Chicken Noodle Soup

I don't know if this was her intent but one thing my mother taught me is that you can cook anything with a good recipe.  During the summer when I was a teenager my mom would occasionally assign us a night to cook dinner.  I would try to get her to tell me what I was supposed to make but she would just tell me to find a recipe in a cookbook to make.  Now I understand that the hardest part of making dinner is deciding what to make and if my Mom wanted a night off of cooking she was going to take the whole night off.

When I was in college I got a cookbook for a Christmas present from my mom.  It was the familiar, never fail, red plaid, Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.  Did you have one of these in your home growing up?  Do you have one in your kitchen now?  I think it's the one basic cookbook every home should have.  Especially if you are new at cooking.  I've had successes with every recipe I have tried from there.

So when I was in college a friend of my sister's and mine got sick with the flu.  We wanted to make him some soup but neither of us had ever made chicken noodle soup before.  We turned of course to the trusty Red Plaid.   There we found a simple recipe for chicken noodle soup.  It was quick and easy to make with a deep flavor that was the pure comfort food you need when you are sick.  The touch of basil and oregano (which I had never had in chicken noodle soup before) add just the right amount of flavor.  And using tomatoes add just a touch of sweetness.  You can use any vegetables that you like in your soup including frozen mixed vegetables.  As always using quality homemade chicken broth will bring the flavor up a notch.

Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook 11th edition

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

2 stalks celery chopped 

2 carrots sliced

1/2 cup corn

1/2 dry medium sized pasta

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes.

In a large pan combine chicken broth, onion, basil, oregano, pepper, bay leaf, and carrots.  Bring to a boil and add celery and noodles.  Boil for 8 minutes or until noodles are almost cooked.  Add chicken, undrained tomatoes and corn.  Heat thoroughly and serve with saltine crackers.

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Dumpling Soup

When Hyrum sees bacon out as I'm preparing dinner he always asks "Are we having good soup for dinner?"
 Apparently, every single other soup I make does not fall into the "good" category. Though there are plenty of other "good soups" that I make for dinner this is the only one that my kids seem to look forward to.  But really anything with bacon is good.

The first time I made this soup I thought there would be too much dumpling so I didn't add all of the dough.  Of course while eating the soup we all wanted more dumplings so don't skimp on the dumplings!

Adapted from Allrecipes

Dumpling Soup

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup water, or as needed

5-6 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 ounces sliced bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped

1 cup cooked diced chicken (optional)

Start by making the dumpling dough.  Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Crack egg into a measuring cup and add oil and water to fill up to one cup.  Stir well with a fork.  Gradually stir liquid into flour mixture until it forms a loose dough.  Set aside.

Place potatoes in a large pot with the broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are cooking melt butter in a large skillet.  Cook onion and bacon over med heat until onions are golden and bacon is slightly crispy.  I prefer NOT to use a non stick pan.  I like being able to scrape up the browned bits into the soup for extra yummyness.

When the potatoes are done cooking pinch off dough about the size of a quarter into the soup.  Add bacon and onions to the soup.  Then ladle some of the broth into the bacon pan to deglaze and add all that yummyness back into the soup.  Add optional chicken.  Turn off the soup, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

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