Working for a sick day

Now that school is here our whole family is feeling a little under the weather. I have been hitting the books and the kids are hitting each other. Strike that, those aren't my kids. Anywho, it is well known that when you smash a group of random people together you are bound to share some germs. In our case we have one in middle school, one in high school, a husband who just returned from Paris, and me in college. How many more germs can we mix into this pot before we need a new category on the taxonomy chart?

My solution is an old tested method of chicken noodle soup. It has been shown to be effective in producing mucus, soothing throats, and making life easier for moms everywhere. Like many others, I make WAY too much soup and I end up with copious amounts of leftovers. This is good and bad. It's nice to be able to grab a bowl and microwave it up the next day, but if it is still left in the refrigerator after two weeks it may grow a little green and begin reciting Shakespeare. 

Tonight I made my home made chicken noodle soup with a cheat. I bought a precooked rotisserie chicken at the store and a loaf of french bread. I brought out the big army pot and proceeded to pick a fight with this bird. Piece by piece I reduced it to a skeleton while munching on tidbits and a few crispy skins. I know it's not healthy, but I cannot refuse temptations. Then I filled the pot with 4 cut up carrots, 1 medium chopped onion (tears included), 2 stalks of celery, and a few bouillon cubes. I let that simmer on the stove at the lowest setting for about 2 hours. By this time the house is smelling great and palettes are prepping. Add a dash of garlic powder and salt/pepper according to taste. I use this awesome stuff called Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt. It is a mix of salt and spices and got hooked on it.

Finish it off by pouring egg noodles in about 15 mins before serving and add a bit more water for the noodles to soak up, trust me they're greedy. By putting the noodles straight into the soup they take on the chicken flavor and create a harmony unmatched by Campbell's. Now if I were you I would set this soup off to the side for a good 20 minutes because the wrath of Hades is contained within the heat of this pot. Spoon into bowls and serve with bread or crackers.

After eating and having our fill we were still left with almost a gallon of soup! Now not to upset Shakespeare but there is no way we were going to eat all of this in less than 3 days. I have all of these super awesome containers that Chinese restaurants use for carry out, so I ladled soup into each one of them leaving about an inch of room from the top and covered them. I like to stick them into the freezer for up to 3 months so we can use them at a later time. This is especially good for those days you want a good meal, but you can't make one because you are too tired or sick to move. A bonus is when you can bribe a kid to stick it in a pot and stir it for you while you lie on the couch contemplating how to call in sick to life. 

Even though I am not sick today I know the weather will change and we will need to defeat a new strain of kangaroo-chicken-sushi flu #32 and I will be prepared--And so should you!