Cold Season: How to Warm Your Soul

Once upon a time I was a germ-a-phobe. You may think I'm kidding, but 3 months of mononucleosis, followed by 2 months of pneumonia, followed by 25 weeks of colds can do that to someone. In summation, that was my senior year of high school. I was extremely sick all the time, which called for drastic measures. I soon became a 'germ freak'. However, when I came to college, I had to quickly overcome this.

Yes, I think it's good to be clean and sanitize yourself (yes, I still make my husband wash his hands when he comes home for the day), but I often couldn't function because I was too preoccupied thinking about the germs associated with a particular activity. To make a point, I hyperventilated when my boyfriend (now husband) went to kiss me because I was afraid of the germs in his mouth! Needless to say, kissing quickly helped me overcome my fear of germs!

Any hows, everywhere on campus there seems to be a surplus of coughing, sneezing, and moaning. Several of my neighbors have been out of commission for weeks. Last night I was visiting one of my friends whose husband had first gotten sick, then their baby had gotten sick, and she was now sick. It sounded horrid and so stressful with finals approaching, so I decided to step in and make some "soul warmin' soup". Bring in the chicken noodle soup!

I have never been a huge fan of chicken noodle soup, until I homemade it. I am also anti sketchy meat pieces in canned soup, therefore, the dislike of canned chicken noodle soup. I first made this recipe during our first year of marriage when all we had in our cupboards was spaghetti noodles, better than bouillon, carrots, and a can of chicken. Thus, this recipe was born. Here's how I do it:

Anna's Chicken Noodle Soup

1 large can of chicken (I use the cans from Costco, just one)

3 spoonfuls of Better Than Bouillon **this may change your life (I also get this at Costco)

10-20 small carrots (or 2 large carrots)

3 handfuls (or 1 package) wheat spaghetti noodles

1 bay leaf

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic

Instructions:

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water (probably about 24 oz.). Once boiling, break the spaghetti noodles into thirds, and put into boiling water. Add the 3 large spoonfuls of Better Than Bouillon to the cooking noodles. Cut the carrots into 1/8" slices and add to the boiling water. Open the can of chicken (I always rinse the chicken off before I use it...preservatives freak me out) and dice the chunks of meat with a knife while it is still in the can. Then pour the meet in with the noodles and carrots. As it simmers and the noodles start to cook all the way, add the seasonings: 1 bay leaf, a dash of salt and pepper, and 1/4 tsp. of garlic. (*Be forewarned, I am obsessed with garlic. Paula Deen's must have ingredient is butter, mine is garlic) Allow the entire pot to simmer for 10-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

To make this faster, I frequently put everything in together so that I don't have to account for any simmering time. Often times, I also add dumplings...which are my favorite! Dumplings make the world a better place.

Let me know if you have any questions on the recipe, and I hope you all stay healthy this winter season! Don't forget your portable hand sanitizer.

P.S. Maybe I have a little bit of germ-a-phobe left in me...I asked my mom to get me this for Christmas. :)