This was Amy’s week to pick our Recipe Roulette meal, and she chose one that I already had on my to-try list. Yay Amy! It’s Rachael Ray’s Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings. Now, I know we haven’t had a great track record with her recipes. But this has a cup of half-and-half in it. So it had to be good. Right?

Our menu plan only has four days in it this week, because I’ve decided that I’m taking myself out to dinner on Friday. Alright, fine — I’ll probably take the rest of the family along, too. Or maybe I’ll leave them home to eat peanut butter sandwiches. We’ll see how their ‘tudes are this week.

Pizza
Our weekly homemade pizza night turned into pizza delivery night last week after an allergy attack sent me down for a three-hour nap. So this week, the dough is already made and ready to become dinner!

Spaghetti
Poppy has recently decided that she likes her spaghetti with a touch of sauce. Which means she’s eating a vegetable. Let the rejoicing begin!

Espresso Black Bean Chili
Thanks to Mark Bittman, I developed a bit of an obsession with beans and rice. Rockford has yet to object to having some version of it every week, and wee Petey would eat beans for every meal if he could. So Beanapalooza ’09 continues! Since I don’t normally drink coffee (and neither do the kids), I’ll probably use decaf coffee for this so as not to be bouncing off the walls at bedtime.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings
I doubled the chicken portion of our Recipe Roulette meal over the weekend and tossed it in the freezer for later this week.

from Rachael Ray Magazine
One 1-pound package potato gnocchi
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup chicken broth
2 scallions, chopped

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.