Chicken Noddle Soup

January. What a long month you are. A month that is usually very cold for much of the country and a month that is notorious for viruses. My kids finally went back to their brick and mortar school in January, which naturally meant they got sick after being back for only a week. :) 

Thankfully it was only a cold, but it sure was a nasty one. Especially for my son and my husband. I had not made chicken soup in such a long time and remembered this recipe I came across a few years ago. It's really good and the recipe is so easy to follow. I love that this soup can come together quickly and does not need a lot of time to sit and simmer to build up the flavor. I served it after just 30 minutes. Even my son, who is not a fan of soup, ate a few bites (it was mostly the chicken but I still call that a win).  

Egg noodles, veggies, and chicken pulled from a store bought rotisserie make this a breeze to whip together whenever you're starting to feel under the weather! 
 

Source: Food Network 

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs 
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 8 oz wide egg noodles
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 handful of fresh parsley 
• 1 lemon

Directions

Place a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until the veggies get soft but not browned. 

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for about five minutes until tender. Then, fold in the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon if desired. 

Dinner Lately

Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan

I made this chicken parmesan from Cooking Light last week. It's a little better for you than traditional chicken parmesan- instead of using bread crumbs, you use panko, and the tomato sauce isn't weighed down by lots of salt and tastes like you've been slaving away on the stove all day. We both loved it, including the mini!

Rotisserie Chicken with Lemon Risotto 

& Bacon Brussel Sprouts 

Last Friday I wasn't in the mood to cook so Miss A and I made a last minute trip to the grocery store for a rotisserie chicken. As we were leaving I saw that arborio rice was on sale and picked some up, suddenly with a huge craving for some risotto! The only risotto I make is lemon risotto, a Rachael Ray recipe. Gah, it is SO good!! I could easily sit there and eat the whole pot.

I also grabbed some brussel sprouts while we were at the store to make a super easy and quick veggie side dish. I don't know why brussel sprouts get such a bad rep- they are delicious, if you make them correctly! I follow this recipe from Picky Palate, but I omit the extra toppings and I cook mine in bacon fat. ;) I fry up three slices of bacon in a skillet, remove the bacon, leave the drippings and add a tablespoon of olive oil, then I add the sprouts. Perfect every single time!

Classic Cheeseburgers 

My husband loves having burgers for dinner. Sometimes we have burgers once a week, especially if I'm looking for something easy to make. I make them pretty much the same every time- salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and spoonful of barbecue sauce go into the mix. I cook them on the stove top and top them with cheddar cheese, red onions, and lettuce. 

Baked Potato Soup 

This is my favorite baked potato soup recipe. I made it two months ago while my parents were visiting. My dad loves to eat soup when it's cold out, which means he doesn't eat it very often, seeing as it rarely gets chilly in Miami. He requested soup one day for lunch and I had this recipe from Skinnytaste pinned that I really wanted to try. I love that the recipe calls for a head of cauliflower, so it's easy not to feel bad about eating this soup! Crispy bacon and cheddar cheese are a must for toppings!

Mac n' Cheese Soup

I've had this recipe dog-eared for months. The photograph in the magazine, Cuisine at Home, is a cheese-lovers, i.e me, dream. Filled to the rim with noddles in a cheddar bath and topped with crumbled bleu cheese (I can't have any bleu cheese right now, so sad). I die. If only I could make my bowl of soup look that good.

It's good enough though, right? I love that it has some crunch to it with bites of celery (also making it "healthy") and that it is super easy to make. Have it for lunch or dinner. With a grilled cheese on the side? Or would that be too much?

I'd love to experiment with different kinds of cheeses in the near future. The recipe calls for sharp cheddar, which is perfect, and fitting. How fun would it be to mix it up though and use different flavors? Let me know what you come up with.

Source: Cuisine at Home
Servings: 7 cups

1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I used regular pepper)
2 cups whole milk
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (optional)
2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

Cook macaroni in large pot of salted water according to package direction; drain and set aside.

Sweat onion and celery in butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour to coat and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, mustard, nutmeg, and cayenne. Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 minutes, then whisk and warm through. Do not let boil or base may become grainy.

Add cheddar, 1 cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next cup. Stir in macaroni, lemon juice, and salt; remove from heat.

Combine bleu cheese and chives in a small bowl. Garnish each serving with bleu cheese mixture. 

What soups are you loving lately?

Insane Cravings

I seem to be on some kind of cookie fix. All I want to do is bake cookies.

Giant Double Chocolate Cookies
Christmas Crunch Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Orange Ricotta Cookies with Dark Chocolate

The Giant Double Chocolate Cookies remind me of the German Chocolate Cookies I made last weekend.

But I still want to make them.

And I already made the Christmas Crunch and Peanut Butter Blossoms for Christmas. Now I'm insanely craving them. So much so that I had to re-write the word "insanely" three times. ;)

Anyhow. What else has been going on around here?

I made Rachael's Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano-Crusted Chicken Piccata, and Ravioli Tomato Soup. I shared the chicken recipe with you over here. The Spinach Mac and Cheese wasn't my thing- I don't know if the sauce was too creamy or what, it just wasn't that great. :/ I did love the soup though, my second time making it.

You can find the recipe for that here.

As for the weekend, I think some major baking with be going down. Along with ice cream. The hubby and I were dying for ice cream last night but were too lazy to throw on some pants and go out in the snow to get some. I suppose I will when I go out for our weekly grocery run and crumble up a bunch of cookies to go along with it. :D

Any baking plans for you this weekend?