Mom's Penicillin

It's a Sick Day for my daughter today, so I've got a pot of homemade chicken-noodle soup simmering on the stove. Chicken soup really does make you feel better--and this is the good stuff right here; nothing artificial added! Chicken soup is also a frugal dish; you can use leftovers to make the stock (it's really easy) and this is a great way to use up those odds and ends of baby carrots and that last bit of the box of pasta.

CHICKEN-NOODLE SOUP

For the soup:
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
parsley (fresh, if you have it--a generous handful)
freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary

Add-ins:
1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups fettuccine, broken into fourths (less than 1/4 pound)*

Start the soup at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Simmer, covered. About 1/2 hour before serving, add chicken and pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is done.

*If you prefer to use a smaller noodle such as dilatini, pastina or orzo, 1 cup will be plenty.

Spicy Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

This soup got started as the Corn Chowder recipe from 365 Slow Cooker Suppers. That chowder needed something, so I decided it spice it up with some Ro-Tel (and omitted the potatoes). You can make this chowder as chunky or smooth as you would like, as there's a blender step in the instructions. The more soup you reserve before blending, the chunkier the chowder will be. This freezes well.

For this recipe, including nutrition information, please see my new website at Cook and Count!

Corn Chowder

I'm a big fan of soup, though most of my family could take or leave it. That's why I don't have too many soup recipes here. But corn chowder is definitely one of my favorites; I often order it at restaurants and I figured there's really no good reason that I can't make it at home. There was a recipe at Sarcastic Cooking that I used as the basis for this soup. The changes I made reflected what was available in my pantry at the time; I was also using up some leftover cooked (boiled) potatoes and roasted chicken. Here's the recipe as I made it today:

CORN CHOWDER (printable version)
Serves 6

3 TBL butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 ribs celery, sliced
12 baby carrots, sliced
1 heaping TBL minced garlic
4 TBL flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
2 TBL dried parsley flakes
1/2 cup cooked chicken, diced
1/2 cup cooked shrimp, diced
4 boiled potatoes, cooled, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups whole milk

Saute onion in melted butter until translucent. Add celery, carrots and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in flour until all liquid has been absorbed. Pour in chicken stock and add corn and seasonings. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in chicken, shrimp and potatoes and simmer 5 more minutes. Slowly stir in milk and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

You could substitute more shrimp or other seafood for the chicken for a delicious meatless meal!

Frugal Gumbo for the First of the Year

Soup recipes can be forgiving in more ways than one.  When it's 2:30 PM and you just find out now that your afternoon and evening plans are cancelled, soup is a go-to dinner idea.  And when you discover that some of the raw vegetables you had prepared for a holiday platter have accidentally gotten too close to the cold spot in the fridge and become frozen vegetables, you can still use them for soup.  I freeze the chicken carcass after we've had a roast chicken for dinner so I can make soup later.

I'm making up a gumbo recipe as I go along.  To borrow a line from Pippin, it has "a little of this, a little of that, a whole lot of that..."  So that I don't forget, I'm writing down the instructions as I go.  This will be chicken-only gumbo since my husband cannot eat shellfish or pork.  I know that's not authentic, but it's healthier for him this way.

40 Days of Soup--and More!

My Chicken Fajita Soup recipe has been published in Ave Maria Press's 40 Days of Soup feature! Check out all the great soup recipes, one for each day of Lent. There are also daily reflections from Ave Maria Press's vast library of Lenten resources. Enjoy!

Slow-simmered Chicken Stock

I'm spending the snow day today (we've got about 2 feet of snow out there and it's still coming down) making chicken stock.

The last two times I roasted chicken, I knew I wasn't going to have time to make stock from the carcass, so I popped the carcass into a ziplock bag and froze it.

This morning I dug out my deep stockpot (the one with the handy-dandy pasta-draining insert) and loaded up that colander with the two chicken carcasses, one cut-up onion, half a pound of baby carrots that were a little past their prime, some celery tops (including the leaves), a handful of dried parsley, some kosher salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, some rosemary and thyme.

It smells great in here.  The stock has been cooking for 4 hours now.

I'll let it cool a bit, then remove the colander with all the solid stuff, then chill the broth so I can remove the fat from the top.  Now I'll have the soup base all made for Monday evening's dinner.

Breezie's Legendary Clam Chowder

This is some good soup! Great meatless meal, if you leave out the bacon, but it might just be too indulgent for Lent. The original recipe is from a church cookbook from the St. Francis Chapel & City Ministry in Providence, RI. My brother (Breezie) gave me a few hints on tweaking the recipe and I added a touch of my own as well. So this is how I made it. Next time, I'll probably leave out the bacon.

1/4 lb. bacon (4 or 5 slices), diced
6 ribs celery, cut thin
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 TBL butter
1 qt chicken stock
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme
5 or 6 potatoes, diced (I didn't peel them before dicing, just washed them well)
3 cans (6.5 oz each) minced clams, drained, juice reserved
1 package Louis Kemp "crab," sliced
1 stick butter
6 TBL flour
1 qt milk
3 TBL cornstarch
1/4 cup ice water

Dice and blanch bacon in 2 cups boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Saute celery & onions in 2 TBL butter for 10 minutes over medium heat. Don't allow to brown.

In large soup pot, add bacon, celery & onions to chicken stock. Add clam juice, pepper and thyme. Bring to a heavy simmer. Add potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are cooked but still firm.

Melt the stick of butter and blend with flour. Add this roux to 1 qt. hot milk, off the heat. Stir and return to the burner, stirring until thickened to make a bechamel sauce. Add drained clams and the bechamel to the soup. Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Make a slurry with the cornstarch and ice water and add to the soup. Bring to a boil and stir until soup thickens. Lower the heat and simmer until ready to serve.

Yield: 4 1/2 quarts of soup.

Chicken Fajita Soup (Slow Cooker)

This recipe is my version of Mexican Chicken Soup.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled, cut up (or 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken)
1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw!)
16-oz jar salsa (medium)
46-oz can V-8 (store brand works)
1 can small red beans, drained (14 oz)
1 can black beans, drained (14 oz)
1 can pinto beans, drained (14 oz)
1 packet fajita seasoning (because I had it in the pantry; I will make my own next time--see below for recipe)
1 tbl chili powder (in addition to what's in the fajita mix)
1/2 small onion, chopped fine

Combine in slow cooker and cook on low 3 to 4 hours.
Serve with tortilla chips and shredded sharp Cheddar cheese.

FAJITA SEASONING
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper

VARIATION:  This is also a great soup to make "meatless."  Just omit the chicken; you can add even more beans if desired.

I shared this recipe at Lynn's Cooking Adventures!  Check out all the great soup recipes you'll find in her link party.

Scarborough Fair Chicken Soup

2 bone-in chicken thighs (frozen is fine)
6 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
handful of dried parsley
seasonings to taste:
sage
rosemary
thyme
black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
1/2 lb bow-tie pasta (farfalle)

I made this soup in my 4-qt Nesco. Put in the chicken thighs and the broth. Turn on roaster to 225 until it boils, then down to 200. Let cook a few hours. Remove the chicken and let cool. Add remaining ingredients. Remove skin and bone from chicken thighs, cube the meat and return it to the pot. 20 minutes before serving, pour in the pasta.

Serves 6, generously.

This soup couldn't have been easier or more delicious. See if you can season it without channeling your inner Simon and Garfunkel.

Pasta e Fagioli

28-oz can diced tomatoes with sauce
14-oz can diced tomatoes in sauce
14-oz can chicken broth
2 14-oz cans beans (I used Navy beans and small white beans)
2 carrots, peeled and cut up
1 stalk celery, cut up
1 onion, diced
garlic
salt
pepper
rosemary

Simmer a few hours.
Cook some pasta. Add it to the soup, let simmer a couple more minutes, and serve.

It's probably not anything near an authentic recipe, but it tasted good.