Good for the soul.............

Two of my neighbors are sick and the thought came to mind, a QUICK chicken soup, when YOU are your own nurse! I live in a community of single unit apartments and most of us don't have someone to bring us that comfort food, soup. I discovered very late in life that it really does help you feel better and it is soothing. Following is my solution, when you first get that little inkling that "IT" is invading your body, get this started.

Always keep a package of chicken in the freezer, whole, or parts. Just be sure that it is already cleaned so if you don't feel good you can just toss it in the pot. So, that is what you do.............put the chicken in the pot and cover with 8 cups of water. To this add, two celery stalks plus, extra leaves, three carrots, 1 1/2 medium onions, Three cloves of garlic, 6 whole pepper corns, and a double pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, skim off the top, simmer for about two to three hours. (If you have to work that day, even if sick, toss it in your crock pot.)

How I treat it from this point depends on what kind of sickness I have. If I am running a fever, I just want the broth so I strain out everything, setting the chicken aside; if my stomach will take more, I will push the veggies through a sieve and add about half a cup of chicken meat, then add a couple of handfuls of egg noodles. If you are dieting, add some brown rice instead. This will yield you about four regular servings.

The nice part of this is you can adjust the recipe for just how lousy you feel If you can barely stand up, just scrub the veggies and "sort of" quarter them. If you are feeling half way decent and care, you can be daintier in your preparation. You might also just want to make this up ahead and freeze it in one serving containers. A bonus is the balance of the chicken can be frozen for use in stir-fry or casseroles.........even chicken salad sandwiches. So much better for you than the over salted canned goods that are usually available.

Hope you are healthy and just try it for a comforting winter meal. Check out the "Discovery" site for today and get away for a while.