Ta-Molly Pie

Did I alter the title of a dish just to put another picture of my dog on my blog? You betcha. This has become Em's new favorite dish, causing me to refine the recipe rather quickly as well as get my cooking time for an hour total. Tamale's are something I have a deep, deep fondness for. I remember getting from people selling out of their car on the weekends. I would bring home tamales, tortillas, make some beans, and that would be dinner. For anyone who would find this odd, I never got sick, and they were always delicious. Think of it this way, if the guy who sold me that food did make people sick, no one would buy his wares and he would not be selling (word travels fast). I miss food opportunities like this, I feel our society frowns upon the homemade and homegrown unless strictly regulated. Back to tamales. I do not have time to make tamales themselves, but I can make a pie. With tamale ingredients. I tested out the Cook's Illustrated version, and made some improvements (in my eyes). It’s a great dish to feed a crowd, and works nicely with turkey or vegetarian (just add rice or more beans).

Tamale Pie

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
4 ounces cheese (Colby jack or Monterey jack)
¾ cup coarse corn meal
2 1/2 cups water
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add beef, breaking up and cooking until browned. Add the onion and some salt, cooking until the onion is softened. Add the jalapeno and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add the chile powder, oregano, cumin, beans, corn, and tomatoes into the skillet. Cook until most of the juices from the tomatoes have evaporated and the mixture is slightly thickened. Season and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat water in a pot until boiling. Stir in cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and whisk until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in oil and paprika, season with salt and pepper.
Stir cheese into meat mixture. Transfer to a 9x13 baking pan or similar vessel. Top with cornmeal mixture, spreading to the edges to seal. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and turn on broiler to high. Continue cooking until cornmeal is set and slightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

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Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

After the success of my banana pancakes, I decided to twist it a little bit by incorporating my favorite banana accompaniment, peanut butter. Honestly, if scientists could make a banana with a slight peanut butter flavor, I'm thinking it would solve 95% of potassium deficiency in the world. Well, I can dream, right? Same process pretty much as before. Since I was adding peanut butter, I removed some of the butter to compensate for that. I also found out I could probably eat my weight in these.
Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 banana, mashed
2 bananas, sliced thin

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until combined. In a separate bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, mashed banana, peanut butter, and butter. Slowly add the wet to the dry and fold using a spatula. Once most of the batter is combined and a few lumps remain, set bowl aside and let rest for 5-10 minutes. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more buttermilk. Batter should be slightly thin but not pourable.

Preheat your griddle or pan to medium-high. Spray with a small amount of cooking spray or butter. Using a scoop or ladle, add small amount of batter to pan. Place sliced bananas in a single layer on the top of each pancake. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bottoms are browned. Flip pancakes over and continue to cook until bottom is browned and pancake is firm, about 2 more minutes. Serve with syrup.

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The Great Chili Cookoff Part II: The Showdown

The showdown is upon me! Or rather, it was. The chili cookoff went down at work today. It was lots of fun and I ate way too much.

My chili recipe went through a few more iterations before I settled on a final version. I now have both a quick and easy version, as well as a deep delicious flavor version. For whatever reason, the grocery stores have apparently heard my plea and now carry Anaheim/Hatch chiles in the produce section. Nice!
When shopping for a lot of the ingredients in this dish, I paid a bit of attention to the price when shopping. I bought most of this stuff at a Mexican grocer, and then compared that to what my local meg-mart had to offer. As I thought, a grocer that specializes in a region is WAY cheaper than what the big store are offering, and the quality is much better. Case in point: tomatillos are 99 cents a pound at a Mexican grocery, they are usually $3 per pound at the store. So shop smart (shop S-Mart!!)
In the end, my chili came out much to my (and my coworkers) liking. I placed second, raising $84 in my jar for charity. Which is awesome! The organizer of the event placed first, so yeah, maybe I'm a little competative. That's ok. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Southwestern White Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey (at least 90/10, I like 95/5)
1 onion, diced fine
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 chipotle peppers in their adobo sauce, diced
8 oz green chiles, stems removed
1-2 jalapeno's, stems removed
1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks and stems removed
1 jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup dry pearled barley
4 cups chicken stock
1 15oz. can cannellini bean beans, rinsed
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder (go for the Ancho kind, its smokey)
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Sour cream

Heat broiler to high. Toss tomatillos, jalapenos, and green chiles in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange tomatillos (stem side down) on a foil lined baking sheet along with jalapeno and green chiles. Place in middle of oven, roast for 5-8 minutes or until slightly charred. Flip and continue to roast until charred on other side. Remove from oven can cool slightly. Peel and seed jalapeno and chiles, remove stem part from tomatillo. Place tomatillos, chiles, jalapeno, cilantro, sugar, green enchilada sauce, and some salt in pepper in a food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth.

Heat about olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and cook until slightly wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add turkey, breaking it apart and cooking until it has lost its pink color. Add the chipotles, cumin, chili powder, and some salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the tomatillo mixture, cook for 5 minutes, then add the pearled barley, followed by chicken stock. Stir, bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add beans and cook 10 more minutes, or until barley becomes only slightly chewy. Remove lid, stir in cornmeal and tomato paste, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve topped with a bit of sour cream.

-To simplify the recipe, replace the tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, sugar, and green chiles with-

2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
1 can tomatillos, drained and chopped

Add these ingredients, along with the enchilada sauce, directly to the chili. The depth of flavor will lessen, but it really speeds up the prep time.

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Chicken Provencal (In a slow cooker)

A combination of writer's block, an FDA inspection, and my lack of inspiration at the moment (thanks crazy weather) has decreased my output on the blog lately. Sorry about that. But apologies get me nowhere if I cannot produce some food!

I enjoy my slow cooker. I love beef stroganoff and slow cooked beans are consistently a favorite. However, leaving something to heat all day is not always a good idea in the summer months. Thanks to a dip in the temperature lately, I can pack up the ice cream machine and unpack the slow cooker. The first thing I decided to make was chicken Provencal, a fantastic recipe I adapted from the Cook's Illustrated cookbook.

Starting with the chicken, I am very pleased that boneless, skinless chicken thighs have percolated into my super market. They are stupendous and almost more flexible than chicken breasts. They also stew very well.

I discovered this recipe while searching for a good putanesca recipe. I'm not extremely versed in French cooking, but this preparation is actually pretty simple. You can mix and match certain parts (like more olives) to match your tastes.

Chicken Provencal (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 onions, chopped medium
14 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups white wine
28-oz crushed tomatoes
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons corn starch
4 oz. Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4-1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest.

Heat 2 teaspoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat until smoking. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place in hot skillet. Brown on both sides, about 10 minutes, and transfer to slow cooker. If the pan is too crowded brown in batches. Add remaining teaspoon oil and onions and a bit of salt, cooking until the onions are wilted, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add wine, scraping up bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the slow cooker, followed by the bay leaves, thyme, oregano, tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Cover and cook for about 4 hours or until the chicken is very tender.

Remove chicken from cooker and transfer to plate, covering with foil. Turn slow cooker to high, whisk remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock with cornstarch and add to the mix. Cover and cook until thickened, about 15-30 minutes. Stir in the olives, parsley, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over chicken, passing additional sauce at the table.

Serve over rice, egg noodles, or soft polenta. Serves 6. Enjoy!

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The Great Chili Cook-Off- Part 1

My workplace decided this week to have a chili cook-off. We had a pie baking contest a few months ago and I was a judge, a fantastic honor that ended with a lot of good pie and a serious sugar rush. Thankfully our chili cook-off will include complementary Tums. Now, competition cooking is not something I usually do, mainly because as a home cook I still have a somewhat fragile ego (as I'm sure we all do when it comes to cooking new things). But the only way to grow is to try new things, right? I'm giving this a shot, hopefully with good results.

I have been making a white chili since before I started this blog, and I'm pretty proud of it. I'm going to put it up against the others in hopes of actually placing, which is hard since most people prefer a traditional red chili. My biggest problem though is my love of spice. I eat fiery food. I used to eat habanero salsa when I worked a Mexican restaurant, if that says anything. Needless to say, a lot of people do not really share my "slow burn on the lips" philosophy. Which just means I get to make test batches.

The first batch was made pretty much following my original recipe. I swapped out fresh tomatillos for the canned ones (I found a great local Mexican market for them) as well as added a fresh jalapeno. However, WHY ARE THERE NO FRESH GREEN CHILES? I know, I know, I'm spoiled growing up in the Southwest. But I recently watched a travel show talking about how the Hatch chile supply is decreasing due to lack of sales. I guarantee if they put some fresh ones next to the poblanos in the store this would help the problem. In fact, they can replace the poblanos if that makes it better. With the surge of Mexican food going on in the States, it makes sense to stock something that is very unique to us. But back to the chili.

I brought my batch into work for some taste testing on calm and unbiased tongues. Mostly positive reviews, though some thought it was a bit thick and maybe the fresh tomatillos were a bit tart. It does need a bit of tweaking, so I think I'm going to make another batch next week. I'm a bachelor this weekend, so I'm thinking a nice pumpkin beer and a pot of chili will make this horrible Indiana weather a bit more bearable.

What about the food world out there, do you make white chili?

I apologize for no pictures with this post. The camera is in California at the moment :)

White Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey (at least 90/10, I like 95/5)
1 onion, diced fine
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 chipotle peppers in their adobo sauce, diced
2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
1 10oz can green enchilada sauce
1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks and stems removed
1 jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup dry pearled barley
32oz . cans chicken stock
1 15oz. can cannellini bean beans, rinsed
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder (go for the Ancho kind, its smokey)
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Sour cream

Heat broiler to high. Arrange tomatillos (stem side down) on a foil lined baking sheet along with jalapeno. Place in middle of oven, roast for 5 minutes or until slightly charred. Flip and continue to roast until charred on other side. Remove from oven can cool slightly. Peel and seed jalapeno, remove stem part from tomatillo. Place tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, sugar, green enchilada sauce, and some salt in pepper in a food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth.

Heat about olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and cook until slightly wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add turkey, breaking it apart and cooking until it has lost its pink color. Add the chipotles, cumin, chili powder, and some salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the tomatillo mixture and pearled barley, followed by chicken stock. Stir, bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add beans and cook 10 more minutes, or until barley becomes only slightly chewy. Remove lid, stir in cornmeal and tomato paste, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve topped with a bit of sour cream.

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Gage

There are few places I enjoy more than a pub. Beer and I are on quite good terms, and I love the food that accompanies it. Thankfully, beer and food pairings are becoming more and more popular thanks to the emergence of good quality beer in the states (but that's another post). I recently ate lunch at Gage, a Chicago gastro-pub that offered a higher end spin on traditional brunch, lunch, and dinner pub fare.

Even at an off lunch hour, the place was downright packed. Not to mention the place is quite large (there is another bar in the basement that they open up for weekend nights). We sat in the bar (no wait), and were greeted with friendly and knowledgeable service. Gage runs specials every day including a fish, sandwich, soup, and entrée of the day. Em had fish and chips (made with the fish of the day, fresh cod) that probably rank as top 5 in best fried fish ever. Guinness batter and perfectly cooked, they were great. I had the sandwich of the day, roasted pork leg served with a cilantro aioli. Man was it good. Tender pork, a homemade sauce, and really good bread. I love pub food, and this hit the spot. The beer they have on tap is also quite nice, with a featured local beer on tap for each season. Nice.

The best part might have come with desert. Deconstructed coffee and doughnuts are something you do not usually see. Well, ok, I have never seen. A fresh drop doughnut rolled cinnamon sugar, a fried chocolate gonache (which was unsweetened), and a sweet coffee sauce poured over the top. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. We both decided to go back the next time we were in Chicago, and maybe even twice.

http://www.thegagechicago.com/

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Making Banana Pancakes on the Weekend

The first time I heard of banana pancakes was from a Jack Johnson song. But he only makes them when he wants to pretends it’s the weekend. What about when it's really the weekend? Well, I decided to break the mold and make them last week. I am now a true believer of the putting the banana in the pancake.

The main problem I found was how to add them to not just get the banana flavor but also get some contrasting textures. Most banana pancake recipes I found incorporated banana into the batter by mashing, but that was it. Flavor is great, but only mashed banana and I don't really see eye to eye. I think it's my aversion to banana flavoring. When I worked at a bakery we had this glop called Fruit-O that we added to our banana nut bagels. They tasted alright, but that stuff made my stomach churn it smelled so strange. Not exactly a great food memory, which has in the past caused me to shy away from flavoring anything with banana (and don't even get me started on orange cake).

Turns out by adding banana two ways I was able to get the perfect combination of flavor and texture in my pancakes. I mashed up one banana to put in the batter, but I also sliced a few and placed them on the top of the pancake, pushing it in to the batter. When flipped, the bananas caramelized on the bottom. Em gave it two thumbs up.

The only better thing than a banana pancake is a leftover one smeared with peanut butter, rolled up, and consumed quickly. I don’t know why I did not think of that earlier, I feel like I was really missing out. I think I might just throw peanut butter in the batter next time.

Banana Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup buttermilk
1 banana, mashed
2 bananas, sliced thin

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir until combined. In a separate bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, mashed banana, and butter. Slowly add the wet to the dry and fold using a spatula. Once most of the batter is combined and a few lumps remain, set bowl aside and let rest for 5-10 minutes. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more buttermilk. Batter should be slightly thin but not pourable.

Preheat your griddle or pan to medium-high. Spray with a small amount of cooking spray or butter. Using a scoop or ladle, add small amount of batter to pan. Place sliced bananas in a single layer on the top of each pancake. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bottoms are browned. Flip pancakes over and continue to cook until bottom is browned and pancake is firm, about 2 more minutes. Serve with syrup.

Note- this recipe feeds 2-3 people, so if you have a larger family, you should probably double it.

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Barbecued Redemption

As much as I love to grill, barbecue has not always been a strong point for me. Notice that barbecue and grilled are used in two separate contexts, as they are NOT the same thing (if you tell a barbecue person they are the same, prepare to be punched). Barbecue is more about the low and slow, something I have had a hard time getting my head around due to my lack of patience. This is especially true when it comes to ribs. I have made ribs three times in my life. The first, I was 14 or 15 and had no business being near a rack of pork. The second was a few summers ago, when I made them in the oven using an Alton Brown recipe. They were ok, but the whole house smelled for days and they were a bit sweet for anyone's taste. This is my third attempt. I often turn to Cook's Illustrated for some inspiration of cooking methods and flavor bases. We do not always see eye to eye on the simplicity of applications, but for the most part they can guide me in the right direction with all of their research and testing. Being a scientist myself, I truly respect what they do. In fact, I would work for them in a heartbeat, something of a dream job for me by combining the two things I love the most. But I am getting off topic, this is about ribs. If you want to make truly good ribs, you need to give yourself an afternoon to make them. Again, low and slow. The directions that follow mainly detail a gas grill. If you have a charcoal or wood grill, I put a little blurb at the end to cover it.

Barbecued Ribs (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

2 full racks pork ribs (spare or baby back), about 2-3 pounds each
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups wood chips
Barbecue sauce (I cheated and used bottled from a rib festival)

Combine chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub a copious amount onto the ribs on all sides. Wrap the ribs tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least one hour or up to overnight. Let come to room temperature before placing on grill.

Soak woodchips in water for 30-45 minutes. Drain and place in a disposable aluminum pan (like a cake pan). Remove one of your grill grates and place the pan directly on the bottom of the grill, placed on top of the primary burner (a lot of grills have those V shaped bars above the burners, that's what I'm talking about, on top of those). Turn all burners to high and cover grill. Heat until the chips are smoking, 10-15 minutes. Turn all burners off except the primary burner, and adjust that to medium. Place ribs on the non-heated end of the grill and cover. The goal is to maintain an internal grill temperature of 275-300°F while keeping the ribs off of direct heat. Cook ribs, flipping and rotating about every 30 minutes, until the meat starts to pull away from the bone, about 3-4 hours. If desired, brush with sauce on both sides the last 15 minutes of cooking. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and let rest for 30 minutes- 1 hour. Enjoy.

Note- For a charcoal grill, apply the same principal of a two side fire. Pile coals on one side of the grill and heat until ashed over. Place wood chips directly on the coals. Place ribs on the other (cooler) side of the grill and cover when grilling. Every hour add a few more briquettes to maintain heat.

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Spicy Beef

This recipe has special meaning, not for me, but for Em, as spicy beef was her first solid food. Yes, that's what her parents gave her. Screw carrots or bananas, they wanted their daughter to get a full on treatment of real food at an early age. Needless to say, while I do appreciate their efforts, I sometimes wish they would have fed her squash so she would like a little more.This recipe is an adaptation from John, who adapted it from the Chinese Takeout Cookbook, a treasure trove of dishes that he (and I) often use. It also makes a fantastic addition to fried rice as a leftover.
Spicy Beef

1 egg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 pound flank steak thinly sliced across the grain then shredded. (It’s easier to slice the meat if it’s slightly frozen.)

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 carrots and 2 celery ribs, cut into 2 inch julienne
Or 2 cups broccoli

For the sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chili paste with garlic
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water

1 or 2 whole scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon sesame oil or hot sesame oil (optional)

Combine first four ingredients for marinade and mix until smooth. Add shredded beef and set aside for 30 minutes.  Combine sherry, sugar, chili paste, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and water for sauce.

To a heated wok add 1/2 cup peanut oil. When hot, add the beef and stir-fry about 2 minutes until it loses its pink color. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic and ginger, stir-fry 30 seconds. Add vegetables and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add sauce and scallions and stir. Return beef to wok and heat thoroughly, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil if desired. Serve immediately.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

I know I wrote about chicken noodle soup before, but it recently came up again when Emily came down with something awful (thankfully not H1N1). Few things elicit a response that soup brings from people, especially when ill. It still remains one of my fondest food-related memories, and I am more than happy to make a pot of soup in hopes that it will lift one's spirit.

As far as the soup goes, the application is simple enough. Cook chicken while making stock, shred chicken, drain stock, add vegetables and other wanted ingredients, and consume. There is much debate as to the actual stock making process, and I approach this one of two ways. The first is a more time consuming process, actually separating the breast meat, thighs, and drumsticks from the rest of the chicken. Use the remaining bones to make the stock. This allows you to have perfectly poached meat by adding the rest at a later time. Good fun, but it does take a lot longer. The second, more time-friendly approach is to just plop the whole chicken in and slowly extract flavor from the bones, making a stock and cooking the chicken all at once. Since I usually do not get a heads up on when someone is going to be sick, I prefer this way.

Variations are, of course, pretty much open to interpretation. I enjoy the classic application of a mirepoix along with some mixed veggies. But feel free to add whatever you like to this tasty concoction. In the end, it's all about hearty comfort.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs fresh parsley
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, chopped into 4 pieces
1 celery stalk, chopped into 4 pieces
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T olive oil
1 chicken bullion cube

3 carrots, large dice
2 celery stalks, large dice
1 large onion, large dice
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
3 tablespoons butter
1 16oz bag egg noodles
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 t dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot with oil over medium high heat and add chicken, letting brown for about four minutes on each side. Add the single carrot, celery, garlic, and onion, as well as any trimmings from the other vegetables. Add water to cover by two inches. Place the bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme sprigs in either a tea ball or a piece of cheesecloth wrapped in string. Add to the pot along with the bullion cube. Bring the water to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low so it just continues to bubble. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 1 and a half hours. If the water level drops below the chicken, add a bit more to cover (it helps if the water is warm).

Remove chicken from stock and transfer to a plate. Let cool for about 20 minutes before shredding chicken into bite sized chunks. Drain the stock into a large bowl and wipe pot clean.

Return pot to medium heat and add butter. Add carrot, celery, and onion, sauté for about 3 minutes until the onions just start to wilt. Add garlic, stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken to heat it through, and then add stock. You do not need to add all of the stock if you prefer a more chunky soup, just save the rest for a later application. Let the soup come to a boil and reduce heat to low so it just barely simmers. Cook for about 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, bring another large pot of water to a boil, salt it, and add your egg noodles. Boil them until still pretty al-dente (this helps prevent them from turning to mush later). Drain the noodles and rinse to stop the cooking. Add frozen veggies to the soup, return to a simmer, then add the noodles and thyme. Let cook for about 15 more minutes and then season with salt, pepper, and more thyme if you desire. This recipe makes a lot, but chicken noodle soup freezes quite well and keeps for about 3 months.

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