out and deboned it. Then I thought...instead of noodles, I think Potato Gnocchi sounds good for the soup. I have been wanting to make gnocchi, so tonight was the night!!!! I boiled the potatoes then mashed them, added the flour, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and egg.  

Mixed it all together, kneaded the dough 5 or 6 times on a floured  board and then rolled the potato dough out into a rope about  1 1/2 inches in diameter. I did this in sections.  Then....

...cut the rope in 1" or less segments. Here is where you can lay them on a plate, cover them with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Or, place them in boiling water, when they came to the surface.......

I transferred the "Parmesan Potato Gnocchi" into the soup.



Very tasty soup....JP will probably say, did you write the recipe down??? Well, kinda, but my chicken soups never turn out the same. Guess that is why I enjoy making chicken soup....I can always change it some way and it always tastes good and heals whatever is ailing you.

An update on our basement and backyard flooding....the water went down in the backyard.....does not look like it did on Monday. The basement is still a little wet, the dehumidifier has been running 24/7. Probably won't lay the carpets down for a couple of weeks yet. It doesn't usually get that wet down there, not sure what the cause was. I am thinking the gutters must have backed up and need to be cleaned.

Well, time to close, JP will be home soon, have to get his dinner cooked. He'll have soup, eggs and bacon, cucumber salad, fruit and toasted bagles. Sounds good to me. Have a great rest of the evening, what's left of it and a good day tomorrow. Keep looking up. Cheers ~ Louise

A "100 Mile Challenge" for August

I have taken on a "100 mile challenge" to ride my stationary bike. As you can see, starting miles on the odometer is 2,506.1. Ending miles will hopefully read 2,606.1 by the end of this month.

Beth from www.mybizzykitchen.com put out this challenge and I responded by email. I have been following her blogs for about 6 months and have enjoyed reading them very much. She has given alot of hints to losing weight with healthy meals. She counts calories adding exercises and inspirational thoughts with using lots of different techniques....(I don't mind saying this as I am a "technique freak" who is always looking for new and insanely different things to do). Plus....I have a feeling, she knows how to enjoy life and make the best of everything she does!!!! That's a good plus :)

When dieting and exercise are involved I am finding it helpful to get little incentives doing it along with other people. (www.fatsecret.com  refered by Beth) is a good place to start. I have been trying to lose a few pounds with no real success (I think). But as I look back on my stationary bike riding since October ~ 1) didn't gain those ugly 10 lbs in the winter, 2) and maintained my weight, 3) blood sugars are usually low in the morning when I ride my bike the night before, 4) have noticed lately more endurance to ride straight through the 5 miles non-stop, 5) when I miss a night, I am very sluggish the next day. Those are just a few of the benefits I have found for this 65 year old body.

There maybe about 36+ other people on this challenge, today is the last day to sign up, so if you want to join in on the fun, let her know either by email or leave a comment on her blog www.mybizzykitchen.com Another great incentive is that all the people that took the challenge will be entered into a drawing for a prize and the winner will receive from Beth, 2 jars of her homemade Baja Fresh Salsa and 2 jars of her Grilled Cherry Salsa....PLUS.....a case of 6-16oz Chobani Greek Yogurt that will come straight from Chobani. I am trying the Chocolate vanilla chip yogurt..mmmmmmm good! Beth made Blueberry muffins using the Chobani blueberry yogurt, which I will need to try. Go to: www.chobani.com for free coupons lots of recipes and info on this wonderful greek yogurt.

Well, I am making some Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup in my Dutch Oven. A few people have given us some tomatoes, so I thought "IT'S SOUP TIME" a cold front is coming, so soup just might taste good. Don't think the cold front is going to be very cold, maybe just cool things down a bit and that will be fine with me, low 70's.....great!!!

Here is the recipe for the soup:

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (14 oz each) or fresh tomatoes
1 cup each finely diced celery and finely diced carrots and 1 onion finely diced
4 cup chicken broth (4 chicken bouillon cubes)
1/2 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbs dried basil
1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 cups half and half, warmed, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a large crockpot or dutch oven, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors and blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the pot. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Serve with fresh hot bread. Makes about 2 quarts. 6-8 servings

Enjoy!!

Think I will close for now (computer is driving me nuts and that is just a short putt for me) and finish the soup, water my plants outside. Maybe I will do my guitar lessons tonight and I need to make a card for the lady that has given us all these tomatoes. OH, OH, OH, and ride my bike 5 or so miles, lift some weights (3lbs each) and do some stretches with the rubber band. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise