Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

The Cold and the Flu are constant unwanted visitors in our home during the Fall/Winter Season since we have one school age child. I finally attempted making this classic "feel better" food staple from scratch...well almost from scratch. :) I used the skin and bones from bone-in fryer chicken breasts to make the chicken stock. You don't have to do that for this recipe. For me, it was a two day process making the stock one night and the soup another night because I have two small kids needing attention. The homemade stock was out of this world good! You may simply purchase organic chicken stock if you don't have the time or patience to make your own stock. :)

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

3-4 lbs. chopped chicken
4 cups water
2 Qts. Organic Chicken Stock
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 small chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
2 chopped carrots
3 chopped celery stalks
1/4 fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
6 oz. homestyle noodles (I used Amish homemade dried noodles)

Preparation

Place all ingredients except noodles in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the noodles and cook another hour or until noodles are done (1/2 hr. on high). You may also cook the noodles separately for a quicker method and add them in prior to serving.

Sunday Brunch-Spinach Chorizo Frittata

After a lazy Sunday morning of sleeping in, we woke up to a light dusting of snow outside. The kids wanted eggs for breakfast and we usually cook our eggs scrambled or as omelets...it was time to try something different. I had made some homemade chorizo the other day and was thinking that the spicy heat from the chorizo would be a great addition to the eggs. I had some fresh spinach and white cheddar on hand so this is what I threw together and we had brunch ready in about 30 minutes. The layers remind me of a shepherds pie but this spicy dish makes for a perfect brunch. It would be great paired with mimosas!

Ingredients

12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 grated white cheddar
sea salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 lb. fresh chorizo or spicy ground sausage (you may use ground turkey instead of pork)
1 washed and peeled potato, shredded
2 cups fresh spinach

Directions

Preheat broiler on low.
Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup cheddar and season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, potatoes and chorizo. Cook until chorizo is browned and onions are translucent (about 8 minutes). Add spinach and cook until wilted (about 5 minutes).

Pour egg mixture into the skillet on top of the meat and vegetables. Cook under broiler until the sides of the frittata is set (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar and broil for about 4 minutes or until the center is set and top is golden. Watch the frittata closely  while cooking under the broiler so you don't burn or overcook it.

Let the frittata cool for a few minutes then cut into wedges and serve.

I hope this spicy dish warms you and yours. Enjoy!

My 1st attempt at roasted turnips...

Last week, I received some fresh tasty looking turnips in my +Green BEAN Delivery . I had never cooked turnips so I hopped on +Pinterest  to check out some recipes. I stumbled across a yummy recipe for twice baked turnips. I didn't have the patience for all the recipe steps which consisted of cutting & scooping out part of each turnip, re-stuffing & then baking a 2nd time. I quickly decided to improvise and come up with my own version to kick it up another notch.

4-5 turnips (washed & tops removed)
2 medium potatoes, washed & quartered
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or more as needed
1/2 lb. bacon cooked & crumbled
1/2 cup shredded mild white cheddar cheese (I grate my own because I like the fresh taste without the anti-caking crap that's in the bag shredded cheese)
1/2 stick butter or 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Garlic Basil Pesto in a jar (this is awesome to have on hand to throw in recipes)
3 washed, trimmed & diced greens onions (scallions)
Optional: 1 cup of fresh washed greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, etc.)

Preheat oven 350
Place turnips & potatoes in a casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil & with sprinkle sea salt.
Roast 30-45 min. until tender
Mash turnips & potatoes in a large pot adding chicken broth, shredded cheese, butter, & pesto (if not using greens).
If using greens, sauté greens in very little reserved bacon fat or olive oil with pesto until wilted. Add greens to mashed vegetables.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet and place scoops of mashed vegetables side by side as you would cookies on a cookie sheet. I used a small cookie dough scoop to make perfect little round scoops.
Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. You may place them under the broiler to sped up the process, but watch that you don't burn them.
Garnish with bacon crumbles & diced green onions


A new neighbor stopped over to visit as the turnips came out of the oven and she was as pleasantly surprised as I was with the results and we enjoyed our first bite of turnips together! Cheers to new neighbors and trying new foods! We are never too old to expand our taste buds.