Recipe Fun Friday

O.k., so I tried 2 new recipes this week, and they were both good, so I have to share them with you. I forgot to take pictures of the 2nd one, so you will just have to imagine how good it looked. :)

1st Recipe: Chicken Gnocchi Veronese (ala Olive Garden) they have lots of recipes on their website http://www.olivegarden.com/ ) you can also adust the serving sizes on the website and it will automatically adjust the quanity of the ingredients. It's FABULOUS!!!
Prep Time: 30 min - 2 hrs, 30 m
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serving Size:4

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped (I left this out)
1 red bell pepper, sliced (julienned) (I left this out)
½ zucchini, sliced, (julienned) (I left this out)
Salt to taste
4 chicken breasts, sliced in ½” strips
2 small branches rosemary (I used what was in the cabinet)
1 garlic clove,
minced Juice of ½ lemon (I didn't have lemons, I had limes, but it worked just fine)

Veronese Sauce:
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup ricotta cheese
14 fl oz heavy cream

Gnocchi:
2 qt water
6 oz all-purpose flour
2 eggs2 lbs russet potatoes
2 tsp salt
OR
1 lb gnocchi (potato dumplings), cooked according to package directions

(If you are like me, you will go the easier way out. I used the prepackaged gnocchi. If you shop at publix, it is close to the top shelf I believe on the Ethnic food aisle - not positive though)
Procedures NOTE: You may make your own gnocchi by following the steps below, or you may purchase them already made.

Gnocchi
WASH potatoes and place in water. Cook potatoes until soft (cook time will depend on size of potatoes). Remove potatoes from water and cool in refrigerator.
PEEL cooled potatoes and push them through a fine grater (rice grater) until mashed; do not over-mash potatoes or they will get tough. COMBINE potatoes, flour and eggs in a mixing bowl. Mix well until dough does not stick to hands (add small amounts of flour at a time if needed).
DIVIDE dough into 4 sections. Roll out each section into a long rope. Cut each rope into ½” pieces. Push fork tines on each piece for the classic gnocchi appearance. BRING water to a boil in a sauce pot. Drop in gnocchi and cook until they float.

Chicken & Sauce
COMBINE garlic, lemon juice, rosemary and chicken slices in a mixing bowl. Let marinate for at least 2 hours. (I didn't realize that you had to do this for 2 hrs, so I just let it marinate while I made the sauce, and it ended up just fine)

COMBINE Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and heavy cream in a mixing bowl and set aside.

HEAT sauté pan on medium high. Add extra virgin olive oil, onions, bell peppers, and zucchini. Saute until onions are translucent (do not brown). ADD marinated chicken slices and cook until slices are brown on all sides and internal temperature is 165°F. Reduce heat and add sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer. DRAIN cooked gnocchi and add to pan with chicken, vegetables and sauce. Stir to coat gnocchi with sauce. SERVE gnocchi topped with extra Parmesan cheese.

I do not like onions, zucchini or bell peppers, and when I order this at Olive Garden, I always leave it out there too. This was an EXCELLENT dinner. I do have to try to make the gnocchi next time, per my husband's request. We will see if I actually do it. They tasted fine without making them myself. My house smelled the the resteraunt. It was GREAT. Only thing missing was their fabulous salad and breadsticks. Other than that, I got an A+ on dinner.



I know it looks funny, but it was really good!!! :)












2nd Recipe: Chicken Vegetable Cobbler (aka Turkey Vegetable Cobbler) Ala Pampered Chef "It's good for you" recipe book

Chicken (or turkey) & Vegetable filling:
2 cups of diced cooked turkey or chicken
1 cup of sliced carrots (I didn't have carrots, so I used mixed vegetabls - 1 can)
1/2 cut chopped onion (did not use)
2 cups of broccoli
1 can fat-free reduced-sodium condensed cream of chcken soup (didn't have so used cream of mushroom - it was fine)
1 cup of 100% fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cut of 2& reduced-fat milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Biscut topping:
1 1/4 cups reduced-fat-all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup 2 % reduced-fat milk
1 egg white
(I used already made biscuits for this part. Just make sure you flatten them or slice them in 1/2 (through the middle like you would open a biscuit up) otherwise, the biscuits will cook too fast!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (I would personally do 350 if you are using already made busicuts. Otherwise the tops of the biscuits will cook WAY too fast) For turkey (chicken) and vegetable filling, cut turkey into 1/2" cubes. Cut carrots into 1/4" slices. Chop onions. In a large microwaveable bowl, combine carrots, onions and broccoli. Microwave, covered, on high for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain

2. Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl, combine soup, broth, milk, garlic, thyme and black pepper. whisk until blended. Stir in turkey (chicken) and vegetable mixture; mix well. Pour into baking dish.

3. For biscut toping, in smal bowl, combine baking mis, milk and egg white; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture forms a soft dough. Use a medium sized scoop, drop six scoops of dough over filling. Bake 30-35 min or until topping is golden brown.

I refrained from using all the "Pampered Chef lingo" for the tools and bowls you should use for the recipe. Being that I just signed up with Pampered Chef, I do not have any of my gadgets yet, other than the measuring spoons that I ordered from my friend. If you would like to know what gadgets, utensils, bowls, and cookware they suggest you use, I will be more than happy to send you the un-edited version. If you would like to host a party or place an order, let me know and I will be happy to take care of that was well! :) This would be a great support for my new business!! :)

Thank you for letting me share my two new recipes with you. Hope you enjoy!!!