Good For A Cool Rainy Day

I love soup on a cold rainy day. And What's better than Chicken Soup! So here goes... I'll put in the recipe for the homemade version, than add the shortcuts if you're pressed for time.

Ingredients

* 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)
* 2 quarts water
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 cup diced carrots
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

* Place the chicken and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
* Remove chicken from broth; cool. Skim fat from broth. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and skin. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; return to broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

*** If you're pressed for time, but really want homemade chicken soup, here are my shortcuts. Use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and canned fat-free chicken broth in place of the water.

*** If you want to make this a chicken & vegetable soup, you can add a bag of frozen corn, peas, and/or green beans.

Changing It Up!

By now, anyone who was following my blog, has realized I quit writing for awhile. I didn't know what to write about any more. Then a friend said, "write about what you know, and you know about cooking". So I will now start writing about recipes that I've tried and hopefully post an appetizing photo.

For our first recipe, I'm going to share my Sausage Asparagus Fettuccine. First off, you will need:
1 pkg Johnsonville Italian Sausage (hot or mild) I like to cut them into pieces and mix them into the fettuccine, but you can cook them whole and serve fettuccine as a side dish.
8ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoon butter

cook fettuccine according to pkg directions (My favorite is Buitoni, in the refrigerator section of the grocery store) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the asparagus, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Here you can add a jar of Alfredo sauce or make your own. If you use the jar, add alfredo sauce to asparagus...heat through. If you choose to make your own sauce, you will need:
4 ounces Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese - fresh, not powdered
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

once asaparagus is tender, add remaining ingredients to skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is blended. Drain Fettuccine; toss with asparagus mixture. Add in your sausage. Make sure to drain grease off sausage.

Enjoy!