Chicken soup that’ll knock your socks off

 

No, this isn't a picture of my soup. I forgot to take one, but I will next time I make it

 

Its getting to be that time of year again, when everyone’s craving warm, hearty meals. And it also happens to be flu season, as I so unfortunately found out yesterday 😦 So my mom, in all her loving motheriness (yes, I just made that up) was kind enough to run by the store for me yesterday as I was too sick to even think about operating a car, and pick up the ingredients to make what I consider to be the best chicken noodle soup on the planet. The best thing about this recipe though? Is it can be adapted to suit the tastes of even the most pickiest of eaters. So without further adieu:

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds will be MORE than enough)

1 brown or yellow onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 chicken bouillon cubes

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Minced garlic, to taste

Small pasta of your choosing

Directions:

1. Cover entire chicken in salt, pepper, and garlic. Place in large stockpot.

2. Dice all vegetables and add to stockpot with chicken. Cover with salt, pepper, and garlic again.

3. Add water to stockpot until chicken is covered. Smash both bouillon cubes and sprinkle over chicken.

4. Cover stockpot with a lid and place over high heat. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. Remove chicken from stockpot and place on a plate. Allow to cool in the fridge for one hour. Leave stock and vegetables in the stockpot on the stove, but turn off the heat. Cover with lid.

7. After the chicken has cooled for 1 hour, remove skin from chicken and throw away. Pull chicken meat off the chicken carcass, shred to desired size, and place in the stockpot with stock and vegetables.

8. When you are ready to serve the soup, bring water to boil in a separate pot then salt the water and add half the package of whatever pasta you chose. I prefer bow tie pasta, but you can use whatever you prefer. Cook pasta for 1-2 minutes longer than the recommended cooking time, then drain and add to stockpot. Cooking it longer than recommended stops the pasta from soaking in all the stock.

Chef’s notes: I usually serve this with a french or sourdough baguette and butter/margarine. If you don’t eat all of it, go ahead and save it. I’m not a fan of reheated foods, but this makes an excellent lunch the next day, or if your family is having a flu run, its great to have on hand so you don’t have to cook all that much. Also, don’t be afraid to season. I know most people don’t like overly salty food, but most of it WILL cook away in the process, so don’t be afraid of the seasoning. As most anyone will be more than willing to tell you, I’m not the best cook on the planet, but Joe couldn’t stop telling me how good this soup was. He even went back for seconds, which never happens.

A Thanksgiving Challenge!

I know, its been a while since I posted. I’ve been on a cleaning spree like no other with the holiday’s coming up and just haven’t had the creative energy to post. That’s going to change, starting today.

Every year, millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday of November. The day after is known as black Friday since many retailers depend on the Christmas season kick off to bring their books into the black (in lieu of them being in the red). Its one of the biggest shopping days of the year, with literally millions of people showing up at retailers at ungodly hours to cash in on all the big sales. As someone who has worked in (and is currently working in) retail, let me tell you, it’s a crazy day.

But the day before, Thanksgiving, is a time for friends and family to gather together, enjoy some (hopefully) great food, and pass out from all the tryptophan in the turkey. This year, me and my mom are making a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings (Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, dressing, biscuits, and pumpkin pie) with a few family  favorites thrown in. We’re trying a couple of new recipes, including a green bean casserole that is sure to make anyone’s mouth water, and convert even the most ardent hater of the green bean casserole.We’re going to brine the turkey to a golden brown perfection (I might change-up that recipe a bit though since our bird is a bit large).

So I’m sure you’re wondering what the challenge part of this post is. As many of you know, I’m no veteran to cooking, and I’m sure many of my readers aren’t either. Last year, I almost burnt the bird. Thank goodness it was just my immediate family and the love of my life hadn’t entered the picture yet. I would have been mortified.

This is where you, my wonderful readers come in. I want you to post your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Everything from your bomb green bean casserole to the way you cook your turkey and everything in between. I’ll be pestering my family for their recipes (we’re doing a potluck style meal to save money) and will be sure to post them as I get them. Why do I want you to post your recipes? I am a firm believer in learning from one another, and what better way to get good recipes than to share with others? And its a great way to meet new people and share with others during this holiday season.