Let’s Start With The Soup

This is great whether you’re fighting against a chilly day or you’re under the weather and craving soup.  Snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket, your soup, and a hot glass of tea.  There are so many ways to use the chickens we keep and produce in our everyday food.  Here I was able to use the tenders from our meat chickens.  The broth that I made from the bones, neck, and other parts of the meat chickens.  As well as the eggs my layers produce for the amazing homemade noodles.

Ingredients

• 3 pints of chicken stock. (Homemade if you have it.)
• 2 stalks of celery chopped in large chunks
• 2-3 carrots chopped in large chunks
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 tbsp fresh garlic or powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can of chicken gravy
• 1 cup milk
• 1-2 lbs cooked chicken breast or tenders cut into chunks

Directions

1. Cook on low-medium heat on the stove or in a crockpot for as little as 30 mins or as much as a few hours. The longer and slower it cooks the better the taste. However, if the broth becomes too thick during the slow cooking process simply add water until the consistency is what you like.
2. Remember once you add the egg noodles the soup will also thicken a bit due to the excess flour. Therefore, leave the soup a little thinner than you want.
3. Once the soup is to your liking add your noodles in.  Cook for another 10-20 mins, as soon as the noodles are done you’re ready to serve.

How about those egg noodles?

Ingredients

• 2 eggs beaten (fresh eggs give the pasta a gorgeous color)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder (optional)

Directions

1. Combine eggs, salt, and milk. (For a thicker fluffier noodle add baking powder to the flour before mixing into the above ingredients.) Separate dough into 8 balls.
2. Roll out dough with a rolling pin or a pasta press. Then place dough onto a lightly floured surface and let stand for 20 mins.
3. You can cut your noodles by hand with a pizza cutter or use a pasta cutter. If using a cutter run through the press at the desired thickness and shape. I prefer my noodles short, wide, and thick for this soup.
4. Simply lay them out across your counter until you’re ready to add to the soup.

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