Chicken Noodle Soup

Are you still checking in dear readers? I did not realize it's been so long since I've said, "Hi." So "Hi!" :)

My ClustrMap was reset on November 16, since it's now been a year that I started keeping little red dots of where my visitors come from. And in 3 days, I've got little red dots all over the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia. With occasional dots from South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Apparently I'm not so popular in Russia. :( Some of these dots are in the mid-range, indicating either multiple visits or more than one reader.

And since I started using Feedburner, I found out I have 170 subscribers? Where are you all coming from? What brings you here? What keeps you coming back? Come say "Hi."

I'm nice.

Sometimes. :P

Anyway, American Thanksgiving is just a few days away. And this will be the third year I'm hosting. In previous years we sort of just rotated from house to house depending on whichever auntie was cooking. Or even *gasp* had separate Thanksgiving dinners. I must admit, I like hosting since there are so few times these days that a big group of us get together anymore.

Here's my tentative menu, everything will be homemade except for the pumpkin pies, well, and the stuffing is Stovetop, supplemented with celery and bread. Since my family always brings plenty of other food, I'm making it easy on myself and providing just the basics.
1 23-lb turkey, salt rub marinade, maple/orange juice/butter glaze
1 3-lb chicken, salt, black pepper, lemon marinade
Roasted potatoes with the chicken lemon juices
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Stuffing
Biscuits
Chicken noodle soup
2 pumpkin pies, hearty spicy, and smooth and mild

The turkey will be a combination of last year's salt rub with the previous year's maple/orange juice/butter glaze. All my previous recipes are linked above. Except for the chicken noodle soup. So here you go.


Chicken Noodle Soup
For a 5-quart pot, you'll need:
1 rotisserie chicken carcass with a good amount of meat still left, or 2 chicken thighs
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion
Alphabet or any noodle of your choice
parsley, to taste
thyme, to taste
salt, to taste
fish sauce, to taste



If you're using a rotisserie chicken, strip meat off from chicken, reserving the bones. If you're using fresh chicken, just leave the meat on so you cook the chicken while making the broth. Fill a 5-quart stock pot with water about 3/4 full and add the bones, or whole chicken pieces. When the water boils, turn the heat down to medium, add 1 tsp of salt, and let simmer for about half an hour or so, longer if you want a milky broth.

Meanwhile, chop the carrots, celery, and onion. Taste the broth, adjusting salt and even adding a dash or two of fish sauce if you wish.

When the broth is to your liking, remove the bones or chicken pieces. Shred the chicken and add it back into the pot along with the vegetables. Turn the heat to high and when the water boils, add your noodles. I prefer alphabet- or star-shaped pasta, any kind of little pasta basically as they absorb less broth so they don't become mushy as leftovers. Keep in mind that the pasta will expand so don't add too much. I'd say about half a package since you can always add more later. (If you end up with too much pasta, you can fix that by adding in more water and salt and reheating everything.)

Add parsley and thyme and let simmer on medium for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked and the soup is to your liking.

Enjoy!

*****
1 year ago today, turnips and turkeys.