Chicken Noodle Soup

A friend asked for my recipe for chicken noodle soup, I told her my soup isn't a recipe but more of a process. So this is my attempt to write a recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup
4 chicken thighs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
BetterThan Bouillon chicken base
8 oz frozen egg noodles
salt and pepper
First I take my heavy soup pot and pour in a couple of tablespoons of  EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). let it heat up and add 4 chicken thighs. Brown thighs on both sides. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside for a few minutes. Add the garlic, onion, carrots and celery to the olive oil and let cook until they are soft. Stir often so they don't burn. After the veggies are soft, add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken thighs back in for 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked through. Then remove the chicken and cool enough so that you can pull the meat off the bones and chop it up. Add the meat back to the soup. Add a couple of tablespoons of bouillon to the soup and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. I ususally add more water and sometimes more seasoning, it depends on how much soup I need to make that day. After it has simmered for awhile I add the frozen noodles and cook until they're done.
And that is my recipe for chicken noodle soup! Someday I'm going to make it and throw in rice instead of chicken.

Linky Love

Every once in awhile I like to post a few links of things I've been reading or doing, today it's time to do that again.

I came upon the Matt Walsh blog a few months ago and I've liked what I read. This specific post is one that all stay at home moms need to read. We don't owe an explanation on why we stay home anymore than a working mom needs to explain her choice to go to work. Right?
http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/01/26/stay-at-home-moms-you-dont-owe-the-world-an-explanation/

The Breathe Jar
I made this since I've been fighting a sinus infection and tried this. It helped, but I still had to go buy antibiotics. I wish I would have tried it sooner. And I used doTERRA oils. :)
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2014/01/make-your-own-breathe-jar-to-relieve-sinus-congestion.html

I have been a big fan of Sally Clarkson for twenty years or more. She wrote a new book last year and I won one of her giveaways.  The book is called 10 Gifts of Wisdom; What Every Child Must Know Before They Leave Home. I got my book and I think it looks so good I can't wait to read it. It's set up so that it would be great for group study. Maybe I need to find a group. :)
http://www.amazon.com/10-Gifts-Wisdom-Every-Before/dp/0991119703/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

My son got these for Christmas. He had so much fun we bought him an add on set for his birthday. So if you have a boy who likes to create and is interested in tech stuff check out Snap Circuits. He has made a motion detector and an AM radio and is learning about how electricity works.

I came across this recipe for Fire Cider earlier. Since we're in the middle of flu season I thought I would share it. I need to get some ingredients and try it.

It's a new year!

This is the time of year where I clean out my files and get them ready to do taxes. I take my new wall calendar and write down all the birthdays for the year. I clean out my Christmas stuff before I put it away, if I haven't used it in a couple of years I get rid of it. It's time to clean and organize. It's messy but in the end it creates a clean home and I feel less stressed. I am very busy, trying to get it all done before we start school next Monday.
I'm heading back to tackle that one room in the basement that catches all the clutter. See you later, I hope.

Happy New Year!

The Books I Read in 2013

I didn't read as many books last year. I've been busy, I've been distracted, I've been tired. For the first time in my life, or at least since I learned to read, I have had to push myself to read. I've not had the joy in reading that I've always had. I'm hoping it passes soon because I miss the escape of a good novel.
Anyway, here is my list of books I read in 2013, I highlighted the ones I really enjoyed;

On What Grounds- Cleo Coyle
Agenda 21- Glen Beck
The Harbinger- Jonathan Cahn
Big Stone Gap- Adriana Trigiani
All She Ever Wanted- Lynn Austin
The Princesses of Iowa- M Molly Macke
Love In A Nutshell- Janet Ivanovich
A Perfect Life- Robin Lee Hatcher
Wonderland Creek- Lynn Austin
All Things New- Lynn Austin
Down Cut Shin Creek; the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky- Kathi Appelt
The Wyoming Kid- Debbie Macomber
True Colors- Kristin Hannah
Beloved Stranger- Grace Livingston Hill
Key on the Quilt- Stephanie Grace Whitson
Wedding Night- Sopie Kinsella
Mini Methods of Madness- Rodger and Janie Peterson
The Engine 2 Diet- Rip Esselstyn
The RAVE Diet- Mike Anderson
Buried in a Book- Lucy Arlington
My Beef With Meat- Rip Esselstyn
Students Go Vegan Cookbook- Carole Raymond
The Glass Case- Kristin Hannah
The Baker Creek Vegan Cookbook- Jere and Emilee Gettle
Looking Backward- Joyce Swann
The Weekend Homesteader- Anna Hess
Waking Hours- Lis Wiehl
The Dance- Walsh and Smalley
Rising Darkeness- Lis Wiehl
The Investigators- W E B Griffin
Vanity Fare- Meghan Caldwell
Fatal Tide- Lis Wiehl
Why ADHD Doesn't Matter- Swanberg and Passoe
It Happens Every Spring- Chapman and Palmer
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever- Barbara Robinson
The Beginning- Karen Kingsbury
The Marriage Wish- Dee Henderson
The Greatest Generation- Tom Brokaw
The New Whole Grains Cookbook- Robin Asbell
The Heirloom Life Gardener- Jere Gettle
The New Eat To Live Cookbook- Joel Fuhrman