Exciting Day

Today is monumental people...

I got to help cook dinner.  

I know, I know.  Hold your gasp of bewilderment and confusion.  I love cooking dinner for Chris.  Sure, at times it is a pain in the rear and adding more fuel to the fire is our lack of a dishwasher.  But, overall I really do enjoy it.  Since marrying the guy almost four months ago, I could probably count on two hands the times I have actually been able to prepare a meal for the two of us.  

Today is different.

Today, I got to help.

Now, seeing as how my day will still not end until 7:15ish, Chris still has to do the "cooking" aspect of things.  Here is how my helping plays out:

On the menu tonight is Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup.  So, I wrote out the recipe, set out the dry ingredients and put the chicken in the crock pot.

Next, I cut up all the veggies and set the other ingredients close by.  (just to clarify, Chris could figure out where the heavy whipping cream and milk are located, but it makes me feel more involved)

I set our wonderful soup pot on the stove, ready to go.

Finally, I typed up an email to Chris letting him know everything is ready to go, the time I will be home, when to start the soup, and that there is bread in the freezer.

 

 

 

And there you have it.  I got to help with dinner.  

Oh, and in case you were interested, here is the recipe for this fabulous soup.  I got it from my mother, not sure where she got it from.  It is amazingly wonderful and best of all, not difficult.  Now, if I could just have the Olive Garden salad (I know there is a recipe on Pinterest, wasn't thinking ahead this week) and some bellini tea, I would be set.

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1/3 c. butter
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb chicken--cooked & cubed
1/3 c. flour
1/2 sliced carrots
1 stick sliced celery
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. fresh spinach torn in pieces
2 c. milk
2 c. heavy cream
3 chicken bullion cubes
Pepper to taste
17.6 oz. of Gnocchi (I rarely use all of it--too much)

On medium heat:
Melt butter in a soup pot, add garlic and saute.
Add chicken and flour.  Mix well until flour is cooked into chicken.
Next add milk and heavy cream.
Add veggies (carrots, celery, onion, spinach)
Add 3 bullion cubes.
Add Gnocchi last--it takes 3-4 minutes to cook throughout. 
Mix ingredients well until soup thickens and stirring occasionally.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

(If too thick, add milk to consistency you want.)