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!

The Best Chilled Spinach Dip

    A few weeks ago, some of my friends got together up at Ginnie Springs! They camp and party for days! Emphasis on the party! Even if I'm not camping, I always like to pop up there to see my friends, have a few drinks, and float down the Santa Fe River a couple of times! It's become something I look forward to every couple of months. This time in particular was our friend Nate's Dirty Thirty! I decided that spinach dip sounded like a good idea! Now, not to brag or anything, my friend Heather told me that this was the best spinach dip she had ever had! I took this as the highest of compliments! I'm so excited to finally share this recipe with you! I tried it with pretzels, amazing. Chips, delish. I even dipped celery into this amazing stuff!

The Best Chilled Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

- 1 (16 ounce) package or 2 cups of sour cream

- 2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach

- 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1/2 cup of water chestnuts, diced

- 1 envelope of Knorr vegetable soup mix

- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

    Thaw the spinach in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove as much moisture from the spinach as you can. Whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in everything else. Let it sit for a few hours and then serve! I'm thinking this would be great in a bread bowl!

Dirty Thirty! Love these people!!

Bacon Ranch Spinach Pinwheels

    I've been playing around with the idea of tortilla pinwheels. I tried the buffalo chicken pinwheel a couple of weeks ago and I wasn't impressed. For our fourth of July shindig I actually made two different pinwheels. One was a cheddar, black olive, and green onion version that was pretty good. I really liked these ranch and bacon spinach pinwheels though!

Bacon Ranch Spinach Pinwheels

Ingredients:

- 1 (10 ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

- 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, half of a package

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 1/2 of an envelope of ranch dip mix

- 3 bacon strips, cooked and chopped (about 1/4 cup)

- 3 green onions, chopped

- 3 or 4 (10 inch) flour tortillas

    In a medium sized bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch mix. Stir in the green onions, bacon, and spinach. Spread the mixture onto the tortillas, roll them up, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour. Remove from refrigerator and slice into pinwheels. Serve chilled.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

    As my mother would say, "Sometimes, less is more Bridget." This recipe really brings out the taste of the roasted red peppers. It really doesn't need a whole lot of seasoning. This is a super simple and fast idea for dinner!

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 (9 ounce) package of tortellini

- 3 (14 ounce) cans of chicken broth

- 1 (7 ounce) jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

- 3 green onions, chopped

- 3 cups of fresh spinach

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

    Cook the tortellini according to package directions and drain. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the cooked tortellini, peppers, green onions, and spinach. Let simmer for a minute. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.   

Spinach Stuffing Bites

     I really like this recipe! A friend of mine had the most beautiful baby shower over the weekend and I whipped up some spinach bites to add to the array of delicious hors d'oeuvres. They are great on their own or you could serve them with a dipping sauce. I may try them with a marinara sauce or some ranch the next time I make them!

Spinach Stuffing Bites

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

- 1 (8 ounce) package of herb seasoned stuffing mix

- 6 large eggs

- 1 cup of grated pamesan cheese

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground back pepper

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes, until fragrant. Set aside and let cool. Rinse the thawed spinach in a fine colander and pat dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, stuffing mix, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Mix it all together. I like to let it sit for a few minutes to allow the stuffing mix to soak up all of the moisture. Roll into 1 inch balls and bake on a greased baking sheet for about 15 minutes. 

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Penne with Shrimp

    This sauce reminds me of Olive Garden's Five Cheese Marinara! My creamy marinara is a bit more simple. Fresh spinach and a creamy sauce make this pasta dish a dream. You'll probably have leftovers!

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Penne with Shrimp

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 small onion, diced

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes

- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste 

- 1/2 cup of water

- 1/2 teaspoon of oregano

- 1/2 teaspoon of basil

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 2 ounces of cream cheese

- 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

- 1 pound of penne pasta

- 1/2 of a (9 ounce) bag of fresh spinach

- 2 cups of cooked shrimp

    Cook the pasta in salted water. While waiting for the pasta to cook, saute the onions and the olive oil in a large pan, over medium heat, until they become translucent. Add in the minced garlic and saute for a few minutes before adding the diced tomatoes (with the juice), oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let simmer for a few minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste and water. Turn down the heat to low and whisk in the cream cheese and shredded parmesan. Then, add in the shrimp and spinach, cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Toss in the pasta and serve right away. 

Sausage Onion Spinach Quiche

    I have always loved quiche! It's an easy idea and you probably have all of the ingredients in your refrigerator already. You can make quiche with just about anything you want in it. I like my quiche to be pretty dense, so I use less cream and lots of add-ins. I made this recipe for dinner last night and it came out really good.

Sausage Onion Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:

- 1 9 inch pie crust

- 1 pound of ground breakfast sausage

- 1 cup of roughly chopped onions

- 1 cup of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, rinsed, and drained

- 1 cup of shredded cheese, I used white cheddar

- 5 large eggs

- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream

- salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and cream, add a little salt and pepper and set aside. In a skillet, sweat the onions with a little salt and pepper for a few minutes, do not brown them, set aside. Once you've removed the onions from your skillet, throw in the sausage and cook until it starts to brown. Once the sausage is cooked, drain the fat (I put it on a paper towel). Add the spinach, onions, sausage, and half of the cheese to the egg mixture. Save some sausage to put on top. Pour it into the pie crust, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the rest of cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the center is set when you shake it and it's started to brown.