Chicken Noodle Soup

I have a terrible cold. And it's blizzarding outside. It's the worst storm of the winter season. Sounds like the perfect time to make a pot of Jewish penicillin. And, since I have a package of chicken hindquarters in the fridge (.49 at Billie's this week), I might as well start from scratch and make the stock too. So, coughing and sneezing, I start it off at 6:00 a.m. this morning.

Stock is one of those extremely simple things to make, I'm always amazed more people don't do it. I mean, you can't screw it up and it tastes so much better than the canned stuff. I also decided to make my own noodles. Mainly because Ivonne has challenged herself to learn how to make fresh pasta this year which reminded me that I used to make homemade noodles all the time. But I haven't done it for a loooong time and wondered if I could actually remember how.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP:

Stock:
- Chicken
- Carrots
- Onion
- Celery
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Bay Leaf
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper

The amount of each is up to you. You can use what ever herbs you like. I just used some rosemary that fell off my rosemary bush in the window and cut about 4 sprigs of parsley from my parsley plant in the window. No need to cut, wash or even remove the skin from the onion. Just throw the vegetables in and let 'er cook. I cooked mine about 4 hours total. Oh, and if you over-salted, just throw a potato in to soak up some of the salt.

When the chicken falls off the bone, its done. Fish out the chicken and vegetables and let them cool enough to handle. Pick all of the usable meat from the bones (saving the fatty and yucky stuff as a treat for the dogs). Now you can bag up the meat and either freeze it for later use or use it now. I throw the veggies away. (I suppose I could feed the carrots to the dogs, too. I've read you're not supposed to give them onions, though.) Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. This makes the broth a little "cleaner".

Soup:
- Carrots
- Onions
- Celery
- Mushrooms (optional - I had to use them)

Sounds like the stock again, doesn't it? Cut up the vegetables to the size you like to eat. Put the veggies in the broth and bring to a simmer. I didn't add any more salt or pepper because the broth tasted fine without it.

Noodles:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg beaten
- pinch of salt

That's it! I've seen some recipes where they add milk or water or butter or oil. But you don't need to. You don't even need a bowl! I smushed this together on the same surface I intended to roll it out on. Simple, right? After you get the egg and flour incorporated, it's time to start kneading. Knead the dough until it is smooth and fairly elastic. Then let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes.

After the resting period, roll it out as thin as possible. Remember, the noodle will poof up when you cook it. After rolling, dust slightly with flour and roll the dough up like a tube. With a sharp knife, cut the tube into strips and unroll the strips. This is when you can either cook it right away or let it dry a bit. I used to hang it over the backs of the kitchen chairs to dry. But you can leave it on the counter like this, too.

When your vegetables are tender, add as much chicken as you wish and the noodles. I would advise cutting the noodles in thirds for easier eating. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes (whenever the noodle is done), serve it up and enjoy!

(See, I told you, Ivonne, that I'm just a simple cook.)