Chicken Noodle Soup that Rivals Your Grandma's

Can you see the steam?  I can.

There is something so traditionally comforting about Chicken Noodle Soup.  Maybe it's that it's the go-to soup when you aren't feeling well, maybe it's that you have this idea that Grandma's make it (although I don't think mine ever did), or maybe it's just that is really good and warms you from the inside, out.  Love that.

I like my Chicken Noodle Soup, simple and classic, just how I like my men.  The best part of that?  It's easy to make and doesn't require a ton of ingredients.  Double win.

Equipment you will need:

• Stock Pot

Eagerly awaiting the addition of broth.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil, 1 1/2T, just enough to cover the bottom of your pot, don't measure it.  You don't want oily soup so don't go overboard
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 stalks of celery (4 single stalks, not 4 full hearts.  That would be overwhelming.), sliced into little half moons, about 1/4in wide.  Small.
• 2-3 Carrots (2 if they are big, 3+ if they are little guys), cut lengthwise and then sliced into half moons.  The celery and the carrots will be about the same shape
• Home Made Chicken Broth, ideally (if you don't have time, I won't look while you empty a carton into the pot).  If you are trying to impress anyone, you should really make your own broth, not to be pushy. Recipe is here.  If you are buying it, get at least 2, 32oz boxes.
• Leftover shredded chicken - could be from a rotisserie, from last nights dinner, from the carcass that you used to MAKE your chicken broth.
• Fresh noodles, I like fettuccine, broken into 2-3in pieces
• Fresh Parsley (optional, but really adds a bright flavor at the end).  Half of a bunch, roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper

Way to long to be eating with a spoon, which is why your tear them.  I love fresh noodles. So much.

This is home made.  Amazing body.  Not because it works out, but because of the depth of flavor

Directions:

• Heat your olive oil in your stock pot over a medium flame
• Add the onion and a few grinds of salt of pepper and cook until the onion pieces start to get translucent and soft
• Add your celery and carrots, stir with the onion so that the olive oil is distributed on all the veggies
• Hit it with a little more salt and pepper.  Then hit me with your best shot.
• Add your broth.  You are waiting for me to give you an amount, I know.  It's up to you.  Do you like it "brothy?"  Add a lot.  Do you like it "hearty?" Don't add so much.  I love Homemade Broth, so I like it brothy, homemade brothy.  Am I making myself clear?
• Cover with the lid and let the broth warm over a low-medium flame
• Once the broth is warm, add your noodle pieces.  Fresh noodles cook really quickly, like 3-4minutes.
• A few minutes after you add the noodles, add chopped parsley and the chicken.
• Let it all cook together until the noodles finish cooking and the chicken is warm
• Ladle it up and start warming yourself from the inside out 

Good Ol' Southern Luck: Black-Eyed Pea Soup

MmmHmm, I'd eat that

 My mom is a southerner, to the bone.  She was born in Texas, raised outside of New Orleans, and moved to California in her early 20s, but those southern roots have stuck with her all the way, and may have rubbed off on me a little bit, too.  It's tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Years day for good luck all year long, and even though it's after new years, this soup is still good, and it took all of 20 minutes to make.   So channel your inner Paula Dean and start serving up everyone you love a big bowl of luck.

Equipment You Will Need:

• Stock Pot

Ingredients:

• 2T Olive Oil, roughly
• 2 Leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (the green parts are gross, sorry)
• 2-3 Carrots, sliced into half moons (my geometry teacher would be so disappointed.  semi-circles is more technical)
• 1 14.5oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes, NOT strained.  #savortheflavor
• 1 Bunch of Kale, ripped into bite size pieces 
• Prepared Vegetable Broth, 32-48oz
• 1c - 1 1/2c Prepared Black-Eyed Peas (you can buy them in a can, or Whole Foods sells them in the refrigerator partially cooked, or you can buy them dried and cook them all.  the.  way.  talk about home made)
• Salt and Pepper

These are the ones I buy from Whole Foods - "quick cooking"

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in your stock pock over a medium heat
• Add the leeks and the carrots. Salt and pepper those little guys, this is the base of the soup so don't be shy, give it a few good grinds of each. Saute in the pot until veggies start to soften, about 5-7 minutes
• Stir in your can of tomatoes, you want it it to get warm with the carrots and the leeks
• Add the kale, give it a stir, and let it all stew together for a few minutes, maybe 3-5
• Add the vegetable broth, as "brothy" as you like
• Add the Black-Eyed Peas
• Stir it all together, and put the lid and turn the flame down to low on so that those flavors marry in there.  Martha taught me that, "let the flavors marry" what a genius...until that little hiccup of hers
• 10 or so minutes later, ladle yourself a bowl and cozy up.  Ya done good.

  

  Some people say that the pot of the end of rainbow is full of gold and good luck, I would prefer a pot full black eyed peas, and I am pretty sure that my mama would, too.

  
  

  
  

Perfectly Poached Egg

Would you look at the size of that egg? There were two yolks in there.  Good old organic, farmers market eggs.  I think it's good luck to get two yolks...

For whatever reason people are scared of poaching eggs.  They will scramble them, but poaching them is uncharted territory that is to remain uncharted.  Unless it involves Eggs Benedict, then  Bring.  It.  On.  I won't argue that, a little benny does a body good.

Here are some insanely easy tips and tricks that make poaching an egg easy and fool proof, every time.  Flawless, really, just like my skin was as a 9 year old.  #theglorydays (calories didn't exist then either, heaven.)

Equipment you will need:

• A small sauce pan
• A slotted spoon

This is the approximate water level, in case you don't have an idea of what 2in looks like.  Pretty sure you do though.

Ingredients:

• About two inches of water in your sauce pan
• 1-2 T of vinegar (just plain, white distilled)
• Eggs!  I usually eat 1 or 2, I wouldn't poach more than 2 at a time per small sauce pan
• Salt & Pepper (optional)

Directions:

• Bring the water (in your sauce pot) to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer
• While the water is heating up, crack your egg into a small drinking cup, like a 6 ouncer.  See the pic...this just makes it easier when it's time to start cooking

I was multitasking...hence the olives on the cutting board, and the beets in the background

• Pour the vinegar into the simmering water, don't measure it, just give it a quick splash
• Let the water come back to a simmer

Look for small bubbles, you don't want them so big that they break up the egg white

• Pour the egg into the simmering water/vinegar (see how easy that was? thank god you put it the cup first, #fewf).  Here's a play by play:

• No touchy for two minutes.  You can set a timer for this if you want, I don't, but I should.

It just brings itself back together!  The vinegar does that.  Don't ask me why.

• Use your slotted spoon to scoop that sucker out of the water

Oh Helloooooo

• Give the spoons a few taps on the edge of the pan to shake off the excess water, and serve it up

Serving suggestions:  On toast with melted cheese. On a tortilla with a smashed half of an avocado and salsa. In soup.  On top of mixed greens.  On top of just about anything that feels almost like a complete meal, but that is still missing a little something

Meet Brussels Sprouts, Your New Fave Veggie

This pan is "well loved"

I have NO idea where Brussels Sprouts got such a bad wrap.  They are the token vegetable for vegetable haters and I cannot figure out why.  They are delicious.  They cook so quickly and serve as a perfect side in the winter.  They are in season now so.....jump on it, jump jump jump on it.

I like them roasted and this is how you do it, #amazing.  Also, did you know that they are BrusselS Sprouts?  Like the city of Brussels, with an "s" at the end?  I just had my mind blown.  Learn something new everyday.

I buy mine at the Farmers Market.   I think you can see why.

Equipment you will need:

• Roasting Pan - I used a brownie pan, it's the perfect size for 1-2 servings, if you have a crowd go for a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil

Ingredients:

• Brussels Sprouts: however many you want, I eat about 8 whole ones, 16 halves. If you end up with leftovers, enjoy them.  And congratulations on the self control.  You got me beat.
• 2t olive oil.  No measuring, I beg you.  Pour for about 3 seconds
• Salt & Pepper

HUGE Sprouts

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400
• Remove the stems/bottoms of your Brussels Sprouts and then cut them in half (quarters if they are really big like the ones in my pictures)
• Put the halves AND the stray leaves in the pan.  The leaves will fall off and you should absolutely keep them.  They get a little crispy and salty and are to die for.
• Pour the olive oil over the sprouts
• Sprinkle on some salt and pepper - a couple of twists from each grinder
• Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, shaking them around once or twice throughout

Post Olive Oil & Seasoning, pre-roast

Eat up.  So easy.  So tasty.  And your peers will be impressed that you are making such a trendy vegetable.  Really though, they have gotten trendy, kinda like babies.  Talk about a key accessory for the season.

See those Crunchy pieces? #getafterit

Towering Fajita Goodness

Fajitas are just fun.  When you get them in a restaurant, they come out sizzling, you get to control how much extra guacamole you put on each bite, how much hot salsa, how much mild...and really making them at home is no different.  In this case I had left over chicken (not ready to share the chicken recipe yet), but you could use shrimp, tofu, steak, pork, mushrooms, (anything really) to "beef" it up....no pun intended.  Or, pun intended.

This is my favorite brand of guacamole.  Hands-Down. Just as a side-note , I like a LOT on each bite.

Equipment you will need:

• Wide, flat bottom pan, not a pot
• Spatula or big spoon so that your hand won't get too close to the heat (comin' in hotttt)
• Knife & Cutting Board
• Tongs (unless you have really quick hands that can avoid flames)...look right here:

Fire Seared Tortilla - que auténtico.  Really though, this is a huge flavor booster. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Onion, mine was a medium sized one, but a big one would be fine
• 1 large Red Bell Pepper 
• 1 T of Oil, I used Safflower.  Please don't measure this, just pour for like 4 seconds 
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 t Cumin - don't do it, please don't measure.  Just give it a couple good shakes.  It's not spicy, more smokey
• 1/4 t Chile Powder - no measuring, but fewer shakes, this has a little more heat.  Go for half the amount of Cumin....más o menos (more or less - I was a Spanish Major. #yup)
• Any meat or protein that you want!  Already cooked. (If it isn't cooked, just brown it up in a separate pan before you add it so that it gets a good sear and the raw meat doesn't mix with the veggies. #ecoli #nogracias)

I just used my hands to shred this chicken.  After I washed them of course

• Tortillas - I like the corn ones that say they are home made.  I am 99% sure that they are made in a factory, but that factory is home to many machines and some employees, so that works for me.
• Topping Potentials: Guacamole, Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt (yes, you can use greek yogurt, I swear), COTIJA CHEESE (the capital letters express my strong feelings), fresh cilantro, salsa.  Go crazy.

Directions:

• Slice your onion in half, and peel that skin away, cut it in quarters and slice that baby up
• Slice your bell pepper into 1/4 - 1/2 inch wedges, and then cut them in half again..I;m not articulating myself well, just look at this picture:

See what I mean? Sliced long ways, and then in half so that the pieces aren't so long...easier to eat.

• Heat the oil in the pan - get it hot, you want the onions & peppers to sizzle
• Add the onions & peppers (and mushrooms if you are using them) to the HOT oil.  hot hot hot.  #hot #notwarm
• Add Salt & pepper (a few twists of each from your grinders)
• Sprinkle on the Cumin and the Chile Powder - smell these. Wait, don't get them too close to your face or they will go straight to your brain.  Try wafting.  If you like the smell, add more!

Mmmhmmm...freshly seasoned and starting to sizzle

• Once things have sizzled for a bit, start to stir them, but keep the pan hot
• The veggies will wilt and pick up the coloring from the spices...that's the magic happening
• Add in your cooked meat or protein of choice
• NOTE - if you feel like anything is burning and instead of browning (turning black and not brown) you can add some broth or water
• When the meat is hot and incorporated...it's ready!!  

I mean, you can see the smokey/spicy steam.  #yesplease

• Stack your fajita with whatever toppings you like best...here's my work of art:
  
  
  

  

  This is like Base Camp for the Mountain that is about to be constructed...

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  In case you forgot what it looked like at the top of this entry... ta dahhhh.  I give you Fajita Mountain.

  
  
   The aftermath...

  

  yes.  I single handedly ate what is no longer in the pan.  I'm a growing girl.  That's what my mom says at least.