Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week I shared a dear friend’s Crockpot Lasagna recipe. Today allow me to introduce you to a wonderful homemade chicken noodle soup courtesy of sweet friend Lori Lauth.

My children love this soup, requesting it often. While it is not technically a crockpot recipe, it can be adapted. I made it last week in the crockpot and it turned out wonderful. This hearty soup can also be made ahead and frozen.

Lori’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
8 cups reduced-fat, low sodium chicken broth
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large carrots thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped celery
5 oz dried wide egg noodles
1 lb. boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces ( about 2 cups)
1 thinly sliced zucchini
1 seeded and chopped tomato
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

In a large pot heat oil on medium heat. Saute’ onion until softened. Stir in broth, garlic, thyme, pepper, carrots, celery, and chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer until carrots are just tender and chicken is done. Add zucchini, tomato and parsley.

At this point you can add noodles and continue cooking until the noodles are done.

Or, if you would like to freeze the soup for later, do not add the noodles. Instead, allow the soup to cool down and pour into freezer bags. Freeze. When ready to serve, simply thaw. Reheat soup by adding in noodles and cooking until noodles are done.

Monday Madness

It starts on Sunday evening. My stomach get tight, my brain starts working overtime, and I get a little anxious. This has happened to me since Kindergarten – you can ask my mom!

It’s not because I don’t love Sundays – I do! As a matter of fact they are my favorite day of the week. It’s Mondays I’m not so fond of.

Everyone is a little more tired on Monday than usual even if bedtimes were kept rigidly. We’re all a little down at the back-to-school routine even if the break was just two days long.

I’ve learned that Mondays need to be ‘easy’ days at my house. Not only does it take me a while to get into the groove of the week again, I need to start the week off at a slower pace so I’m not burned out by Thursday.

Here are some things to consider when trying to carve more time and sanity into your week:

TV/COMPUTER TIME: Consider making Mondays the day the TV and computer games get a break – turn it off. Studies show that school-aged brains think best when they haven’t had too much computer game or TV time on school days. It might take some adjustment, but it’s worth it.

We haven’t had TV channels in our home for 16 years and we’ve done just fine! Our kids don’t feel deprived, we get our news off the internet, and we do have a television for videos (VHS because we now watch most videos on our computer monitor). It’s good for the kids to go outside to play, read a book, play a board game and simply use their imaginations. It might seem like more work at first, but in the end it will free up a lot of time.

SLOW COOKER DAY: I love my slow cooker. I have three slow cooker pots that share two bases. One base is coming apart and still works if I set it ‘just so’… but I still use it! Mondays are definitely the perfect day for slow cooker meals. Either Sunday night or Monday morning while the kids wolf down some breakfast, throw your ingredients into the pot, turn it on and leave it.

You can find great slow cooker cookbooks, but if you don’t want to rush out and buy anything you can check some online recipes.

Here’s one my family loves – it makes enough for a starving army!

CREAM OF SAUSAGE VEGETABLE SOUP
1 lb sausage or ham, cubed (Make sure it is a smoked ham or sausage, quite strong in flavor)
5 medium potatoes, diced finely
3 large carrots, diced finely
1 large onion, diced finely
2 cups green beans, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp dried green pepper (or ½ fresh pepper diced)
1 tbsp dried red pepper (or ½ fresh pepper diced)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
10 cups water
Combine above ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours or overnight.

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free recipe)
4 ½ cups milk

*About 10 minutes before serving, melt butter in a large pot.
Stir in flour until a smooth paste forms in the pot.
Add milk, stirring constantly until it boils.
Slowly add to cooked soup.
Garnish with shredded old cheddar cheese, croutons or parsley.
Enjoy!
You may have wondered why I chose to do a Monday Madness on a Wednesday. It’s so that you have plenty of time to get ready to implement the changes before Monday comes.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Choose the vegetable of your choice and make homemade soup tonight!

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk or half and half
3 cups chopped veggies  (carrots, broccoli, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, etc.)
1 large onion
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth

Melt butter.  Add onion and saute.  Slowly add flour, salt and pepper, stirring until well combined.  Slowly add milk.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the vegetable in the chicken broth.  When the vegetables are cooked through, combine with the milk mixture.

If you want a smooth soup instead of a chunky one, process everything together in a blender or food processor before serving.  I often double this recipe to have leftovers.

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Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

Plan for a great soup using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, a recipe that’s both fast and yummy.

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
8 cups chicken or turkey broth
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 c. flour
1 Tbsp sherry
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken
1/2 of a large box of Velveeta cheese
1 cup half and half
Bacon bits, crumbled

Simmer together the chicken broth, onion and wild rice for 40 minutes.  In a separate pan, whisk flour into melted butter.  Add sherry and poultry seasoning.  Whisk this mixture into the broth.  Simmer (do not boil).  Melt the Velveeta into 1 cup of half and half.  Add cheese to the soup, along with the turkey.  Serve with crumbled bacon bits on top.

Baked Potato Soup

Loi Palmer, January 2006 MMCW
5 large baking potatoes, 1 stick butter, 1 (14 1/4 oz can) chicken broth, 1/4 block of a 2 lb. block of Velveeta Cheese, 1 cup half-and-half, 1/2 cup sour cream, salt and pepper, 1 lb crisp bacon.

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Remove and mash potatoes while still warm.

In a large pot heat the chicken broth, add and melt the Velveeta Cheese and butter. Over low heat stir in the half-and-half, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the mashed baked potatoes. Potato skins can be cut up and added.

Serve with crispy bacon sprinkled on top. Serves 6.

Black Bean Soup

Loi Palmer, January 2006 MMCW
2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 large chopped onion, 4 minced garlic cloves, 6 cans of drained black beans, 1 can Rotel tomatoes, 1 inch thick slice of Tavern ham cut into cubes, salt and pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Original Hot Sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans chicken broth.

Saute’ onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are clear. Remove from heat. Add the can of Rotel tomatoes and two cans of black beans. Puree. Add the other four cans of black beans along with the remaining ingredients and puree mixture into a crockpot. Cook on low setting for 6 hours. If cooking on top of the stove, simmer for two hours, stirring every thirty minutes to blend the flavors. Serves 12.

Serve with sour cream, cilantro, chopped green onions, and crusty bread. This soup tastes even better the second day.

Mexican Chicken Soup

Vicki Webb, January 2008 MMCW
2 tablespoons Canola oil, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 chopped medium onion, 4 cups low fat or low sodium chicken broth, 2 cups mild salsa, 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast strips, fresh cilantro to taste. Additional optional items that can be added to soup: any type of canned beans such as black beans (rinse before adding to soup), and corn.

In a large pot saute’ garlic, onion and cumin in canola oil. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmering boil. Add the chicken and boil until chicken is cooked through. When chicken is done, stir in salsa and simmer for 5 more minutes.

For a quick version, use frozen grilled chicken strips found in the frozen food section of the grocery store.

Split Pea with Ham Soup

Vicki Webb, January 2008 MMCW
2 medium coarsely chopped onions, 1 lb. split green peas, 6 cups water (enough to cover ham bone), 1 lb. ham bone, salt to taste, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup sherry (this will cook off leaving good flavor), 1 small bag carrots.

Rinse the peas.  But do not bother soaking them as this will make a thicker soup. Place everything in a pot (not including the sherry) and cook several hours. You’ll know that it’s done when the peas have melted to make a thick soup. At least a 1/2 hour before serving, add the sherry and allow to cook 30 – 45 minutes to cook off the alcohol.

Zucchini Soup

Loi Palmer, February 2008 MMCW website
3 slices bacon, 1 medium chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 4 medium zucchini cut into 1/2 inch slices, 1 can beef consomme’, 2 1/2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon pepper, grated Parmesan cheese.

Cut bacon in small pieces; brown in large skillet. Set bacon aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Stir onion and garlic in drippings and cook until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes. Pour soup into blender, about 2 cups at a time. Cover, blend on low speed until liquefied, then high until smooth.

Serve hot or cold with Parmesan cheese and bacon on top.

Taco Soup

Loi Palmer, April 2005 MMCW
4 lb ground chuck, 1 large chopped onion, 2 cans northern beans, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans corn, 2 cans Rotel, 2 medium cans stewed tomatoes, 1 can green beans, 1 small can chopped black olives, 2 large cans tomato sauce, 1 package taco seasoning mix, 2 packages Ranch dressing mix (powder), 1 cup water.

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain off fat. Mix all other ingredients with beef and onions. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese.