Chicken Noodle Soup

What happens when you procrastinate? You FORGET how you made the above soup :) I have a picture, though! LOL! I made this for the girls when they were sick during (the whole month of) February. They actually ate it! I wasn't sick, but still thought it was really good, and easy enough to make if I WERE sick. So, without writing anything down, I'll try to recreate this from memory...although I won't use amounts because I have NO idea. I'm actually pretty bummed that I didn't write this down (Mom, stop saying I told you so!  I can hear you all the way from here! Ha!). I've made a bunch of Chicken Noodle Soups through the years and for some reason, this one really hit the spot.

Chicken Noodle Soup

olive oil (once around the pan...ish)
onions, chopped
garlic, minced
carrots, diced
celery, diced
zucchini, diced
salt
pepper
ground thyme
water
chicken broth or boullion
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
whole grain thin spaghetti noodles

So basically, it went a little something like this!

Heat olive oil in a stock pot, add chopped veggies and spices and cook until soft-ish. Add water and broth/boullion to taste. Add chicken. Bring to a boil over high heat and add noodles. Reduce heat to medium and cook until noodles are tender. TADA!

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary

as a kid, i did not like peas.  i hated them.  i was not a picky eater, but peas were definitely on the "do not eat" list.  and split pea soup?  seriously?  no thank you.

and then something happened: i realized that really i just didn't like CANNED peas.  frozen peas are fabulous!  i love them!  and then something else happened: during a hormone-induced weird pregnancy craving...all i wanted was split pea soup.  i found this recipe.  i love it.  i've made it for my mom before and she liked it.  kaia used to like it before she was FOUR and was not so opinionated about FOODS BEING MIXED TOGETHER.  layla scarfed it down.

more water/chicken broth can be added to thin the soup to desired consistency.

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary
6 servings

6 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups green split peas
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1. Place bacon in a large pot, and cook over medium heat until crisp. Stir in onion, leek, carrot, and garlic; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in chicken broth. Stir in split peas, bay leaves, and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer until peas are cooked, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

my notes:
i usually only use 4 slices bacon because it's really rich with 6 and it seems unnecessary.
i don't buy fresh rosemary just for this and it's good with dried if i don't have fresh on hand.
leek can be replaced with celery if desired.


unfortunately, there is no way to make split pea soup look appetizing!

Meatball and Macaroni Soup & Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches

first time making this duo out of Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2.  a major hit for all!  the kids loved it and so did me and mom.  i will definitely keep this in my regular rotation to make again.

Meatball and Macaroni Soup

makes 4 big servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves, fresh or dried

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 pound ground beef, pork, and veal combined (i used 1/2 lb pork and 1/2 lb beef)

1 egg beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dried pasta (ditalini or macaroni or broken fettuccini)

1 pound fresh spinach, coarsley chopped

In a deep pot over medium heat, add oil, chopped carrots, celery, onions and bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover pot and cook veggies, 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine ground meats, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add broth and water to the pot of veggies. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot.  When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir.  Cover and simmer soup, 10 minutes.  When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches.  When spinach has wilted, the soup is done and ready to serve.  Adjust your seasonings, and serve with crusty bread or grilled 4 cheese sandwiches.

Grilled 4 Cheese Sandwiches

makes 4 sandwiches

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, cracked away from the skin

8 slices crusty Italian semolina bread

1 cup shredded provolone cheese (i used sliced provolone)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (i did not use this)

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, combine oil, butter, and garlic, and cook gently for 2 or 3 minutes, then remove from heat.

Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.  Using a pastry brush, brush one side of 4 slices of bread with garlic and butter oil and place buttered side down in skillet.  Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices.  Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, and brush top with garlic butter.  Flip the sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden.  Cut sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.