In and Around the Garden

There’s something about homemade soup that reminds me of country living, unassuming moments and earth friendly produce. Even though I’m just an okay cook, I make a mighty-fine pot of soup. Most soup recipes are my concoction, a mingling of day-old goodness in the CrockPot with two purposes in mind:  using leftovers and preparing an easy meal.

I’ll look for any excuse to make a quick and simple dish, like when I thinned a few carrots from my crop. Rather than wasting the immature carrots, I decided to use them in homemade soup. These tiny carrots are tender and yummy and swim beautifully in a palatable broth amongst other vegetables.

Hot soup on a cold, wintry evening is the perfect solution to warm my family’s bodies and appease my laidback cooking preference.

Here’s my Second-Time-Around Chicken Soup recipe. It’s simple but mouthwatering.

Ingredients:

Note:  Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables below with your favorites—day-old or fresh.

2- 32 oz. organic or homemade chicken broth

1 packet McCormick four cheese sauce mix

2 cups cooked extra wide egg noodles (or leftover cooked rice)

1 cup each petite peas and corn

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

1 cup cooked carrots, sliced thinly

Optional:  Celery, petite onions, petite black beans, sour cream for garnish.

Instructions:

Note:  Although, I prefer using a CrockPot a large stove top pot is adequate.

1. Pour broth into pot.
2. Add cheese sauce mix and blend with a wire wisp.
3. Add above ingredients and heat thoroughly. If using a CrockPot set to least cooking time (mine is four hours). Check in two hours. If hot, keep CrockPot on warm until ready to serve.
4. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream (optional) and serve your favorite fresh bread.

Makes 8-10 servings