Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1/3 cup butter, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 pkg. (16 oz.) potato gnocchi
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, brown chicken in 2 tbsp butter.  Remove and keep warm.  In the same pan, saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in remaining butter until tender.
Whisk in flour until blended; gradually stir in the milk, cream, bouillon and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add the gnocchi and spinach; cook for 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  Add the chicken.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). I add a little chicken broth during those last minutes of cooking.
*Look for the potato gnocchi in the pasta section.

**I use a rotisserie chicken and also double the recipe.

***DELICIOUS!

Cathy Richards Round Steak Casserole

2 lbs round steak, cut into pieces
1 med. Onion, chopped
1 can of mushrooms, drained
Green olives, sliced
1 can tomato sauce
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Egg noodles
Cheddar cheese

Cook steak in covered pan. Drain. Add mushrooms, olives, tomato sauce, ketchup, & Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour.  Cook and drain noodles. Pour noodles into greased baking dish.  Pour steak mixture over and top with cheese.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 min.

*I have substituted with penne pasta, pizza sauce, and Colby cheddar cheese (that's what I had on hand) and it was still delicious! I also only cooked the sauce for 30 minutes instead of 1 hr.

Sausage Fried Rice

2 cups cooked white rice
1 lb. Sausage cooked with chopped onions and 3 crushed/chopped garlic cloves, + diced red pepper, drained and set aside.
Steamed carrots & peas, or steamed mixed vegetables-chopped
4 eggs
Sesame oil
Canola oil
Soy sauce

To a hot pan with 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp. Canola oil, add the vegetables and fry/cook for a couple minutes while stirring. Push to edge of pan and scramble eggs in middle.  Then add sausage mixture and rice. Add 3 tbsp. Soy sauce and black pepper. Stir and fry/cook for 5 - 10 minutes.

*I do double this recipe when the boys are home and add a few extra eggs.
*You can also use cooked chicken or pork in place of the sausage.

Tortilla Pizzas

Soft tortilla shells
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
Sliced green olives
Chopped onion
Basil
Oregano
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray pizza pan or cookie sheet with olive oil spray.  Place tortillas on sheets and brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Add tomatoes, onions, and olives. Sprinkle on dried spices and then top with a little mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce temp to 350 degrees and bake for 4-5 more minutes. Cut with pizza cutter into wedges.

Classic Baked Mac and Cheese

1 (8 oz) package elbow macaroni
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 (8 oz) bag of shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Add a small drizzle of olive oil in the last 30 seconds of cooking and stir.  Drain and set aside.
Melt butter in saucepan on med-low heat.  Whisk in flour and milk, stirring constantly with a whisk and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in salt, pepper, cayenne, half the cheese, and the pasta.
Spoon mixture into dish, top with remaining cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*When the boys are home or we are having company, I will double this recipe.