Monday, January 21, 2013

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.

15 comments:

  1. Sounds so good! I will have to give it a try.

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  2. Looks pretty good to me! And that Jadite soup bowl looks pretty good too!!

    chris

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  3. YUM! Looks delicious, and so perfect for this chilly weather we're having! Love your jadeite bowls--lucky you! And, if you ever DO feel like selling your lovely blue milkglass tray--please let me know!

    Wishing you a wonderfully cozy day, my friend!

    Julie

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  4. Sounds delicious! I love recipes that use roasted chickens. So tasty and easy. :)

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  5. Sounds and looks delish! I have a Costco chicken carcass from last night's dinner in the fridge right now that is bound for stock making this afternoon. Maybe the stock and the leftover meat from the chicken from our dinner will reunite for some soup.

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  6. YUM! I too am a big fan of Costco roasted chickens. I always leave with 2 each time I go. So much that you can do with them. The soup looks delish, never thought about adding leeks. A must try for sure.
    blessings to you.

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  7. Oh yeah, I love your jadite bowls, too.

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  8. Your soup sounds amazing, every time I see fresh dill I just sigh-so yummy... Enjoy your leftovers:@)

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  9. So yummy and the perfect dinner for a cold, winters night! xo Heather

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  10. I confess I've never used leeks but I'm intrigued now that I see how you used them. Also, this soup sounds just perfect right now after two weeks of not getting over 14 degrees. :) I'm going to give it a whirl.

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  11. That looks good. There's nothing quite like homemade chicken noodle soup.

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