Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and Herb Noodles-Guest Post

Some of you have requested that I post more recipes

so here is your "scoop" for the day.

Jacqueline from Purple Chocolat Home 

has agreed to guest post her recipe for homemade herb noodles and chicken soup. 

It looks so yummy...

I can't wait to try it!
You have to go over and check out her other recipes
I am hoping to have her guest post again very soon : )

************

Nothing warms the soul like homemade
chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.
Colder weather begins and I start craving soups and breads.

With the change in weather a really nasty cold caught me.
All I could think of was chicken noodle soup. 
My husband had bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and
the leftovers looked like the perfect thing for soup.
First I have to tell you my gardening failure.
Our garden has been wonderful this year.  We
had tried a few new things.
The thing I was really excited about was a new way
that you can grow "LOTS" of potatoes.
You can either do this in a large garbage barrel or
in a large garbage sack.   My neighbors were trying
the barrels, so I decided to try the sack.
The idea is that you provide drainage at the bottom
and begin planting your potatoes and cover with 6 inches of dirt. 
Then when the potato plants come above the surface of the dirt
you continue to add dirt in 6 inch increments and
the plants continue to grow up through the dirt
and are supposed to send tubers out through all
the layers.



Well, here is my potato stash a couple of weeks ago.
You wait for the plants to die off before you harvest.
I love to bring the grandkids out to the garden so they
learn to love gardening.  So I brought them out and I
was so excited.  "You can expect to produce up
to 50 lbs. of potatoes." 


This was just too exciting!  I could hardly wait.  Harvesting
potatoes is like the ultimate treasure hunt.  So we sliced
the bag, camera ready!  I couldn't wait to weigh my harvest.
The grandkids were excited too!
We began sifting and sifting, they were helping!



THIS WAS IT! 
All the way to the very bottom of the bag, this was it!!
Mind you, the biggest one here was 2 1/2 inches
across.  Now I have grown potatoes many
times.  I have never had such a failure.  I called the
neighbors and they had the same problem.  We
don't have a clue what we did wrong as bloggers
everywhere are showing huge potatoes and huge
harvests. 

Anyway, we were not wasting those expensive potatoes
(just the price of the bags of dirt to fill that garbage sack!)
So they went into our soup for today.



Herb Noodles
1 1/2 C. flour
2 eggs
2 tsp. olive oil
(I used my Garlic Basil Olive Oil)
2 T. water (or more depending on humidity)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
2 T. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Mix
until the dough forms a ball.  Add more water if needed.









Cut dough in half and roll out as thin as desired.  Dust with
flour then roll up and slice into desired size noodles.  Remember
the noodles will swell quite a bit.
I like to cook my noodles in a separate pot of boiling water
so my broth doesn't get cloudy.  Cook about 2-3 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
2 chicken breasts or meaty bones of 1 chicken
8 C. water
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
2 T. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Additional vegetables as desired - my potatoes!
Place chicken or meaty bones in large pan and
cover with water.  Add remaining ingredients except
the additional vegetables which you will add at the
end.  Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat.
Let simmer about 1 hour.  Strain the soup.  Skim
off any foam.  Chop the meat into bite size pieces.
If using the meaty bones, pull pieces of meat off bones.
Bring the water back up to the original level.
Add any additional vegetables you
desire and cook them until tender. Chop and add the carrots
you cooked in the broth and the onions and celery if
desired.  I don't usually use the onions or celery.
Add the noodles you have already boiled.
Heat through.
Ladel into bowls and garnish with parmesan
cheese if desired.


My favorite ingredient in this soup is the thyme.  It gives it such
a wonderful flavor.

After eating this my teenage son informed me
that I am to have a pot of soup
ready all winter for when he comes home from school.
Now there is a compliment.

In keeping with Red Couch Recipe's challenge
to include something we are grateful for in every post
this month, I want to say how grateful I am for a
wonderful husband, who doesn't complain about
my blogging, my tablescaping, my shopping for more
plates, etc., etc., etc.  I feel so blessed and am glad that

we want to be married for all eternity.