I've BEEn Cooking Again

Seems to be my only creative outlet these days....cooking that is......

Tonight (Sunday, we usually have Sewing Bee over for dinner) I made Chicken Noodle Soup.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah.....I hear the sighs out there.  Big deal, Chicken Noodle Soup....

But.....

I must declare.....

this is a most different and delicious Chicken Noodle Soup!  

Even Worker Bee (who IS a fan of my cooking, but not a fan of the untraditional) liked it!

Found the recipe on Country Living and here is my interpretation.

Chicken Noodle Soup with a Twist

•2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

•3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut crosswise into 1/3 inch pieces with rings intact

•Coarse sea salt to taste

•Freshly ground pepper

•7 cups chicken broth (I used the stock from Costco– I know they're not exactly the same thing)

•1 clove garlic, smashed

•6 oz wide noodles (I eye-balled it and ended up adding too many noodles, so measuring might be a good idea here)

•3 cups sliced roast chicken, skin on, breast meat (oh yeah, that's the best part – also picked up the roasted chicken at Costco – I love that Worker Bee works just down the street from one of our local Costcos – oh and I'm using the rest of the chicken to make chicken salad with lots of crunchy vegetables – um, I think I'm done now rambling about Costco chickens)

•2 cups frozen peas, thawed

•2 Tbl finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

Steps

1.  In a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.  Carefully add the leeks in a single layer. 

 Make sure the rings don't unravel.  Reduce to medium-low heat, season with salt and pepper and cook 9 minutes.  Turn leeks, set heat to low (oops - forgot to turn the heat down more here), and cook until golden brown, about 9 more minutes.

2.  In the meantime, bring the broth and garlic to boil in a soup pot.  Stir in the noodles, cook, stirring every once in a while, until tender, but still firm, about 10-12 minutes.  

Discard garlic.  (Couldn't figure out how to remove the garlic at this point, so it stayed.  I thought about putting it in a tea ball or cheesecloth, but I got too lazy and didn't.)

3.  Set aside a few leeks per serving for garnish.  

Add remaining leeks to soup, along with chicken, peas, dill, and cook for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Scoop into bowls and garnish with the reserved leeks and dill sprigs.

Yummmmmmmmm....

Gratuitous glamour shot.....

And.....

it was good.

Have you tried any twists on traditional dishes lately?

And it just wouldn't be a visit to Sweet Bee Cottage if I didn't throw in a little something else.

See that aqua tray?  The aqua milk glass tray?  I wrote about getting it on Black Friday and I was going to sell it.  I really was. 

 Really.

And then....I just couldn't.  Clearly it was meant to me because all my regularly used vinegars, oils, and seasoning fit on it perfectly!!! 

You understand don't you? Right???

Thanks for buzzing in and I hope you take a moment to enter one of my giveaways!

P.S.  There's plenty of leftovers!  Lunch tomorrow at my house?

P.P.S.  Sharing this delicious recipe over at Sunny Simple Life.