A Little Cozy Winter Comfort, Courtesy of Maisey
When it is cold outside, what is your favorite meal to prepare? Chili? Stew? Maybe a nice creamy casserole? Well, in Aspen Cove, there is nothing like a meal from Maisey’s Diner to warm you up when the air turns crisp and there is snow on the ground. But what do you think Maisey makes for her family when she isn’t cooking up blue plate specials and pies at the diner? When Bowie and Katie come over with Sahara to visit her and Ben, or Dalton and Samantha?
When Dalton was growing up, Maisey learned to make leftovers stretch. Leftover meatloaf became meatloaf sandwiches. Leftover turkey became turkey noodle casserole. And leftover fried chicken became her famous creamy chicken noodle soup. Are you looking for something cozy to keep you warm this winter? Give it a try!
And don’t forget to check in on the folks of Aspen Cove to see what deliciousness Maisey is cooking up for everyone else.
Maisey’s Homestyle Creamy Chicken Soup
3-4 cups of leftover chicken chopped (If you don’t have leftovers, you can always cook a couple of chicken breasts)
A hunk of butter (1/4 c will do)
Three carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 ½-2 cups, depending on the size of the carrots)
A cup of chopped onion
A couple of celery stalks, chopped (about a cup)
A couple of garlic cloves, cut up small (although you can never have enough garlic)
Twelve cups of water
A tablespoon of garlic salt
Eight ounces of dried egg noodles
A cup and a half of heavy cream
Five tablespoons of flour
Four tablespoons of instant chicken bouillon or that fancy bouillon paste
A generous handful of frozen peas (I usually add a cup, but Dalton loved peas growing up, so I add more if he is coming by.)
Instructions:
Throw the butter in the soup pot and get it nice and hot and melted. (Medium-high heat works, but keep an eye on the butter so it doesn’t burn.) Once the butter is melted, throw in the garlic and heat it until it sings. Usually, a minute or two is enough. Then throw in the rest of the veggies. I sometimes call this “whatever you’ve got in the chiller” soup, because I will just throw in whatever veg I have leftover from the diner. Fresh green beans, turnips, corn… Play with it and make it yours!
Cook the veggies until they are starting to soften, about eight minutes. Just don’t let them get mushy – you have a ways to go and no one wants mushy veggies at the end.
Pour in the water, the garlic salt, and the chicken, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Once the water starts moving and shaking, turn the heat down (medium heat is good), and let the soup simmer to build some flavor—at least half an hour.
While the ingredients are making friends in the pot and creating a little chemistry, mix together the flour and cream and bouillon in a bowl. When you feel like you have built the foundation flavor you want in the pot, turn the heat back up and, once you have a good boil, add in the flour-cream mixture and the egg noodles, and cook until the noodles are tender, about ten minutes.
Right before you think the noodles are done, throw in the peas to cook through. After the peas have cooked for a few minutes, give the soup a taste. Does it sparkle? Then it’s done! Does it fail to excite your taste buds? Just add a bit more garlic salt (or a lot – this is your soup).
Serve it with some homemade rolls or biscuits. (Ben likes it with crackers. Good thing I like him.)