The Chicken Soup Hallucination

Since my last blog was a serious one, I thought I should lighten things up a bit, and ask a monumental question...WHAT'S WITH THE WEATHER???

Lately, every time I turn on the news, I hear of "beastly storms", "power outages", and...our Nation's Capitol under a 2 foot blanket of snow! As you all know, I live in South Florida. For the most part, the weather here is warm and sunny. But this year, we joined the ranks of places with very strange weather...and we actually experienced The Deep Freeze!

Right after the holidays, at back to work time, our weather hit record lows. We had temperatures in the 30's with wind chills in the 20's. And, unlike other years, it lasted for weeks! I did something I very rarely do...I turned on the heat! And I kept it on, day after day! I don't know how long it took for me to realize that the temperature in the house remained a very chilly 64 degrees! Just as if the air conditioner konked out in the summer, my heater betrayed me during the Deep Freeze!

I talked with my friend who said that his heater had a breaker switch. Sometimes when the heat first goes on, there is a burning odor, and the breaker kicks the system off! He said, "Go check the system to see if you have this switch, and flip it back on!"

OK - my heating system is located in the attic...In order to get up there, I have to place a ladder into a closet, climb to the top, and hoist myself into...the black abyss!

Determined, and very cold, I got my smallest, but brightest flashlight, leaned the ladder against the wall, and maneuvered my thermal-coated, long john butt up each rung! Shining my light upward, I could see the big air system hanging there, suspended by two chains. I wiggled up a little higher, and made the split decision to hurl myself onto the loose, shaky floorboards. Standing there, amid the attic insulation, I had a horrible thought...suppose there were critters up there? You know...those big, Florida insects! They don't have normal bugs down here...they're more like flying creatures! Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. The flashlight dangled in front of me...I was frozen with fear!

Suddenly, as if drifting through the air vents, I caught the familiar aroma of Chicken Soup...simmering, bubbling, hot, delicious. I knew I didn't stop at the Jewish Deli to pick up some of that good, homemade, storebought soup! NO...It was Mama Melisi's...and the wonderful scent permeated through the air, and sent a warm, soothing sensation through my body!

I'm not sure how long I was standing there, before some unknown Cher-like Force (remember Moonstruck) slapped me on the face and said, "Snap Out Of It!" My Chicken Soup Hallucination was over. There was no soup on the stove. There was no breaker switch on the heater. And the house remained a chilly 64 degrees!

I did eventually get the heat fixed. By that time, the weather was back to a comfortable 80 degrees! I also made Mama Melisi's Chicken Soup...and it kept me warm during the rest of the Deep Freeze!

Here's the recipe for you! I know it will warm you, too!

Offered Always With Love,

From Mama Melisi and Me

Ingredients:

1 Fryer Chicken approx 3 lbs
6 to 8 carrots
4 celery stalks with leaves if possible - leaves give a wonderful flavor!
1 large onion
2 fresh tomatoes - you can also use canned tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
Fresh Italian Leaf Parsley (at least 8 or more stems of parsley with the leaves)
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

* Please note - You can replace the fryer chicken with either 6-8 chicken thighs or 4 good sized chicken breasts for a low fat soup)

Cooking Directions:

Rinse the chicken thoroughly in salted water - if using a whole chicken, discard the neck and the package of the liver and gizzard
Place a whole chicken in a 6 qt pot
Add all the vegetables - but not the carrots
Cover the chicken and veggies with water
Add the bouillon cubes
Cover - bring to a simmer and then cook for 45 mins to an hour until the chicken is tender
Add the carrots and cook for another 10 to 15 mins until the carrots are cooked

Always make the chicken soup a day before you are going to eat it! Thoroughly chill it overnite and then remove any fat which appears on the top of the pot. If using chicken breasts, this procedure need not be followed because they are not fatty!

Use extra fine egg noodles for the soup. Cook the noodles in 2 cans of fat free, low salt chicken broth. (Add approx 1/2 can of water to this.) Then add the reheated chicken soup to the noodles. Serve the soup with the carrots. The chicken can be served with the soup, or served after the soup with salad and crusty Italian Bread!