Easy and Delicious Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

There's just something so comforting in having a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It's calming to eat and easy to make. I almost always have these ingredients in the house, and it's not something that requires a big production. This just seemed like the perfect thing to do on Sunday night after the end of a snowy cold winter weekend...

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 cut cut up fryer chicken (or you can leave it whole)

3 quarts of cold water

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry thyme (optional)

2 teaspoons parsley flakes (optional)

8 - 10 oz egg noodles

An hour and forty-five minutes (15-20 minutes hands on)

- Place chicken in dutch oven or soup pot with about 3 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

- Remove the chicken from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon. Using two forks, remove the meat from the bones, shredding the meat as you are removing it. Return the bones to the pot and simmer for 45 minutes - covered. Remove bones from the broth and discard. 

- Add the diced carrots, celery and onion, the salt and pepper, as well as the thyme and parsley (if you are using those). Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

- Bring back to a boil, add the noodles and chicken, cook for 8-10 minutes.

- Taste for seasoning and serve!

Stay Warm!

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK

New York City November

Because my buddy Drew just sent me a few super sweet shots from my trip to NYC in November for my birthday - I thought I'd post a little photo montage from my week in the Big Apple. As per usual it involves lots of food, friends and good times :-)

Photo Property of Andrew Mauney

--- Arrive ---

--- Dinner : Spaghetti :  Brooklyn ---

my host family

--- AG : Soho ---

--- Lunch : Chickpeas : Soho ---

--- Soul : Spin : Brooklyn ---

--- Lunch : Thai : Union Square ---

--- Sightsee : Ferry views ---

 --- Adventures through the city ---

 --- Madison Square Garden : Penguins---

--- Pizza : East Village ---

--- Lunch : Ippudo : Noodles ---

 ---Dinner : Steak and Frites : Brooklyn ---

---Yoga : Brooklyn ---

--- Sushi Lunch : Bryant Park ---

--- Dinner : Tequila : Brooklyn --- 

--- Party Pants ---

--- Brunch : Financial District ---

(my favorite photo from this trip)

--- Celebrate : Ngam : East Village ---

--- Until we meet again, NY ---

Photo Property of Andrew Mauney

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK

Braised Leeks

Leeks are a delicious member of the Allium family - right along with onions and garlic. I absolutely LOVE leeks. Here is a simple and tasty recipe to get leeks added as a side dish for dinner. It's a slow cooking method, but the prep time is minimal.

Braised Leeks

Whole Leeks
Stock (you can use any kind, I typically use chicken, but vegetable stock would be fine as well)
Olive Oil (1-4 T, depending on how many leeks you have and how big your pan is - I used one above for 3 med size leeks)
Salt and Pepper

35-45 minutes

1.  Remove the dark green tops from the the whole leeks (save if you are going to be making stock soon). Leaving the end on, slice in quarters - still leaving whole - so that you can wash the leeks thoroughly. Put the leaks under running water - being sure to open up the leaves so that you can get the dirt out - they can be really dirty sometimes!

2. Place the leeks in a saucepan and pour in the stock to reach about halfway up the leeks. Add the oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Bring to a boil, cover (leaving the cover slightly ajar) and braise for 30-40 minutes (until tender). Serve hot.

You can cook almost any vegetable in this way and they always turn out tender and delicious.

Happy Cooking.

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK