Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

    Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! I'm on the lookout for cute and yummy Valentine's treats. Send me ideas! These chocolate cookies are so rich and chocolatey! This is not my first rodeo when utilizing boxed cake mix to make cookies. It's so darn convenient! Just like my recipe for Easy Fluffy Cake Cookies, you could change up the type of cake mix that you are using in this recipe. I thought that these would be perfect as devils's food and rolled in pink sugar for Valentine's!


Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 box of devil's food cake mix
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- coarse sugar or sprinkles for rolling
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cake mix, baking powder, and salt. Next, add the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix well until combined. Scoop tablespoon sized cookies, roll them in sugar, and line them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy!



Monday, January 30, 2017

Bridget's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

    As a former Olive Garden employee, I have definitely eaten my fair share of chicken and gnocchi soup! This recipe is superb and is probably the closest that I have come to the original OG version. Trust me, I've been trying for years! While it may not be the most healthy choice of soup, it is worth the extra calories for sure. The key is to make sure to cook the roux before you whisk in your liquids, that's what makes the soup so nice and thick.


Bridget's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of salted butter
- 1/2 cup of chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 cups of half and half
- 2 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 large bay leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup of diced cooked chicken breast
- 1 cup (2 large carrots) of shredded and chopped carrot
- 1 pound of potato gnocchi
- 1 and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh spinach
    In a large soup pot, heat the butter over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Sweat the onion for a minute or two and then add the garlic and let it cook for another minute. Next, whisk in the flour. It will resemble dough, keep whisking it around and let it cook for a minute. Be careful to constantly whisk, do not leave this alone, it will burn. Once the bottom of the pot starts to brown, start to gently add the chicken broth, half&half, and milk. Whisk until the liquid starts to thicken and there are no lumps. Then, add the bay leaves and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Also, throw in the chicken and carrot. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally, I used a spatula to stir and made sure to scrape the bottom so it doesn't burn. Keep this up for about 15 minutes. Once the carrots are softened a little, add the gnocchi and let them cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Lastly, mix in the chopped spinach and let it wilt slightly before serving. If at any point your soup looks to thick, you can add more chicken broth to thin it out. Top with grated parmesan and enjoy!