Comfort Food-Chicken Noodle Soup....Best Ever!

 

As I am sharing recipes I want to emphasize that I am NOT anywhere near a gourmet cook or an expert on food...by any means.  But, my point in these posts is that if I can do it....ANYONE can.  I never thought I would love a Sunday afternoon chopping vegetables and making soup.  Now, I love it, especially in the winter when there's nothing to do outside.  Put on the "Food Network" and spend some quality time making comfort food.

 

I just love comfort food.  And one of my favorites is Ray’s Chicken Noodle Soup.  It is loaded with chicken, vegetables and noodles!  He, of course, made it in a HUGE pot and separated it out (after it cooled) into smaller containers and froze them.  Then, whenever we had the crave, or just didn’t know what to make for dinner (or didn’t feel like making dinner) we would pull one out, and heat it up.  This recipe is for a HUGE pot of soup.  If you want to just make it for one dinner, I would make it about 1/4 the ingredients.  But who would want to do that?

 

Here is Ray's Recipe...and trust me, it is delicious!

 

3 lb Carrots

1 large celery stalk

6-8 Medium size onions

4-6 garlic cloves

2 whole chickens (washed)

2 Bay leaves

2 Bags thick egg noodles

3 Tablespoons Basil

2 teaspoons Thyme

5 Tablespoons Parsley

2 teaspoons pepper

4 Tablespoons chicken base

Boil chickens in large stock pot for about one hour until it is tender enough to easily pull away from the bones. Using slotted spoon, remove scum from top of boiling water until broth is clear. 

While chickens are boiling, clean all vegetables and chop to desired size. Garlic should be chopped very fine.

Remove chicken from the broth when it is done and allow to cool.

Add all vegetables to the broth and cook until done - make sure there is a firmness to the vegetables, it should not be mushy. Again, using a slotted spoon, remove scum from top of boiling water.

Boil noodles until el-Dante and rinse well. Set aside.

Pick chicken off bone and discard skin and bones. Chop coarsely.

Add spices and chicken base to the cooked vegetables and broth and let simmer one hour.

Add chicken and let simmer one-half hour more.

Add noodles.

 

A couple tips.  When you put the containers in the freezer, be sure to label them with the name of the item and date.  Trust me, I always thought I would remember and then a few months later I go in the freezer and think “what is this and when did I make it?”

 

Also, you can make the soup with the noodles in it and freeze it or don’t add the noodles to the soup and add fresh ones with each batch you thaw and heat up. 

 

 

So...Here We Go!

It's already August!  I hear the "locust" bugs in the trees (or whatever they are).  It reminds me of being a kid on a hot summer day.  Those bugs in the trees making that sound.  Sounds and smells can really bring the past to the present. 

We took Harley to the dog park today.  This is the first times since I adopted him that he's been able to just run wild and free (other than a couple leash escapes early on).  He had a ball and is tuckered out!  Plus he made a few friends there as well.

A few years ago I promised I would share the Pasta Sauce Recipe of Ray's.  I have never gotten around to it and now it's about three years later.  I absolutely love this sauce!  Now, this recipe makes a BIG pot of sauce.  So you can adjust it as needed.  Ray would make a big pot and let it cool down completely and portion it into small, medium and large containers to freeze.  Then, depending on how much sauce we needed we could thaw one out and heat it up.  Be sure to label the container (ie:  Pasta Sauce; August 4, 2014).  I use a label maker, love those things!  But you can use masking tape or those printer envelope labels from Avery. 

Ray's idea of cooking was to make BIG batches, portion them out and freeze.  Everything from this pasta sauce to soups.  If you're gonna go through the trouble to make something, make a lot and you'll always have something homemade in the freezer.  By the way, it is so easy.  If I can do it, ANYONE can.  Trust me!  There are a lot of spices listed here, a great place to get them at a great price is the store Aldi®.  So, here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 5 medium onions - chopped
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic (I buy the jars of minced garlic - great deal at Aldi® too)
• 4 lbs ground chuck or sirloin
• 2 lbs ground pork
• 3 12 oz. Cans tomato paste
• 6 28 oz/ Cans tomato sauce (plus 6 cans water)
• 4 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 5 Tablespoons dried basil
• 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Large (or two small) green pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large stock pot heat olive oil on medium/medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
2. Add onions and cook until they are tender.  Be sure to stir often.
3. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add beef and pork and cook until completely browned.  Drain off excess grease in colander and return meat to pot.
5. Add the tomato paste with browned meat and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the tomato sauce, water, spices and green pepper.  Again mix thoroughly
7. Lower heat to a simmer and cook 4-5 hours - stirring occasionally.

This can be used for lasagna, spaghetti, or any other recipe that calls for a "tomato/pasta sauce."

Quite a while ago I said that I was going to share more recipes because my life has become a bit normal and I'm not as interesting.  I'll share some of Ray's recipes, mine, some I find and really like, maybe Drew's recipes (although he doesn't really follow recipes, he just cooks with what we have in the house).  So...here we go. - Jimmy.