Home-Made Chicken-And-Noodle Soup

A couple of times, Trissy and I have fixed this for our Sunday-night-after-church supper with our friends, and it has been such a hit that I decided to share it here. Besides, we do it different every time (because we 'borrow' suggestions from other recipes, and then can't remember exactly how we did it), and I wanted to write it down for myself! Hope y'all enjoy!

4 quarts chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stalk celery, cut into quarter-inch size pieces
1 can cream-of-chicken soup, and can of water
approximately 1 lb. cooked chicken
1 lb. egg noodles
2 cups water


Begin heating chicken broth. Add garlic powder, salt, and celery. Add can of cream-of-chicken soup, rinse can with water and add the can of water. When mixture is almost boiling, add chicken. Wait a minute or two and add noodles. Stir briefly to make sure noodles don't stick together. Add 2 cups of water. Bring back to a boil and boil 12 minutes on low heat. Turn down fire and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

"5 Small Things Friday" No. 93

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight:

2. Hearing:

3. Smell:

4. Taste: Hot Dog And Tomato Sandwich

5. Touch:

The stories behind the list:

1.

2.

3.

4. There were some hot dogs and tomatoes left from our family's Fourth of July cook-out, so I decided to have a hotdog and tomato sandwich for lunch Monday. I love BLTs (bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches), so I didn't figure substituting a hot dog for bacon would be too different. I split a hot dog in half, both length-wise and cross-wise, and put the four pieces flat side down in a skillet with the fire on very low under it. When a lot of the grease had cooked out and they were a nice toasted brown, I spread a little mayonaise on some toast, laid my hot dog pieces on, added a nice thick slice of a fresh garden tomato, and I had me one humdinger of a delicious sandwich!

5.

"5 Small Things Friday" No. 73

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight:

2. Hearing: "Your Great Name"

3. Smell:

4. Taste: Flour Chips

5. Touch: Hot Shower

The stories behind the list:

1.

2. So on my way back and forth from our little place out in the country, to town where I work, go to church, etc., I've become addicted to the Christian music station. I don't enjoy the styles of some of the music, but I can always turn it off if it's bothering me, and I've discovered several beautiful songs in the approximately 30-minute drives back and forth. One of these is "Your Great Name". The music and harmony are breath-taking.

"
Lost are saved, find their way, at the sound of Your great name.
All condemned, feel no shame, at the sound of Your great name.
Every fear, has no place, at the sound of Your great name.
The enemy, he has to leave, at the sound of Your great name.

Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man -
You are high and lifted up; and all the world will praise Your great name!

All the weak, find their strength, at the sound of Your great name.
Hungry souls, receive grace, at the sound of Your great name.
The fatherless, they find their rest, at the sound of Your great name.
Sick are healed, and the dead are raised, at the sound of Your great name.

Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man -
You are high and lifted up; and all the world will praise Your great name!

Redeemer, My Healer, Lord Almighty!
My savior, Defender, You are My King!

Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man -
You are high and lifted up; and all the world will praise Your great name!
"

3.

4. Lydia had a bunch of the youth group girls over Monday night. Bro. Nick is still taking seminary classes, and every other Monday he is gone most of the day and into the evening. So Lydia has had a couple of these fellowship nights when he's been gone. She loves demonstrating hospitality, crafting, playing games, and sharing meals, and is very fun-loving with a great laid-back personality. Trissy and I went Monday night and had a great time. Several of the girls had brought craft projects they were working on and we all sat around in her little living room and visited or crafted or cooked our snack-y supper in her little kitchen. She made flour tortilla chips and they were SO good! I'd never seen them made (and watching almost made me not want to eat them, thinking about how unhealthy they were), but now that I know, I want to try them sometime. Not too often, because they are so unhealthy, but once in a while would be a tasty treat. And so easy!
Get a package of soft tortilla shells, and cut each one in fourths. Heat a pan of oil on the stove until very hot. Drop the tortilla fourths in a couple at a time and let them fry. Lift them out, let them drain on a paper towel, and when they are cool, eat up!

5. Sometimes I'm in the shower and I all-of-a-sudden realize again how blessed I am to have access to hot running water. When I'm tired or sad or cold, few things can make me feel better so fast as a nice hot shower!

"5 Small Things Friday" No. 72

Go back and read this post for the story behind "Five Small Things Friday".

For this week, here is my list:

1. Sight: Mrs. S.'s Compassionate Joy

2. Hearing:

3. Smell: White Dial Bar Soap

4. Taste: Tear Bread

5. Touch: Making Austin And Ava's Curtains

The stories behind the list:

1. Mom's sister who lives a couple of states away, was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and recently had a difficult surgery to remove it. We were all praying that she would not need chemo or radiation after the surgery, but that would depend on what stage it was at. Mrs. S., with her big heart and incredible compassion, was as concerned as if she knew my aunt herself. She kept up with the situation through Mom.
When the results came back that the cancer was at stage one, and my aunt would not need chemo, we were so thankful! Wednesday after we'd found out, Mrs. S. asked me at church if they'd heard back yet. When I told her the news, her wonderful pleasant face lit up, and she clasped her hands together in pure joy. From her reaction, you could have thought it was her own sister.

2.

3. We buy the Dial brand of white bar soap for our baths and showers. The other night I was using it and put up my hands to my face, and the smell of it was like the smell of being in the mountains in the winter time. Cool and fresh and clean and lovely. The smell of bright green and fresh snow.

4. Mom has a home-made bread recipe she got from one of my cousins, and in the last couple of weeks we've gotten it out and made several batches of this quick, easy and wonderfully delicious bread. And for me (who don't like to cook) to admit that it's quick and easy, that's saying something! Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it yourself:

Tear Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar

Put yeast in a small bowl in warm (not hot) water with sugar. Stir and let set for about 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons oil
3 cups all-purpose flour

When the yeast mixture is dissolved, add it to the mixing bowl.
Mix it well. It will be a soft dough. Grease (or spray with "Pam" or something similar) a cookie sheet or baking pan. Dump and immediately press dough out to desired thickness in the pan, and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nice and golden. Put a little oil on your hands before handling dough so that they won't stick.

We love wheat bread at our house, so we usually substitute a cup of the all-purpose flour for a cup of wheat flour (2 cups of white and 1 cup of wheat).

Tear you off a piece, cut that thing open with a little steak knife and slide a pat of butter inside... Whew, there's little better!

5. Austin and Ava are continuing to put the touches on their little house to make it into a home. They went shopping for curtains in January and couldn't find what they wanted. So in the store Austin suggested to Ava, 'Why don't we just buy material and ask Kyrie to make us some?' So that's what they did!
I can't describe the wonderful, warm feeling it gave me that they knew they could ask me to do this for them. That's how I want my friends to be! I want them to be able to count on me. I want them to feel comfortable asking me to help them if I can.
I was so honored to be a part of their lives like this! While I measured, cut, pinned, and sewed (and ripped out and redid at one point!), it warmed my heart every time I'd think, "I'm making these curtains for Austin and Ava - and they asked me to!"