this and that

Mia might have started something when she blogged about completely unrelated things last week.  Since my life has been a series of random activities over the past few weeks, I thought I'd share a snippet of a couple non-related things myself.

First up, my sister was searching for a blessing dress for her darling, tiny Bentley.  Since I knew right where Jaci's was, I snapped a quick picture and sent it to her. Kind of as a joke.

Imagine my shock and delight when she decided to use it!  Who knew that the dress I made when I was 20 years old would turn into a family heirloom of sorts?  Back in 1994, I checked a book out at the library to teach myself how to smock the bodice. (there were no blogs or you-tube videos) I remember keeping myself busy after work and on weekends, finishing it just before Jaci was born.

I made a few changes to it, and Erica soaked it and brought it back to bright white.  Bentley looked like a little angel wearing it.  Here is a picture from the special day.  In case you can't tell, I'm beaming!

In other news, Phoenix had a very unusually rainy and cold day a couple of weeks ago.  It's a good thing I don't live in Seattle, because when the weather is dreary, I just want to be in the kitchen!  I whipped up a huge pot of one of my all-time favorite soups,  Chicken Ghocchi.  Thankfully, we had a steady stream of kids and adults in and out of the house all day and didn't have a drop left.  I posted this picture on Instagram (follow me! @jillegal) and had lots of friends call or email me for the recipe.

It completely defines comfort food.  If you are planning a day indoors, or need to take a meal to a sister in need, I highly suggest this recipe. As an added bonus, when I can get my family to eat this much spinach without complaining, I call that a motherly victory.

In case you don't know what gnocchi is, I thought to take a picture of the box before I disposed of it. Gnocchi is a petite bundle of love in my humble opinion, a little potato dumpling that is sure to please.

You can find it lined up with all the other dry pasta at your grocery store.  I have found that the texture of the gnocchi changes if it's refrigerated and reheated, so it's definitely best the day it's made.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup 

1 T. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, shredded

1 pound cooked, cubed chicken(rotisserie chicken works great!)

4 cups chicken broth

1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi

1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. cold water

2 c. half and half

salt, pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil til onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth, bring to a simmer.

(OR, just put about 4 cups of water in a pot, add a pound of raw chicken, add all the veggies and a little bit of chicken bullion, salt and pepper and cook til chicken is done.  Cube up your chicken and you're at the same spot!)

Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, an additional 3 minutes or so.

Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth.  Stir cornstarch mixture and half and half into simmering soup.  Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste.

And finally, tis the season for a little Spring Cleaning.  I have decided to sell my {gallery wall of mirrors} as well as the two lamps I did a tutorial on way back in 2011. I'm selling all the mirrors together, and the lamps as a pair.

I've had so many compliments, and I have really enjoyed the mirror wall, but I'm ready for a little change in there.  I feel like with the accessorized {bookcases} in the same room, it's just too busy.

I'd really love to do one large thing over the buffet, and have the Thrifting God's aid me in finding two big lamps at Goodwill for $7.99 each.  I'm going for a much more clean lined and simple look to balance out the ornate sideboard.  Who has an idea for me?  I'd LOVE to hear what you think I should do!   I'm really at a loss.....

Email me at meandjilly@gmail.com or leave a comment with your email address if you are interested in purchasing the mirrors, the lamps, or the whole package.

And that concludes MY most random post to date.