The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

Comfort food time. I had BIG plans for today as I had off of work and the girls had school. BIG plans. I was going to finish up laundry, polyurethane more molding, shop for care package supplies, bath the dogs, clean the house and bake something sweet and yummy. I did none of that. Instead I stayed in my pajamas as long as I could, Skyped with Christopher, slept some more, ate ice cream and had a pity party for one. Lol. I’m in the blah stage of the deployment, I’m done now send him home. Augh! Some days just drag. This shall pass but in the meantime I need comfort food and not even the finicky of eaters can turn down chicken noodle soup. The only thing I did different was cooking the noodles in the soup. I think it gives them some extra flavor.

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Farmhouse Favorites.
Ingredients
16 oz package, thin egg noodles, uncooked
12 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
4 cups cooked chicken, diced
Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine broth, salt and poultry seasoning in a very large pot; bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in vegetables; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetable are tender. Combine cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl; gradually add to soup, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in chicken and noodles; heat through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I am exhausted. This weekend just flew by and I still have tasks to complete. Christmas is coming way too fast this year. Nothing calms a crazy day like a bowl of soup paired with some fresh baked bread. I enjoyed this soup but my family was not thrilled with it. I apologize for the awful photo as I was in a hurry to eat, clean up the kitchen, post and get back to writing out our Christmas cards.
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Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches.
Ingredients
1/4 cup onion, diced
8 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
2 (16 oz) cans chicken broth
3 tbsp paprika
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dill weed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
Directions
In a stockpot over medium heat, sauté onion and mushrooms in butter, until tender. Stir in flour. Add remaining ingredients except evaporated milk; bring to a simmer. Stir in evaporated milk. Cover and simmer about one hour. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Macaroni & Cheese Chowder

Rainy dreary day. Snow coming later today. Defiantly a chowder and corn bread kind of day. Even my finicky eater likes homemade mac & cheese making this meal a hit. Warning! After reading the ingredients I felt like it wouldn’t be enough so I doubled the recipe. Don’t do that unless you are feeding an army. We we be eating this all weekend long.
If you haven’t done it yet make sure you enter the giveaway for this cookbook. –>Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway<--

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches.
Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) package pasteurized process cheese spread
1 cup cooked ham, diced
1 cup corn
Directions
Over medium heat, bring broth and water to a boil in a saucepan. Add macaroni and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add milk, cheese, ham and corn. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 4 to 6.

Veggie Cheese Soup

Yesterday’s beautiful weather was such a tease. We slept with the windows open and the breeze was so peaceful and fresh. It was a tad brisk when we woke up but I still loved it. Today not so much. Rain, rain, more rain, sunshine for a moment followed by dreary cold weather. Boo. Even with the lack of sunshine I still managed to clean bedrooms, change sheets and flip mattresses. Does anyone else flip their mattress or is that a thing of the past? My kiddos look at me like I’m nuts when I do it. I love climbing into a bed with fresh sheets but add that flipped mattress and *OMG* I’m in sleep heaven. I can’t wait for bedtime tonight. Before that can happen I had to take Haillie shopping for her birthday. We lucked out and she found four new shirts. It was a fun and stressful trip. Once home again I finished up dinner, which was delicious. Three out of four of us loved it. Abby of course was the exception. She just needs to give veggies a chance. Christopher then surprised Haillie with a few more gifts. We are so bad at waiting, her birthday isn’t till Thursday. She was excited to get the book she requested, Doctor Zhivago plus a book on Irish Fairy & Folk Tales and a Pink CD. What 15 year old reads Doctor Zhivago? Tomorrow night is her birthday dinner out. Reservations have been made and I’m hoping at least on photo will be taken. Fingers crossed.

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Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2-3/4 cups water
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 can (10-3/4 oa) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 cups frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fully cooked lean ham
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
Directions
In a large nonstick saucepan coated with a cooking spray, cook onion and celery over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in the potatoes, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in condensed soup until blended. Reduce heat; add vegetables and ham. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese until melted.

Lasagna Soup

I made a silly faux pa with tonight's chicken dish. You will hear all about it tomorrow. It gave my friend, Trudy a chuckle. I'm sure she was shaking her head at me. So I have switched dinners and will attempt to remake the chicken tomorrow night. Stay tuned.
I never even heard of lasagna soup until my friend Paula over at "Queen of my Castle" brought it to my attention. The recipe is from Paula Deen and the actually name is "Tastes Like Lasagna Soup". The name says it all. It taste exactly like lasagna. I started by baking a French baguette. Sorry Paula but I had to make it, I forgot to buy one. This soups makes for any easy meal and my only suggestion is if you made it at all ahead of time don't add the Parmesan cheese until prior to serving. I did sprinkle the soup with the mozzarella and then placed it under the broiler. Totaling fooling my family into thinking I slaved all day in the kitchen.

Ingredients
1 lb ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
2 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1 package (5 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic Crostini, recipe follows
Garlic Crostini
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.
Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 oven proof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately.
For the garlic crostini
Preheat oven to 350 ⁰F.
Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.