My Skillet Says, "Mangia!"

Did you know that my skillet speaks Italian?

Oh, I guess you wouldn't have any idea - you haven't eaten dinner at my house yet.

Well, then, sit back and allow me to tell you all about it.

Ok. So far, I know of 2 languages that my skillet speaks: Bacon and Italian. Hey, bacon is a language to some people. Anyway, the first Italian dish I tried to make in her came out wonderfully.

See, I judge a dinner's merit on how much Sumo liked it. And he loved this. So far, it's this and the Quinoa. And, yes, the bacon. Geeze!

I read an interesting recipe that called for gnocchi to be made in the skillet. I decided I'd switch some things up with the recipe to make it more along the lines of how Sumo would like it. He hates bland food - I think it's an Indian thing, though he hates Indian food, too. Anyway, I added some spice, subtracted some cheese, and switched up the type of tomatoes. It was delicious and looked quite stunning (smelled pretty darn good, too).

And it was insanely easy to make. Here, try it!

Gnocchi with Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes
2 tbsp Olive Oil
16oz Gnocchi
1 Onion; sliced
1-2 Chicken Breasts; cubed (I used 1 very large breast; I think the chicken had implants...)
4-5 Cloves Garlic; minced
1/2 c Water or Chicken Broth
1 bag Prepared Baby Spinach
1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes (I like stewed because of the shape; they look prettier on the plate.)
Few shakes of pepper
Few shakes of Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp grated Parmesan

1. Heat skillet to medium high. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and gnocchi. Cook, stirring often (gnocchi is kinda gummy, so it sticks a bit) until starts to brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add remaining olive oil, chicken, and onion to pan and cook, stirring, 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and water/broth. Cover and cook until onion is transparent and chicken is cooked through, 4-6 minutes.

3. Add all spinach (just dump it on top) and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt.

4. Stir in tomatoes, pepper, and red pepper flakes, simmer. Stir in gnocchi and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, 2-3 minutes.

Here are some tips about this meal.
1. If you aren't ambitious enough to make your own (I'm not), you can find gnocchi in the frozen section of your grocery store.
2. If you have any fresh basil on hand, go ahead and throw it in. I have about a million pounds of fresh basil, as I planted too much during the spring. Sadly, it was pouring down rain when I needed it. I could have went outside to cut some, but, once again, I'm not that ambitious.
3. Thaw your gnocchi before putting it into a hot skillet with hot oil. If there are ice chips, you're going to have problems. Now, if you add your oil directly before adding the gnocchi, the oil will be heating up, and any ice chips on the gnocchi shouldn't splatter. I like to add oil after the skillet is hot. That's what my uncle Mark, The Skillet Man, told me to do and I listen to him.
4. This makes 6 servings, but if you use only 1 chicken breast, and are eating this as your whole meal, you can easily turn it into 3 or 4. I made it into 3 servings, so it was around 500 calories per serving. I should have made it into 4, because afterwards, I felt full.
5. Put some in a container and refrigerate it. You will want some tomorrow. Sumo is doing happy hour with a friend tonight. Guess what I'm having for dinner? ...oh yeah!...