Creamy Pesto Chicken Soup with Spinach Gnocchi with Pesto Toasts

Where do you find your inspiration? When you sit down to write, what are the things that keep it fresh for you and make it easy? Some days I sit at this tired and beaten computer of mine and stare wondering where the 99 ideas and paragraphs I wrote at 2am in a half conscious daze went. Oh, that’s right, they disappeared when I had to slay the evil dude from He-Man by coloring in the lines with only three colors in order to save the princess.

Obviously, none of my posts come from my dreams. I tend to treat posts like a good soup. First comes the idea, it starts, and I jot some things down and  just let it simmer. Those posts that are more then a few pretty pictures and a recipe. I let them go low and slow until I feel like the words fit. Otherwise, they just don’t read right to me.

But some days I can’t help but wonder, where do these ideas and topics come from and where will I find the next one. Those are the days that I feel like I’m trying to hard. It should flow, be natural, and if it’s not ‘they’ will know (‘They’ being you, the only person who made it this far down the post. You being the one that will throw rotten eggs at my computer screen if you don’t like what I am going on about).

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Creamy Pesto Chicken Soup with Spinach Gnocchi

from 300 Sensational Soups

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 teas salt
• 1/4 teas grond black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1 lb gresh spinach potato gnocchi
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, snipped
• 2 teas freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add stock, salt ad pepper; bring to a boil.

Stir in cream and pesto. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Do not let boil. Add the gnocchi and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken, parsley, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into heated bowls, garnish with parsley and serve with pesto toasts.

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Pesto Toasts

Ingredients:

• 1 baguette style loaf
• 1/2 cup pesto

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat broiler.

Slice the baguette on a bias into thin slices. Spread a thin layer of pesto over each slice and arrange on baking sheet.

Toast until edges are golden brown.

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