Day 9: Chicken Soup(for the soul)

Peyton has an ear infection; Austin is still fighting a cold;and it hasn't stopped snowing since 8:00am. I can't think of a better chicken soup day. This is my mother's recipe and is the only thing that made me feel better growing up when I was sick.

But as much as I love this soup, I can't make it. Not because it's hard or because I'm afraid it won't taste like my mom's, but because it physically makes me ill to think about the fact that the same water that an entire raw chicken was floating/cooking in is the same water that I am drinking in my soup. I know that it's what gives it flavor blah blah blah, but seriuosly it disgusts me. My cousin heather and I have this conversation at least four times a year, and it's never really about the soup itself. It's always in regards to something one of us is making, and we compare it to the chicken soup process. Heather makes chicken soup all the time and sees nothing wrong with salmonella infested chicken floating in her future soup broth. She thinks I'm crazy and doesn't understand my rationale which is why during a recent conversation she asked how boiling chicken and then putting it in a casserole didn't disgust me, but making chicken soup did? Duh, the chicken is cooked when it is put in the casserole. The possibility of salmonella has been eliminated. Now, I understand that the act of boiling kills all the bacteria, but that doesn't mean I'm 100% on board with the soup making process. It still creeps me out. Like I previously stated, I have eaten this soup hundreds of times and survived, so in reality I am being ridiculous for being worried about getting salmonella. However, I have always been able to go by the philosophy, "what I don't know won't hurt me." If I make the soup there would be no denying that this is how the soup is made. I was afraid I would never eat it again if I was the one to prepare it, but my love for my sick children won out over my hatred for raw chicken.

Chicken Soup
Whole Fryer Chicken, no giblets or neck
carrots, peeled and sliced
celery, washed and sliced
3-4 Chicken Bouillon cubes(we use Knor)
Kluski noodles

Directions:
1) Put chicken in large pot and fill pot with water(about 2 inches above chicken)
2) Add 3-4 bouillon cubes
3) Boil for 1 hr
4) Add carrots and celery and boil for 1/2 hour
5) Remove chicken and shred meat
6) Boil noodles according to package directions

Kitchen Play by Play: Oh man. I had to give myself a pep talk while I was filling the pot with water. I added 4 boullion cubes and let it boil away. In the meantime, I prepared the veggies. I then added the veggies while trying not look at all the fat, etc floating on top of the pot. Once it was time to remove the chicken, I started to freak out a little. I had a strong suspicion that this chicken that had been boiling for 1 1/2 was going to break into a million pieces as soon as I tried to fish it out. I was correct. I used tongs and a spatula and still I watched it break in a half and drop into the pot. I used the tongs to fish out most of the pieces and tried to relax. The meat was perfectly cooked and tasted amazing. Because I'm a nutcase, I did strain the soup to get out any remaining bone/skin fragments. Thankfully, there were next to none of these items left in the pot or I would not be partaking in this meal. Typically, my mom keeps the chicken and noodles separate from the broth, but this time I put it all together right before serving. I figured that would be easiest for leftovers. The Verdict:
Nicole: I no longer give a shit about salmonella. I'm willing to take my chances because the soup is that good. It tastes just like mom's and is just what I needed on this snowy day. I give it a 5!

Paul: "Good choice for the first snow storm of the year." He gives it a 4 because he can't put Franks in it. If he could, he'd give it a 5!

Austin: Loved it. He ate his entire bowl except for the celery. He drank all the broth first through a straw and then spooned the rest into his mouth at a rapid rate. He gives it a 5. I told him it would make his cold feel better and after two sips he said, "Mom, it works!!! My cold is gone. See?" Then he tried to suck up snot and couldn't. He thinks it's magic soup.

Peyton: Ate like 5 noodles and then decided dinner was overrated.