snow and chicken soup.

According to the newspapers we are about to have one of those winter storms that comes every ten to twenty years.  Round one came today in the form of a rather light snow which did not even slow traffic or give enough to build a snowman or go sledding. Beginning in the wee hours of the night tonight and for the next two days they say we are going to be in for a rough time.  We will wait and see.

Anyway, this morning Anne suggested we have chicken soup or potato soup which would be perfect for winter weather.  I took that as my cue to make chicken soup which I did.  I decided to make a big pot of soup.  After all, it is silly to go to the trouble of making soup for only two people.  When it was all said and done, there was soup for six people with plenty left over for another day.  

Today is my birthday, and nothing makes me happier than to cook for the people I love or even for people I just like, or even those I do not even know.  I think I am a good cook, and I love to share the results.   The first, last, and most important thing to know in being a good cook is to do it because you want to do it.  One does not cook for one's self but one cooks for the pleasure and enjoyment of others.  The ability to be a good cook is a gift and that gift is to be used by sharing the food one prepares with others.  I made enough soup for Anne and myself, and to take some to her Aunt Doris, and to our friends Axel and Jeremy.  Our son Jon came by and had his share of it later.

Evidently it was a success because Axel was texting me before I got home telling me it was fantastic. When I got home Anne was on the phone with her aunt who was telling her how good it was and asking how I made it.  Later Jeremy was texting his compliments.  Overall, that soup make my birthday a happy birthday too.  One finds happiness by making others happy. I must confess that i am not usually a big fan of soup and I did not really like this snow day soup. 

I rarely measure anything when I cook.  I am running around the kitchen tossing things around like a madman.  I could be the subject for America's Most Funny Home Videos.  One can not believe the mess I can make in a kitchen in only a few  minutes. 

Now I will attempt to tell how I did the soup for those folks who asked.

I boiled just over half  of a 3 pound bag of chicken tenders in about 2 quarts of water.

When the chicken was about done I added a 2 pound box of chicken stock (not broth)

Then I disolved 6 chicken bullion cubes in 6 cups of boiling water and added that.

A good rounded teaspoon of Kosher salt and about half that amount of fresh ground black pepper

a rounded tablespoon or a little more of Herbes d'e Provence Seasoning which is a blend of salt, 

      parsley, thyme, marjoram, poppy seeds and taragon.

I sprinkled in about 4 or 5 tablespoons of dehydrated onion flakes, a few red pepper flakes, 

      and about a tablespoon more of dehydrated parsley flakes.

I had chopped up a medium onion, 3 or 4 small carrots, and and 2 or 3 celery stalks

Let this cook until everything is completely cooked. 

 Next, I threw in almost a cup of dry egg noodles, about half a cup of veggie squiggley pasta, and about half cup of instant brown rice and a handful of regular elbo macarroni. 

Cooked until those last thingys were tender.. 

that's all there is to it.