Sometimes all you need is homemade soup to warm the soul

Sometimes all you need is homemade soup, good music, good friends, family, candles and laughter. These six elements proved to be a family rescue this weekend. With a last minute and a much needed home visit from our college bound son and out of the house young adult daughter and their personal friends and lover.
The cool, wet, winter weekend needed the warmth....the warmth of family and good food.
   For me the calm and methodical prepping of dinner while humming to music brings me to a certain level of peace that attracts the family to the kitchen. Candles are lit and wine is poured. The hum of family conversations and the aroma of sautéed herbs, spices and onions ease any tension or bad day and says welcome!
  I personally like to cook stews, soups, or chili, I don't know why, I think its the huge stock pots and the long spoons as well as the chopping and tasting and the side condiments of crackers, breads, chips and dips that most good hearty meals require.
Plus you can make a whole lot of what you like with a large stock pot, leaving food for a large gathering or to savor for a few days longer. Spaghetti and a homemade sauce, salad and fresh bread from the farmers market works well too for a family dinner.
A Sorbet makes a great dessert, Raspberry sorbet with fresh berries and cool whip or my personal favorite Vanilla bean ice cream with a drizzle of hot fudge... Wonderful even on a winters day.

 Before winter melts into spring, gather the whole family together for the long lost Sunday dinner, no expectations, no extravagant menu. A simple, hearty, favorite family dish will do. So what that the TV is on in the back ground, and the house hasn't been cleaned thoroughly, Turn on the radio or find a good cd and bring it all down low with candles and family in the kitchen.
Hugs, eye contact and the human connection seems to go hand and hand with breaking bread together.

My recipe for a mellow family evening:
Vanilla scented candles (ease and calm the spirit)
Your favorite easy going music (I like jazz, Van Morrison or the sound track to the Big Chill)
Wine for both pairing and cooking with dinner (a little Julia Childs in the kitchen is always welcome and that also includes the cute kitchen apron)
Humor, stories and the daily grind tales of life, plans and melancholy dreams are a must. Be present in the moment and listen, offer advise, be the counsel and the student.
Enjoy the moments with your family and friends as time seeps through the proverbial hour glass, Dinners over candle light seem to leave time patiently waiting at the front door, at least for a little while.

**Bonus- Have Game Night always ready
In our home we usually have a chess game set up and ready for a match as well as on going puzzle on our large wooden living room table (A great bargain and another story I might say. My children and I rescued the monstrosity of a table several years ago from the side of the road covered in mud and grim, we saw it and fell in love with it and it has been the center piece for games, home work and bill preparation ever since.) Find your central point, toss some pillows around and make sure cards, puzzles, or dominoes are around. Remember its family time, let the games start themselves.

 Leora's Homemade Chicken and Vegetable soup:

The Grocery List:

1 to 2 lbs of Chicken breast or thighs (Skinned and boneless)

Chicken broth: I prefer the Knorr Chicken bouillon 

A really good Thai jasmine rice

Olive oil 

Small red potatoes

Celery

Carrots

White and red onion

Green onion

Squash

Zucchini

Fresh roma tomatoes (6) 

Garlic

Frozen Green Beans 

Crushed red pepper flacks 

Salt and  cracked Pepper

1 Can of Red Kidney Beans

1 Can of White Kidneys Beans 

1 can of Whole Black Beans 

Pastas (spaghetti will do, but try a wide noodle or spiral pasta) 

 Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Saltine Crackers and or Fresh French bread

soft spread butter for bread 

Whole Fresh Basil

Fresh Oregano 

Lite Sour Cream

Fresh Avocado 

 White wine ( Dry Pinot Grigio is my first choice, a Good Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc will work well too.)

 Prepping: 

1)In a large solid Stock pot Fill with water add a pound and half of both the chicken breast and thighs 

Bring to a full boil until no longer pink, just cooked. Drain, set aside for shredding. 

2) Chop up both onions set aside in separate bowls

3) Dice up garlic and thinly sliced carrots, celery, potatoes, squash and zucchini and green onion, dice up the roma tomatoes and set aside

4) In the same large stock pot add olive oil ( enough to sauté the above vegis), add the cracked black

pepper, the crushed red pepper flacks, fresh herbs, dash of salt. Bring flame down to medium and sauté herbs and spices just until a nice aroma develops...3-5 minutes tops

5) add all of the white onion and half of the chopped red onion and thinly sliced carrots and celery, sauté until onions are just becoming clear, add garlic and a swing or two of that good white wine, then add the squash, zucchini, green onions and potatoes. Sauté all veggies on medium heat, stirring constantly until potatoes are slightly soft. 

6) Add 1 cup of the washed jasmine rice and all of the the drain/washed  beans 

7) slowly add 12 to 15 cups of warm water (depending on the size of your stock pot) add pepper to taste additional finely chopped  basil and oregano. when water begins to boil add 2 to 4 Knorr Chicken bouillon cubes ( start with 2 and add to taste) in the mean time....let the soup develop into a low boil.

8) Shred the chicken---add olive oil to a large skillet add cracked pepper and pinch of salt and the rest of the red onion. some chopped up basil and then add the shredded chicken to the pan and cook and saute until slightly brown....then add the chicken to the stock of soup, mix well. 

9) Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer and let cook for an hour with periodically stirring up the bottom vegetables...15 minutes before serving add frozen green beans and the diced fresh roma tomates 

Boil a large pot of pasta noodles, drain add butter and stir through out hot pasta until butter is melted.

Pour soup over a bowl of hot noodles add a sprinkle of the fresh Parmesan cheese, a drop of sour cream and a sliced of cool avocado to the top of the soup...other condiment ideas would be Salsa,and or Tabasco sauce....Serve with warm bread and butter or saltine crackers

and give thanks for all of your blessings and good food!
Enjoy 
***

**Make sure the dominoes and the wine are close at hand and we have a party on a Sunday night!**