OG Chicken and Dumpling Soup

If you like soup, here is a recipe that I served at quilting and everyone really liked it. There is no official chicken and gnocchi soup recipe on the Olive Garden site, but by goggling, I came up with this one. There are many other very close but I chose to go with this one. I will add in red the actual things I did. This soup when served at Olive Garden is not a really thick with vegetable soup, but you can add whatever amount of chicken and vegetables you want. The first time I made it I concluded that I had added too much. The 2nd time I definitely cut back on the chicken to the amount listed below and liked it much better. You decide how you like it. I hope you enjoy it! Love, Mom

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup – non official recipe
http://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-style-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup-348802
Serves 8 to 10 – I doubt it, more like 4 to 6

3 -4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced – 1 to 1 ½ c. – diced is important – and not big chunks – tiny!
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
1 stalk celery, diced - extremely thin and small
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded – extremely thin (first time a tried it I used some grated from the store – but they were too thick and didn’t cook well. I grated my own the 2nd time)
1/2 onion, diced - fine dicing
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped – don’t use canned, and chop very small – about the size of parsley flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil - I didn’t think that was quite enough, so the 2nd time I added some butter to the olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme - I used about ¾ tsp., but just because I was just being hesitant
salt and pepper - about ½ t. of each – the chicken stock already has salt in it, and I boiled the chicken for about an hour and a half in salt, bullion, garlic and onion flakes
16 ounces potato gnocchi - I used Danish dumplings – probably a half recipe, I used a melon ball spoon, and I cooked them in a separate container of chicken bullion broth. When they were done, I drained the juice off and hopefully much of the little pieces that had broken off, and put them out on a separate plate. I added them to the soup the last couple of minutes. I tried to cook them right before I was able to serve the soup
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional) mixed with 2 or so tablespoons of water. (This is not a thick soap – like – chowder, but I would used 1 ½ to 2T. cornstarch)

Directions:
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in oil (butter) over medium heat until onion is translucent or 3 or 4 min. – in the same pan you will cook the soup in. Add chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme and carrots (stirring frequently and not doing it so fast that it curdles the milk). When it is about to boiling, thicken with the cornstarch. When thickened to desired thickness – remember it is not a thick soup, add the chicken. Heat to boiling and simmer for 10 min. (This is where the regular recipe has you add gnocchi. It says gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.) During this time I was doing the dumplings. Add the pre-cooked dumplings and spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted. This is where their recipe says to thicken it but I prefer thickening it before.

You can serve with Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese, or mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. We used the Romano and Parmesan.

Serve with hot roll, bread sticks, or whatever and tossed salad with Olive Garden dressing.

Mom

Grape Juice

1. Pick grapes.
2. Prepare quart bottles. I washed mine in the dishwasher on a sani-rinse. Mom just cleans hers and doesn't do anything extra to sanitize them.
3. Fill basin of steamer approximately 3/4 full of water.
4. Rinse grapes, picking out leaves or debris. Leave grapes on the stems.




5. Place grapes into steamer. Pack, but don't press.
6. Bring water in basin to a boil. Turn down to medium heat.
7. After about 50 minutes, you will be able to fill one or two quart bottles.
8. Place flats on full bottles and finger-tighten the rings. Mom preheats water to sterilize the flats, rings and jars.
9. Check water in basin. Refill if necessary.




10. After an additional 20 to 40 minutes, you should be able to fill approximately three or four more bottles. Place flats and rings.
11. The USDA says to process in a water bath. They also add sugar and an additional step of refrigerating, straining and reheating the grape juice in order to reduce the tartaric acid. Here is a link to official water bath times: UGA - Grape Juice. Mom does not do this.

Also:

A. Don't stir or push the grapes or you will get debris in your bottles.

B. After filling my quarts, I did stir the grapes in the pot and then let it cook a little longer. I saved that juice to strain and serve. Approximately two total quarts were taken after the grapes were stirred and needed to be strained.

C. I had an apple box and a full shopping bag full of concord grapes. It yielded about 20 total quarts.
D. I typically got 5 1/2 quarts per batch.  I saved the extra 1/2 quarts into two bottles and served grape juice that night.