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!