Gorgonzola Gnocchi Soup

Our morning began early. Up at five, steaming cups of dark coffee in hand, we were dressed and ready to make our way to the dock a little after six.

The forecast was for a rainy afternoon and thunderstorms. We were praying for the dark rain clouds to invade our mountain and put out the terrible wildfire that had been burning for the last week. The edge of the fire had been creeping closer to our neighborhood the past few days. When Randy Millers predators was evacuated and they completed the task of removing the lions, tigers and bears, that’s when the thought of evacuation became real.

Thankfully for us the humidity moved in a day later and the fire was finally up to fifty percent containment.

 We chose that morning to go for some early morning fishing. We had a strike almost right away, just after the poles went in the water and we thought, yes, this would be the day. Today we would catch some fish. To bad the smallish size trout got off the line.

As we slowly made our way across Big Bear Lake the winds picked up and the lake got more choppy. It wasn’t our day to fish.

We rejoiced in the fact that in the distance, near the fire line we could see it was raining heavy, and yeah, maybe we should have headed back twenty minutes earlier.

Out of no where it was pouring rain on us and we were not quite back to the dock yet. I joked that my boyfriend looked like an old sea captain as he steered his vessel in the heavy downpour, seven days worth of beard on his face and completely soaking wet. In a sexy way, not a creepy way.

We made our way towards the rain soaked shore and as we took in the dark greens of the rain soaked pines, I thought to myself, this could be a lake some where in Oregon, deep in the northwest. Crazy to think we are only a few hours east of Los Angeles.

As my man steered the boat in and we hurried to get it covered up and settled in the slip the rain was just soaking us and all I could think was, I can not wait to get home, sit on the front porch with a hot latte and watch the rain fall.

This is what summer days should be; fishing in the morning, than afternoons relaxing watching thunderstorms.

Life is good.

Normally I would never to think to make a delcious soup in July but on a rainy day as thunderstorms rock the house in Big Bear, a big steaming pot of gnocchi stew sounds truly amazing.

Gorgonzola Gnocchi Soup

1 16 ounce package gnocchi
12 ounce fresh Italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
5 garlic cloves, roasted
1 cup milk

In a sauce pan cook the Italian sausage until browned. Mince the roasted garlic and add the garlic. Add the chicken broth. Let cook at a simmer for twenty minutes. Add the spinach and the milk. Let cook for five minutes. Mix in the gorgonzola cheese. Let the cheese melt in for five minutes. Add the gnocchi. Let cook for five minutes and than serve.

Linking up this week over at Souper Sundays