Sausage, Pepper and Gnocchi Soup

While visiting with my friend Anne, I asked if she had any good soup recipes. She let me flip through her favorite Cooking Light cookbook, and I merged two recipes to make my own creation. I was quite pleased with the result, so here you go:

Brown 9-10 oz. mild Italian sausage (I used 3 links from a 5-link 16 oz. package) with one chopped onion.

Saute over medium heat until the meat browns and the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add two chopped bell peppers and continue to cook another 3-5 minutes.

Add 1 or 2 chopped garlic cloves, plus dried basil, oregano and red pepper (maybe 1/2 teaspoon of each...I didn't measure). Saute until fragrant.

Add 1 cup leftover champagne. (Now...you might be saying there would never be any leftover champagne lying around your house...unfortunately, this champagne came from Walgreens on Christmas Day when options were limited. Need I say more?) Let it bubble away for a few minutes to concentrate the flavor.

Add 1 can of beef broth, 1 cup leftover chicken broth and 1 can of Italian tomatoes. (The recipes I consulted both called for stewed tomatoes, but then I had to try and break them up with my spatula, so I say just go with diced.)

Simmer until your sister finishes her conference call, about 20 minutes. Once she hangs up, turn up the heat, add 1 pound of dried gnocchi and boil for about 2 minutes or until the gnocchi float.

Add 1 cup of chopped fresh spinach and stir until it wilts. Top with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and pop in a chick flick. (I recommend "One Day" with Anne Hathaway.)

For dessert, rip open those Christmas sweets you packaged up that morning to give away when you were trying to de-sweetify the house. (Pleased to report we did not sink to the level of pulling anything out of the trash can!)