Chicken Soup for the Children's Soul

Two of my dearest little friends, Nadia and Vera, recently found out that I had a blog. Upon finding this, they asked, "Are we on it?" Unfortunately, to date, they have not made an appearance on my blog; and why not, I am not sure! They are some of the loveliest girls I know. So I said, "Share your favorite recipe, and I will be sure to post the recipe and include you in the post!" No more than 24 hours later, I had a recipe in hand and knew what I had to do.

Vera and Nadia, sweet as could be!

Here is what I was told:
"Nadia's and Vera's favorite recipes come straight off of the back of the Ramon noodles package and frozen breaded chicken package, respectively. They aren't much into gourmet dining. I usually have to force them to eat my homemade cooking."
--Nadia and Vera's mom, Olga


Not to worry, she said. "Oh, wait, there is one thing they really like; Russian Chicken Noodle Soup!"


So here goes nothing, I am trying my hand at their favorite soup. Unfortunately we don't live in the same state anymore, so they will have to trust me and my photos and perhaps some reviews by my trustworthy family members/taste testers extraordinaire, as to whether or not the soup was a success. This recipe is exactly how I was given it, though I used a whole chicken rather than smaller cuts. Follow and you will find Nadia and Vera's favorite recipe!

For fun and color, I used purple potatoes!

Russian chicken noodle soup (from scratch of course)

1 whole chicken, uncooked

1 1/2 medium sized onions, whole

1 1/2 medium sized carrot, whole

2 medium sized potatoes

1/2 inch diameter bunch of dill, uncut

2 med size bay leaves

4 cups of egg noodles, any kind

1. Wash the chicken and place it in a medium size pot. Peel the onions. Put the whole one in the pot, and set the remaining 1/2 aside. Do the same with the carrots. Take 2/3 of the dill, tie with string, and put UNCUT in the pot; set the remaining dill aside. Put both bay leaves in the pot. Add water to the pot so the contents are fully submerged under about 1 1/2 inches of water. Add salt and black pepper. Boil over high heat; after it boils, turn down to low. Trim and discard of the froth. Simmer for about two hours until meat is tender. Take the meat out, put it in a bowl, set aside. 

2. Chop the remaining onion and carrot and sauté in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil until onions are golden brown. Add to the broth and bring it back to a boil. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, add to the broth. Add the noodles. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are soft (about 10 minutes). Finely chop the remaining dill. Once the potatoes and noodles are done, turn off the heat, add the chopped dill, and cover. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired. You may want to try adding 2 tea spoons of sugar- you'll be surprised at the subtle but very pleasant difference it will make. Skin the chicken and cut into small chunks. Discard the skin and bones. Add the meat directly to the bowl immediately prior to serving. Do NOT let the meat sit in the soup. Enjoy with soft white bread!!!


I would say, it is quite the wonderful recipe. I don't cook with dill a lot, but it surely added a nice flavor and the stock made by cooking the chicken with the vegetables lends itself to a flavor-filled dinner treat. 


Let the soup warm your soul.

Me and the girls, a year ago or so

Happy eating!

Slaw

As a kid, I couldn't stand coleslaw. One plop on my plate, next to my dinner, made me squirm in my seat. Luckily for me, as I have grown older, I have come to appreciate and thoroughly enjoy a heaping helping of slaw on the side! Not to mention, I am loving the many recipes I have discovered lately, that use cabbage.

I used to help out with this fresh fruit and vegetable program, where individuals ordered a basket of produce weekly, from our local, urban farm, Growing Power. Then, on Friday's Growing Power would deliver the baskets to me and I would distribute the baskets to the individuals. I could talk about Growing Power for hours; they are doing many wonderful things here in Milwaukee. But that is not why I am sharing this story. Helping out with the program has lead me to meet many new people and talk about food with many a stranger. In particular, one of the most frequently discussed foods talked about, was cabbage. No one knew what to do with cabbage! And luckily for them, there was cabbage in just about every basket from August to December. I was the recipient of many heads of cabbage, myself, over the years, as I helped out with the program. Not until recently, have I become creative with cabbage; and it has been quite rewarding!

First, I tried my hand at sauerkraut. Though my first batch was less than delicious, I will be trying my hand at a second batch soon. However, I have been as busy as a bee and will have to wait till I have a bit more time to dedicate to this endeavor. I am not too worried, though the next time I attempt sauerkraut, I plan to make a bit larger of a batch. According to my cousin Stacey, the larger the batch, the better the flavor! We shall see...!

My next, and more successful endeavor, was minestrone. A basic minestrone recipe, with half a head of chopped cabbage, added something special and unique! I will surely not be making any more minestrone without a heaping helping of cabbage.

Yesterday, I made one big batch of coleslaw. Though I once despised the side, like I said, I have come to really enjoy coleslaw. And it is as easy as could be to make it! Not to mention, there are so many varieties.
For my coleslaw, I used what I had on hand. Here is what I made:

Coleslaw
1 half of a head of cabbage, shredded
1 cup of carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon of honey
2 Tablespoons of vinegar (I used the liquid from my homemade dilly beans!)
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1. Combine everything and stick it in your fridge, for at least 2 hours (to help the flavors get even tastier!)

Note: you can add many other vegetables and I urge you to experiment with seasonings. One of the best slaws I ever had, was made with celery root! I haven't made any with celery root yet, but I will surely be doing that soon.

I brought this coleslaw to a potluck a couple of days ago and as we were about to arrive I became a bit worried, as flashbacks to my childhood of despising coleslaw flashed back into my head... Potlucks are a funny thing, because they are so wonderful in the sense that they bring together so many people over good food; but there can sometimes arise a slight bit of fear that people won't like your food! When sharing with friends, it is not quite as big of a deal, but when sharing with many strangers, it can be a bit more nerve-racking. I realized that with bringing coleslaw to the potluck, that I may have been setting myself up for disaster... though quite the opposite was true! In fact, the first individual to enjoy my slaw, as a young boy, of about 10 years old, who had filled his plate with a heaping helping, to which he ate every last bit. Thank goodness!

Even if you currently despise coleslaw (or cabbage), I urge you to try it again. If I can learn to like it, and ten-year-olds can enjoy it, then surely you can too!

Happy eating!

Slinky Potato

Today is a beautiful day in Milwaukee. The sun is shining and the air is warm. I am planning on biking shortly! It is days like these, that Milwaukee becomes alive with people, and it really lifts your spirits.

For lunch today, I was feeling like making something a bit out of the ordinary. These potatoes are a fun and tasty alternative to the classic baked potato. They take a while to bake, but the preparation time is very short.

Slinky Potato
Potato
1 clove of garlic

Butter

Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Slice potato cross-wise about 1/8 of on inch thick. Don't cut the potato all the way through, so the potato stays in one piece, but fans open. Slice the garlic clove into thin discs.

2. Place garlic discs between each potato slice. Spread butter over top of potato, and drizzle with olive oil. Top with salt and pepper.

3. Bake in oven for about 45 minutes or until the potato is fully cooked.

Enjoy!