Chicken Soup to Soothe the Soul

Since I'm taking a small break from planning meals (since I would be the only one eating them and I still have three meals purchase for the cooking from last week's menu), I thought I would post the thing that I am (and just did) cooking for this week's menu....Chicken Noodle Soup for my husband and Chicken Noodles for my daughter.

I started making chicken noodle soup after college for sick roommates, friends, boyfriends and occasionally for myself (isn't that funny how that works out).  I don't know of the medical facts that say what it cures or wards off, but I know that I feel better when eating homemade chicken noodle soup, and I'm really big on trying to make other people feel better when they aren't feeling their best; I don't like to see people not feeling well and there's really not too much I can do....other than cooking or baking them something.  So, with my husband under the weather and not wanting to eat a lot (forever is how long he's thinking he's not going to eat), I decided to soup it up! 

I thought I would explain my "recipe" in case there are any of you out there that haven't made soup enough that you just wing it (like I do now). 

(You don't need everything here....I usually use what I have in the house and pick up minimal things from the store)

Chicken Noodle Soup:

1/2 stick of Butter
2-3 cans/cartons of Chicken Stock or Broth  (If someone is really sick, I go for the stock---I don't know why...I'm crazy and think it will bring them back to life). 
2-4 Cloves of Garlic
1 White or Yellow Onion
Celery
Carrots
Salt
Pepper
*Optional:  Celery Seed, Dried Rosemary, Dried Oregano
1 Rotisserie Chicken (the ones waiting for you at the checkout at the grocery store)
Noodles *Any kind really, but I like the little Stars and Ditalini since they are small (they are usually sold in bags in the noodle aisle. 
*Optional Green Beans, Spinach, other veggies

-Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a pan.  Throw in 1 chopped onion, garlic, chopped celery, carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5-10mins on medium heat.  Add other seasons if desires (I add probably about a 1 tsp of celery seed, and 1 tbs of rosemary and oregano). 

-Add Chicken Stock/Broth.  (depending on how much you use and the noodle/liquid ratio you desire, you may want to add a couple of cups of water.  You can also do this at the end to get the desired soupy-ness.)

-While the soup is coming to a boil, chop up the meat on the rotisserie chicken and add it to the soup.  (I also use the drippings from the bag/container that had the chicken.)

-Once it reaches a boil, add in the noodles.  Like everything else, I use the amount the occasion or illness calls for (or what I have on hand)

-You only have to cook it for about 10-20 minutes depending on your noodle choices. 

NOW YOU HAVE DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY SOUP!!!


When making soup today, I also made a batch of chicken and veggie noodles for my daughter since it's healthy and I was going to have everything on hand for cooking.  Here is what I did....

Altering the above recipe for TODDLER CHICKEN NOODLES (and a batch of soup, too!):

-I made the butter, onion, garlic, veggie mixture in one deep pan.  Once I finished that step, I transfer about half of it to a stock pot for the soup and left some for the noodles. 

-I added about 2 cups of broth/stock to the pan. 

-I chopped up the chicken and divided it up about even (The soup had about 4 cups of broth/stock and I added water, so it was significantly soup-ier). 

-I added frozen green beans and finely chopped spinach.

-I added noodles (probably about 1/2 cup Stars and 1 cup Ditalini). 

-Simmer on medium heat until all liquid is absorbed.  (if there is too much liquid and you know the noodles are done cooking, just add in some cornstarch to thicken)

*I freeze this healthy noodle deliciousness in ice cube trays (or in silicon muffin cups), then place them in plastic bags in the freezer.  That way I can just throw a couple of chicken noodle cubes in the microwave and we're ready to eat.  My daughter really loves this dish and it is SUPER easy.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.  I'm sure you can see why I don't write more of my own recipes on my blog....I "talk" way too much through them. 

Hope everyone is healthy and well....if not, soup up!

No Way to Plan for Life's Crazies

Just when you think things are quieting down and falling into place (or at least an expected pattern), life blows up in your face!!  I thought that last week was a difficult week since we had a party and more "running around" than usual.  Well...this week beats last week to a pulp!  After 1 visit to the ER, and 2 doctor's appointments, my husband was admitted to the hospital for surgery.  I'll spare the details, but it by all means is one of those things that makes you feel old and VERY uncomfortable.

So, here I sit, on a futon in the hospital in the dark, hoping that the most recent pain meds will do something and that my husband will catch a few winks of sleep (aww, darn!!  he just said something)  Not only had I hoped to post my menu for this week today, but I hoped to be further along in my weekly cooking.  Instead, I have three meals remaining this week (and it's Saturday) and have my meals for next week selected, but haven't compiled the shopping list or typed it up.  I'm staying here tonight until he falls asleep, am going to head home for a few hours of sleep for myself, and then will be back dark and early in the morning.

With all of that being said, I am going to have to push back my weekly meal planning/blogging meal plans.  I don't think anyone is following our meals, and I don't even really know if any one has made any of the same meals (IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD POST A COMMENT!!!  :) ), but I will try to get things figured out in the next week or so to get back on track.  With all of this crazy stuff going on, I've realized that I've been posting some idealistic (crazy cooking/baking) meals that probably don't fit easily into a "typical" work week.  But if this week has taught me anything, it's that there is no such thing as "typical".  Hope everyone reading is healthy and happy (and not in a hospital room).

Take care, Jessie

Review of Week 2's Menu

Review of Menu for Week 2:

 

Week 2 was a bit more of a push since summertime got the best of me and we had more un-planned meals thrown in (going out to dinner with friends and we had a housewarming party which made LOTS of leftovers).  So, with that being said, I did not complete two of the meals this week--Artichoke Spinach Lasagna and the Grilled Chicken with a Vegetable Tian didn't make the cut or fit the timeline.  Since the majority of the Artichoke Spinach Lasagna are dry or frozen goods, this will be a good meal to use another time since I will have most all of the supplies on hand.

 

So, here are my reviews for the week 2 menu.  The dishes were good and I think there are some keepers here.  Please add comments if you've tried any of the meals listing what you thought of it and/or any changes/suggestions you have for them.  THANKS!!

 

·         Broiled Tilapia Parmesan with Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes:  The tilapia was SUPER easy and could be done very quickly.  The parmesan sauce that you put on top of them and then broil them with was really tasty.  The Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes (as I mentioned before) were delicious--tedious, but company-worthy. 

  Did I like it?  yes.  Will I make it again?  yes.  Changes?  I had to broil the tilapia a little bit longer once I put the parmesan dressing on the fillets to get them to brown and bubble like I wanted.  It didn't cause any problems though. 

 

·         Artichoke Spinach Lasagna:  Did not make.

 

·         Grilled Chicken with Summer Vegetable Tian:  Did not make.

 

·         Taco Pie with Grilled Corn Salad:  I thought this was very interesting since you make the "crust" with mash potatoes.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed, but my husband thought it was one of the best dishes so far. 

 Did I like it?  It was okay....my husband loved it!  Will I make it again?  Yes, since it was enjoyed so much.  Changes?  Not really.  I made a homemade pico salsa to go with it since peppers and tomatoes are prevalent this time of year.

 

·         Crockpot Coca Cola BBQ Chicken with corn bread:  We made this on a night that I knew my in-laws were coming over for dinner.  It was easy and my father-in-law doesn't care for crazy meals or strange foods....he'd prefer to keep things simple.  I added a can of baked beans to complete the meal.  The chicken breasts I used were on the small side and I should have thrown more in there.  It was good enough that people went back for seconds and we didn't have enough...I think we would have eaten more if it was there.  We didn't care for the lemon in it since some pieces or parts of a piece had a very strong lemon flavor. 

Did I like it?  yes.  Will I make it again?  YES!  It was so easy and tasty.  Changes?  No lemon. 

 

·         No-Bake Boston Cream Pie:  I'll be honest....when I looked over this recipe before I added it, I didn't fully comprehend what was going into making this dish.  I didn't realize that I would be making my first custard!  Oh well.  I came, I saw, I tempered, and I conquered!  I thought this was one of the best desserts ever...but then again I'm a dessert girl.  It would be great for a party or gathering.  I would say that it would be best to make the night before serving.  My husband (and his tummy) said that it was a little too rich for him.  Oh well...more for me!

Did I like it?  YES.  Will I make it again?  yes.  Changes?  None.  Yum! 

 

 

*Sorry again about dropping two of the dished on the week's menu.  Please share if you made any of the dishes and what you thought about them.  Enjoy!