Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Comfort Food!

Blah! I hate being sick. I won't bore / disgust you with the details, but I have the flu. Thankfully not bird flu, I think you have contact with women birds to get that. *Sigh* It'd almost be worth it.

One of the questions the doc asked was 'have you been eating well?'
'Weeeeell...' I said
She raised her eyebrow 'Three meals a day?'
Me 'Oh. Yeah.' (*thinking* Lime and Cracked Pepper chips count as a meal. I mean lime's citrus)

I decided to take care of myself this afternoon and had some of my chicken and veg soup. This is a great in winter, especially when you're sick. I remember how excited I got when Weasel Woman got sick a couple of weeks ago and I could give her soup. My friend's sick. Yay!

I'm going to teach you how I make soup. Everyone's is a bit different. I'll give you the ingredients for my chicken soup, but also give alternative so that you can make it vegetarian too if you wish.

I make my own stock, but cheaters can use the liquid stock, or if they really have no class they can use powdered =p. For chicken stock I just boil the guts out of roast chook left overs for a few hours, then pick out the bones (leaving in the meat of course). Vege stock is trickier. I just keep all my vege scraps (peelings, onion ends and skin, etc) in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough I make up some stock. Make sure you don't use too much leafy stuff, it makes bitter stock. It's foul (learnt by experience =(). Stock will need to be cooked for at least a full day (or night).

To the stock (or stock and chicken) I add some yellow split peas, pumpkin (gives the soup a bit of texture) and carrots. I sauté some onion and add that too (if you like celery in soups - I don't - saute that too). I boil it up in the slow cooker for at least half a day with the lid off (on high), longer if it's on low. Check the flavour, if it's not strong enough keep boiling off the liquid until it tastes good.

Freeze in single or group servings and you have some good, solid meals to serve guests, family, or friends if they 'just show up.' Or you can be like me and get excited when your friends get sick =).

8 comments:

Regina F said...

God I love chicken soup, but alas, if only I could cook!

Taz said...

=) Give it a go. Soup is very forgiving. All crockpot food is.
Maybe you'd do best with a more accurate recipe than this, and a pre-made stock at first. But I bet you can! =)

Becky C. said...

you may be a short and strange lesbian--but you are a cute and funny one:)

~Becky

Becky C. said...

Just came over to berate you for not having seen The L Word--I thought I would threaten to spank you--but thought I might be sending the wrong message:)

Go get a DVD compilation--or you will have to give up your dyke credentials--LOL

~Becky

Taz said...

Haha! You weren't kidding when you said you were a flirt. Repent! =p

I will get around to seeing L word one day. I'm just not a big fan of soaps, so I doubt it'll be for me, and I'm cheap.

My next dvd series purchase is going to be Battlestar Galactica. Now if they Boomer and Starbuck getting together it'd be the perfect series =). Much better than all that drama =).

Vic said...

Hey mate - I had to borrow the L Word from some seriously dedicated dyke friends before I watched it. I've only watched two series, but it is worth it.

Get better!

Taz said...

=) Thanks Vic. Will do. I'm feeling a lot better now thanks. Back to work tomorrow *sigh* But only for one day, then it's down to the city for the weekend. Woohoo!

Becky C. said...

Hi cute short strange lesbian. Thanx for stopping by the blog. I left you a private message in Blog catalogue about it.

~Becky