Chicken Noodle Soup

Being sick is no fun and summer colds are the worst. Sometimes I long for the simpler days when I was younger. The days when my Mama or Daddy would bring a bowl of steaming soup, complete with love and healing properties, to my bedside. If I was under the care of my Mama then that bowl of health would be of the potato variety, made simply in an almost clear broth with celery and lots of black pepper. My Daddy's healing potion was very different, loaded with fresh vegetables from our garden and any number of shredded meats in a slightly spicy tomato broth. Both very good and very soothing. Unfortunately, neither of my parents cook very much any more and even if they did I live too far away to enjoy it. I've found that if I want soup when I'm under the weather then I have to brew it up myself. Canned soup, with the very rare exception of tomato with added cream, never crosses my path. The smell of most of those condensed soup mock-ups makes me nauseous. Too much salt, too little flavor, too few nutrients retained in those soggy vegetables and pasta.

The most recent hurricane to affect our area was both a blessing and a hindrance. My workplace closed half a day Monday due to all the tornado spin-offs. I was happy because by this time I was starting to feel cruddy. I headed to one of the local grocery stores to pick up what I needed for my Chicken Noodle Soup. This is where I ran into the the hindrance of the storms. Almost all of the store's coolers had been lost in the previous night's power outage. Therefore, the soup of the day does not contain any celery or mushrooms. I just didn't feel like braving the wind and rain to get them somewhere else. They add both flavor and texture so do seek them out if you decide to try this recipe. This soup can easily be made in under an hour and holds well in the fridge for about a week. I have frozen this soup for several months and while the taste is still good, the carrots become slightly mushy.

Serves 6 - 8

1½-2lbs bone-in chicken breasts
50oz chicken broth
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 bay leaves
3 tsp granulated chicken boullion

4-5 c. hot water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 c. carrots, thinly sliced
2 c. celery, thinly sliced
4oz vermicelli, broken; or egg noodles (~2½ c. cooked)
1 c. mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 c. cooking sherry

1. Add the first 7 ingredients to soup pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, cover, vent and continue cooking about 20 min or until chicken is done.
3. Remove chicken, cool slightly and debone. Shred chicken.
4. Meanwhile, strain broth, defat if desired, and return to cook pot. Add hot water to replace any lost during cooking of the chicken.
5. Add onion, carrots and celery to broth and cook at a slightly boil until almost tender (10-15 min).
6. Add noodles and continue cooking about 10 min or until tender.
7. Add chicken, mushrooms, parsley and sherry.
8. Continue cooking 5 min more.