After what we are estimating to be 12" of snow, it is soup time....

A nice warm bowl of soup was waiting for my husband after he "braved the elements" as they say, and cleared off our driveway of about a foot of snow.  As I look out the window this afternoon I do see some stray snowflakes falling even now a day later. 

Time for some:

Chicken Noodle & Vegetable Soup

As I have mentioned before and you will see here, I do take advantage of short-cuts, one, if time is short and two, if they are just plain good, so why try and duplicate with all the fuss and work involved.  Shown here are a few examples of my doing just that:

I have always loved a soup starter per se.  A lot of the seasoning has been done for you and those little extras are taken care, plus I am sure there are probably enough preservatives in there to make the kids think it is from the local fast-food chain and they will love it.  Just kidding.  I really do not know about the preservatives but I do think they just might like this one.

I used the left-over turkey and bones but a deli chicken, some plain chicken pieces or any poultry will work here.  Try to make sure a bone or two is in there, even the chicken or turkey neck is great in this case.  It will enhance the flavors, you will discard before serving of course.

Add the turkey, or chicken to the broth mixture, whole, intact, this will be removed later:

Here is my honey or "sous chef", preparing the vegetables for me.  He is paid well, trust me.  :)

He does such good work doesn't he?

Add the vegetables to the soup pot:

Remove the turkey bones and all, from the soup, allow to cool; cut to spoon/soup size pieces:

Return turkey pieces to soup pot; simmer:

Mix everything well, allow to simmer for at about one hour, until vegetables are fork-tender:

This is also the time to add any vegetables that are already cooked i.e. left over corn, green beans etc..

Warm the soup bowls in the microwave, serve soup in the nicely warmed bowls:

Once again here we are adding another view:

Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup

The Players:

1 left-over turkey, with meat still attached and bones in place or

1 deli rotisserie chicken or left over poultry of your choice

1 32 oz. box of Progresso Chicken Broth

1 Bear Creek soup mix or any favorite soup starter type product (pictured is Chicken Noodle)

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. pepper

garlic and onion powders

3 stalks celery, wash and cut into bite size pieces

3-4 carrots, wash, ends removed, scraped and cut into bite size pieces

1 small onion, diced

any left over vegetables you feel like adding i.e. corn, green beans, white beans (a little of each will work too)

8 cups of water, more may be necessary as simmering may reduce amount of liquid

Noodles and/or rice, uncooked (will cook in soup)

Optional: add rice, additional noodles or macaroni when you add the left-over vegetables.  If you plan on freezing left-over soup, keep noodles separate as these will absorb all the broth.

Just make noodles the same day as you plan on serving the soup.  If noodles are in soup starter this will be just fine, it is the extra noodles that will absorb so much of the broth.  Is this clear as mud?

Instructions:

Place whole turkey carcass, or deli-rotisserie chicken in soup pot, over medium high heat on stove.  Cover with 8 cups of water, add soup starter mix and box of Progresso chicken stock.  Begin to simmer.

Add onion and vegetables to pot.

Add spices; sprinkle in onion and garlic powders to taste, add salt and pepper. Stir well.

Reserve any pre-cooked vegetables until later.

Bring soup to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium low or low, allowing soup to simmer and vegetables to cook or at least one hour. 

When vegetables are fork-tender, remove turkey meat and bones to a cutting board, allow to cool until easy to handle.  Remove meat from bones, cut into bite sized pieces.  Return meat to pot, discard bones.

Add any pre-cooked vegetables to pot to heat through.  If using left-over vegetables that are frozen add at the same time, these will cook up quickly.  We save any left-over vegetable by putting them in small snack size storage bags, placing them in the freezer to be used later on soup day.  Also add any extra noodles or rice if you so desire, at this point.

Allow soup to simmer for about 10-15 more minutes. 

Place soup bowls in the microwave for a few seconds, to warm.  Add hot soup. 

Serve.

Any left-over soup can be frozen for another meal. 

Enjoy! 

Keep warm!

This should help a little bit. 

Evelyn

It's Friday must be Tuna and Noodle night?

Hi Friends,

When we were kids we got to pick what we would have for our birthday dinner.  Being a family of 12 this was no small feat when the "boys" would place their order but for me (and a couple sisters), it was Tuna and Noodles all the way.  I still think about this when I fix for my family now.

Here is what you will need:

Yes, there are cinnamon rolls there too.  We are a strange lot here but this is what I make when we have tuna and noodles.  Guess it is the sweet and salty thing.  Funny thing is no one here thinks it is strange or complains.  It is just the way it is.  You can skip this part, but why? 

The Prep, step by step:  (did I make a rhyme? Unintentional for sure, next I will break into reciting old knock-knock jokes.

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and return to dutch oven, or pour into a casserole dish.  Add tuna, salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder if using, mix.

Add the cream of mushroom soup, mix to coat noodles and tuna.  At this point you can add peas if you wish.  We prefer them on the side unless they are the petite peas, then in they go.

Add bread crumbs to top of casserole, or, if you dare, do like my Mom does, add potato chips, just regular old  chips, drizzle the bread crumbs or the chips with melted butter.  This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?  Could this be a small carb overload?  Oh well, take a nap later.  This casserole has tuna in it for goodness sakes, it should be good for you, right?  So go ahead and take the nap. 

Look at that action shot! 

All mixed up and ready for the oven.

This might be the real reason you will feel like a nap after dinner.  I want one of those now. 

And another view:

John loves this, I plate up his plate for the photo, he shoots a quick photo then he is off to the table to eat.  I am just figuring this one out, call me slow but no wonder he likes being the photographer.   Two shots here because he was not sure he liked having the fork in the photo.  So what does he do?  Yep, he added more food to his plate and took the fork away.  Yes, girls he is all mine. 

Ingredients:

1 bag flat egg noodles

3 cans of tuna, solid white tuna in water or chunk light tuna in water

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/3 cup milk

salt and pepper

the usual subjects: garlic powder and onion powder (opt.)

bread crumbs, plain here but seasoned crumbs work too, if you prefer

1/2 stick melted butter

1 tube of Grands cinnamon rolls (opt.)

The How-To:

Prepare noodles according to package directions.  Drain and place in casserole dish or return to dutch oven.  Add tuna, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders to taste. Mix.  

Add cream of mushroom soups, mix well.  Add peas at this time but mix gently so they do not break up.  Add a small amount of milk if casserole seems too thick.  Stir to mix again. 

Melt butter in microwave or on stove.  Sprinkle on bread crumbs or potato chips, drizzle with melted butter.  Do not mix again this is the topping. 

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

While casserole is baking prepare the cinnamon rolls according to package directions.  I place them on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan on the top shelf in oven while casserole is baking.  Make sure to watch the rolls as they will bake up quicker on the top shelf. 

Serve with a vegetable, or if peas are used in the casserole, you are set. 

Enjoy my version of this old classic!

Evelyn