Gnocchi Chicken Alfredo Bake

While browsing Pinterest this week, I stumbled upon a recipe for a Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake, on InsideBruCrewLife.com.  I absolutely love gnocchi & seeing as how I was going to be entertaining family later in the week, I thought I would save the recipe to make it later.

Have you ever had gnocchi?  Gnocchi are Italian dumplings made with potato and flour.  They are cooked and served like pasta with a sauce of your choice.  And they are the perfect addition to this tasty bake.

Constructing this casserole is easy if you have all of the ingredients on hand.  Here is what you will need:

3 cups gnocchi

2 cups frozen broccoli

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

1 - 15 ounce jar Alfredo sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

My husband grilled up chicken breasts & then cut them into cubes.  I sliced up some leftover bacon from breakfast and added it to the dish along with leftover broccoli from dinner the night before. 

*(I did not use frozen broccoli because my steamed broccoli was a little al dente when we first ate it so it was perfect for the bake.)* 

I boiled the water for the gnocchi & added them to the pot.  They sink initially but you can tell they are fully cooked when they rise to the surface.  Mine took about 10 minutes.

I then combined all the items with the Alfredo sauce and poured it into my casserole dish.  The final step is to sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top & place it in the oven.  It cooks at 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes.  Then turn the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.  Keep your eye on it though because it browns pretty quickly.

Once it's finished cooking, it's ready to serve!  I also made some homemade garlic bread & an easy Italian salad with shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced olives, tomatoes & Italian dressing.

It was delicious!  And my guests had second helpings!  I will definitely be filing away this recipe.  Thanks InsideBruCrewLife for this delicious recipe!

Nails!

As a woman, I love getting my nails done.  Not so much a mani or pedi - which is nice, don't get me wrong - but I see my nails as my ultimate accessory, followed a very close second by my hair.  

Nails are great!  You get two sets - fingers & toes.  And everyone's are different! Some are long, some short, some thick, some thin, some wide, some narrow.  It doesn't matter what you have, they are a blank canvas just waiting to be painted on.

There are so many great nail products out there now.  I want to share some of the fun nail products I've been enjoying!

JAMBERRY!!  I have short nails that bend easily so regular polish only lasts a few days before it starts chipping off.  I tried the gel nail polish when it first came out & that just peeled off my nails in a few days.  And then I was introduced to Jamberry by a friend.  And I fell in love!  Jamberry has vinyl nail wraps in various trendy colors & designs.  Application is easy & if done properly, they last for weeks!  They go on similar to the popular nail polish stickers except you have to heat them to activate the adhesive before applying.  I had to remove mine because my nails had grown out too before they ever came off or wore out.  Check out their latest designs and give them a try!

My other recent nail fav is Julep!  It is a mail order subscription service just for nail polish! (Well they do have other beauty products but I'm only in it for the polish.)  For $19 a month, you get to choose your box for the month, which usually contains 3 Julep created polishes, a retail value of $40.  You get a discount when you purchase through their online shop and also get coupons or discounts for freebie polishes of your choice.  

I know it sounds like a lot for 3 polish colors but they are amazing colors with different textures.  They apply smoothly and are fast drying.  I would consider them premium nail polishes.  

And if you do not wish to get your box that month, you can send your box to a friend!  I love that you can choose  some fun colors and surprise your friends with a gift box for their birthday or any other special occasion.  You also get to choose you term of membership and can cancel at any time.  Or if you do not want to commit, you can just purchase colors from the Julep website, however Mavens (subscribers) get them at a discount.  If you love nail polish, give it a try and see if you like it!

I Love Bountiful Baskets!

My wonderful husband got up early Saturday morning to go pick up our Bountiful Basket order.  And look at what was in our basket!

Bountiful baskets is a food co-op that distributes produce baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread & sandwich bread every other week.  

It is an all volunteer organization.  They have co-op locations in 23 states & also have an option to start a new location in your area.  

The baskets cost $15 for conventional basket & $25 for a 100% Certified Organic Basket.  They also offer additional items each week like cookies, bread, tortillas, etc for an additional $10 or so.  

Pick up's are usually Saturday mornings at a specified area with a 15 minute window.  

The volunteers group orders in piles so when you come to pick your order you are directed to your basket pile.  

We ordered a conventional basket & added an order of tortillas & bread.  The tortilla order came with 4 different styles/sizes of tortilla with a dozen of each.  Our bread order included 5 loaves of bread, 2 whole grain, 2 white, and 1 rosemary sourdough.   

And as you can see, you need a laundry basket to load up your produce & take it home!

XOXO - Gina

Valentine's Day Breakfast

With Valentine's a day away, most people are looking to bake homemade gifts for their loved ones.  

A great way to start the day is with a Valentine's Day breakfast.  There are many quick and easy meals you can cook having a Valentine/Love theme.  

Strawberries are an easy way to incorporate a heart shape into your meal.  You can put them in yogurt or cereal.

Or even add them to your pancakes! (Here is a cute recipe you can use for Valentine's day or Birthdays)

From BetterBakingBible.com

And of course anyone who likes eggs for breakfast would "love" a heart shaped egg in a hole.

From WholeFoodsMarket.com

No matter what you make for your loved one, they will appreciate the effort you put in to show them you care.

XOXO - Gina

Let the Randomness Begin!

So besides my love of all things "crafty," I have many other interests!  My husband says I'm a multi-tasker of hobbies.  I would love to share my passion for these other things on this blog.

I enjoy cooking & baking.   I have favorite tried & true recipes but I am always looking for new ones to try out.  

Photography is another passion of mine that I don't get to indulge in quite as often as I would like to but I do love finding helpful tips and tricks.

I appreciate music, movies, books, television and various other forms of entertainment.  

I'm a huge Disney fan!

And I adore nail polishes & mail order beauty subscriptions!

I am looking forward to sharing my randomness!  I hope it is as enjoyable, informative & entertaining for you as it has been for me!

XOXO - Gina