Sickness = Chicken Noodle Soup

Well, it is the middle of November. Our first colds of the season have hit, not hard but enough to be aggravating. So what does that mean to you? Why have I told you we are sick? For your sympathy? For meals to be brought to us? No. I have a gift for you!

Chicken Noodle soup
Buy a whole chicken, if it has the insides tucked away untuck them and throw them away for all I care. I can eat many things but not organs. Put this in a big pot and cover with water a couple of inches. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium. Now you don't want to cook this more than an hour or the meat will get tough. So after that take out the chicken and let cool. We are having to make stock quickly unless you have some in the freezer already. Oh but wait I still haven't told you how to make and freeze stock yet. Shame. So we will have to make the chicken water taste like it has been simmering for a while. Okay if you have a bag of frozen vegetable and bones already going in the freezer put this in the pot along with the bones and skin from the chicken you just cooked. Yes I did tell you to start the vegetable and chicken bone bag! Now add some salt, pepper, any spices you have on hand along with some garlic and a little soy sauce. You can even add a little apple cider vinegar. Let this simmer for a couple hours. When done strain and keep the broth. This is different than what I will eventually tell you how to make stock but it will do today when you are running a fever and the kids are hacking away from that darn dry cough. Now add about 6 carrots, diced; 3 celery stalks, diced; 1 onion chopped and sauteed. Let this cook a while. Add 1 pound mushrooms cut up in a skillet with some butter and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add a big splash of lemon juice at the end and add this to your pot. Add the chicken back, shredded with your hands. I use the wide Healthy Harvest whole wheat noodles because they are hearty. I also boil them separate in another pot and add them after drained. After many times of making this the noodles don't get mushy and hold up for the next day even. Now 1 more thing. Did you know I love garlic? I also love the antibacterial properties in garlic, they work great for the sinus cavities. Get down, in my case, 5 bowls and get out 5 cloves of garlic. Mince one into each bowl raw. Cover with soup and they will never know but you will ;o)