Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup

Ok, so this will be the last soup for a little while.... I hope. I made this tonight hoping that it would be something easy that my wife (Sybil) could keep on her stomach after her surgery. She didn't need anything real heavy. But, after not eating for a while I felt like she needed something in her. And, after eating chicken broth for so many days I felt like she needed something a little different. I wanted to try to get some vegetables in her diet. So, staying with the soup idea I thought of chicken vegetable and noodle soup. Here's how I did it.....

Ingredients
1- rotisserie chicken from your local store. You will use 1/2 for this recipe. Remove all the meat from bones discarding bones and skin. Freeze the remaining meat for future use.
1- 16 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables (corn, beans carrots and limas)
2- 32 oz boxes of chicken  broth

1 envelope Sazon Goya seasoning
1 1/2 cup tri-colored Rotini noodles precooked
1 tbs basil
2 bay leaves
1 celery stalk cut into 3rds
1 green onion, whole

Directions:
Boxed or canned  sock is quick and simple, and you can leave out the next step if you like. But, I feel like the extra ingredients put a little extra kick into the stock and make it a little more "homemade" like. To begin, pour your stock into a large pot. Add the celery, onion, basil, bay leaf and Goya Sazon seasoning. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

 In a separate pan cook your rotini noodles according to package directions. Once they are cooked pour out the water, pouring the noodles into a strainer. Run them under cold water until they are cool. This stops the cooking process. Reserve to the side for now.

While the stock is simmering and noodles are cooking remove the skin and bones from the chicken. You will only use half so freeze the other half for future use. Once you have separated the chicken cut it into bite size chunks and add to the stock. Next add the frozen vegetables and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Finally, remove the celery, onion and bay leaf. Add noodles and cook for about 5 more minutes until the noodles are warm. Enjoy!

Chef's Secret:
Goya Sazon seasoning is a must in every spice drawer. I use it in rice, soups, and many other recipes. It is found in the Spanish/Mexican food section of your grocery store. Besides the great flavor it also adds a saffron yellow color without the expense of saffron. The boxes come with  envelopes inside. You should always keep some on hand to spice up a dish.

I don't think there is a better meal on a cold wintery night than beef stew. It's a hearty meal that everyone enjoys. The magic of this one is that all the pieces came out in just the right size bites.

Ingredients:
1- 1 1/2 lb pot roast cut into bite size chunks
2- 32oz boxes of beef broth

1- small pkg of baby carrots, cut in half
1- pkg  honey gold potatoes. (I found these at Publix. They are very tiny potatoes. I cut them in half and they were the perfect size for the stew. I did not use the entire bag. I only used about 1 1/2 cups. If you can't find them you can use 2 med size baking potatoes and cut it into bite size chunks.)
2- celery stalks
1- onion, cut into bite size pieces
2- cloves of garlic
2- bay leaves
1- tbsp dried basil crushed
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp  browning sauce

2 tbsp olive oil- more if needed

Directions:
Place the oil into a large pot on med heat. Add the onion and cook about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Finally add the roast and cook until browned.  Once browned drain the fat from the pot and return to the stove.

Once the roast is brown on all sides add the beef broth. Once the broth is added scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any of the "bits" that have stuck to the pan. Next add the bay leaves, basil, Worcestershire sauce, and browning sauce. Stir and cook for about 45 minute.

After the stock and beef have cooked for 45 minutes you can now add the celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.Finally, mix 1/2 cup water with 3 tbsp flour. Mix well. Turn heat up on stew to a boil, whisk in the flour mixture, reduce to a simmer.

Chef's Secret:
Browning sauce is a great ingredient to help flavor and darken the color of your stew. You can add as little or as much as you would like. Add a little at a time and stir to see the color. Continue adding until you get to the color you like. And, remember, a little goes a long way.

With fall around the corner it's time to pull out the big soup pot and get ready for some great soups and stews. I got an early start this year because my wife got sick and couldn't eat anything heavy. So, she's been basically on a soup diet. Then, thinking about it, I thought it would be a great time to spend putting up some soup and stew recipes.

A pre-cooked rotisserie chicken cuts cooking time tremendously.

There's nothing better, or more homier meal than soups or stews. Especially during the cold months. And, best of all, soups and stews don't have to be time consuming, difficult, or homemade. I needed to make a quick meal for my wife and didn't have the time to put together a full blown homemade chicken and dumplings. And, that is what she wanted. So, after thinking a bit I came up with the following idea.

Thanks to the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken this recipe only takes about an hour. At the end you will have a great, homemade tasting chicken and dumplings. It is a great time saver, especially on a busy, cold, weeknight after work.

Ingredients:
1 -rotisserie chicken already cooked at your local store.
1- pkg frozen dumplings (the pkg I got was 12 ounces.)
2- 32 oz boxes of chicken broth
1 cup water
1 -celery stalk cut into thirds
1- carrot cut into thirds
2- bay leaves
corn starch

Directions:
To begin you want to take all off the meat off of the chicken. Remove all bones and skin. Cut the meat into bite size chunks. You don't have to be precise. Add the broth, water, celery, bay leaves, carrot and chicken to the pot. Bring ingredients to a boil then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes. This will jazz up the broth a bit to make it a little more like homemade.

After  30 minutes remove the bay leaves, carrot and celery.Bring to a boil once again, adding the frozen dumplings, one at a time so that they don't stick. Reduce heat to a simmer once again and cook according to package directions on the dumplings. Usually around 30 minutes or so.

At the end of the 30 minutes you will need to thicken your stock. To do this take a half cup of warm water, add 3 tablespoons of flour and mix together. Return broth to a rapid boil, pour in the flour/ water mix.  Wish or stir constantly until smooth. Reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Notes: 
The thickening of the flower and water is always a tricky thing. You must get it boiling before pouring the mixture into the broth. You may want to pour a little at a time to see how it will thicken. It if needs more just continue adding. If you add to much and it becomes too thick, just add more broth or water. 

Ready to eat.

These are some easy appetizers to make and enjoy during a cookout.
Ingredients:
12 large jalapenos
1 pkg sausage as spicy or as mild as you like
1 pkg bacon
toothpicks

Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and veins. You may want to use rubber gloves while doing this. If not, be very careful because you can get the juice on your face or in your eyes. And, believe me, you don't want that to happen. Wash your hands as soon as you finish scraping out the jalapenos. You can leave the stems on. It will give it a little handle to hold it by.

Next, stuff the jalapeno with the sausage. I suggest mild because the jalapeno is going to give it a big kick.

Ready for the grill.

Finally, take a strip of bacon, cut it in half, and wrap it around the jalapeno. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Preheat the grill. If using charcoal put the coals on one side. If using gas use only one side. You need to put the jalapenos on an open section without flame. You want non-direct heat. Otherwise, as the bacon and sausage cook the grease will release and catch on fire. Cover and cook until done (about 15- 20 minutes) .

These are delicious but very spicy. You can use ranch dressing to cool them down a bit just like you would with hot wings. I hope you enjoy. Try it this weekend and leave a comment to let everyone know what you think.