Okay, this may seem kinda weird, being that it's summer and all, but yesterday I had a craving for homemade chicken soup. I'm trying to figure out why because it's summer with temps in the 90's outside. The only thing I can think of is that I'm really craving some comfort and stability right now. Of coarse this probably relates to finances, or lack there of. My husband's business has run out of "moola" and the other "investment capital" hasn't come through yet, so there's NO paycheck coming in. Yikes, are we gonna be homeless or what? Fear, Fear! We do own our van now (we finally paid that sucker off) so maybe we could live in that...NOT! I might consider it if dear hubby didn't hold the world's record for the LOUDEST snorring in the universe! Ok, I don't want to even go there or even think about the possibility of being homeless. Oh help me Lord! Anyway enough about my financial problems and on to the very awesome soup that I made yesterday and that I'm still eating today, yum!
I purchased these fairly cheap, thinly sliced chicken breasts thingy's. "Chicken Tenders" I believe they're called. It amounted to about one pound of chicken. I cut these up into small bits and sauteed (fried) them in a dutch oven "the big pan" with a little oil. Then I added 1/2 onion chopped and about 4 cloves of minced garlic. Then 6 cans of chicken broth (cheap store brand) and 2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning (dollar store). I sliced up 3-4 carrots and 3 spears of celery and added them. I brought all this to a boil and added 1/2 cup of rice (Dollar Store) and a 14oz can of chopped tomatoes (Dollar Store). I let this simmer about 20 minutes till the rice was tender and then I added a 14 oz can of white beans (rinsed and drained). You can add whatever beans you happen to have. Then I added 1 cup of fresh chopped zucchini (Free). A friend gave me a large one from his garden. You could substitute a cup of peas, frozen or canned and drained. You can add a little hot sauce sauce or other spices of your choice. Oh, I almost forgot. I squeezed the juice of one fresh lemon (from a friend's tree) into the pot and added 1/4 cup of the my favorite cheap (Gallo Twin Valley) Chardonnay (optional). I let the soup simmer about another 10 more minutes and garnished (topped) it with chopped green onions and fresh cilanto. Gourmet all the way! I think just going through the motions of making this soup relieved some anxiety. That and the glass of the cheap wine I drank while making it, lol! I ate little bowls of this soup all day for lunch, dinner, snack, midnight snack, 3:00am snack (when I couldn't sleep due to anxiety) and I ate some for breakfast this morning too. Yes, I did save some for my son and hubby to try, ha! This recipe makes a lot.
So go make a big pot of chicken soup when you're feeling anxious. It's cheap, it's easy, it's fast and it's good for you! Oh and don't forget the vino while you're making it!
No comments:
Post a Comment