The comfort of soup

We’ve finally pulled out of a ten-day bout of sickness, that, combined with the frigid weather, kept us housebound. Thank goodness for the distraction of the Olympic games and thank goodness for homemade soup.

I haven’t looked into the numbers or statistics (but I’m sure Danny has…), but this feels like the coldest winter in the last ten years or so. I think most of North America feels this way. A popular canned soup company reported a 71% rise in their quarterly profit so I guess we’re not the only ones craving a hug in a mug.

A simple recipe for chicken noodle soup kept us going despite high fevers and chest coughs. The boys and I simmered it together for lunches; I’d chop the parsley while they broke up the spaghetti, and we’d talk our way through the steps so they could learn.  Then we convivially spooned up the soup while perched on sofas and cheered on our athletes in Sochi.

Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

Cooking together as a family doesn’t always happen under ideal circumstances. Today over on JamieOliver.com I’m sharing about bringing kids in the kitchen even when we’re not feeling our best. There’s a comfort to be found in cooking and baking, and what better place to cure what ails you than in the heart of the home.

From the post:

“So what happens when the family core falls under the weather? I’m speaking from experience when I say that we just feel like huddling under a quilt until it passes. But we need nourishment and it doesn’t come from a box or a package. Home cooking can still happen when we’re feeling unwell, but recipes need to be absurdly simple, like today’s homemade chicken noodle soup.”

Read the rest over on JamieOliver.com and get the recipe for Simple Chicken Noodle Soup.

Simple Kitchen Tip: How to break long pasta for soup

It’s the easiest thing in the world, but I thought I’d include a tip for quickly breaking up pasta for chicken noodle soup. The end result is nearly perfect one-inch lengths without pasta flying everywhere.

How to break spaghetti for soup

Step 1: Working with small bunches, break pasta into a bowl. (Kids find this tremendously fun, by the way.)

Step 2: Use a wine bottle or a jar to crush the pasta in the bowl. Press down and give the bottle a quarter turn. It will ‘grind’ down the pasta. Stop when the spaghetti is a suitable size.

And there you have it. Now don’t miss my (super simple) soup over on Jamie’s site.

Are you craving soup, Spring, or both?

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17 Comments

  1. What a great way to get the kids involved! I’m going to have to try that with my boys this weekend. (Just in time for another bout of cold weather!)

  2. Sorry to hear that you’ve been under the weather. That was our January. But you are so right about the benefits of soup. And thanks for today’s pasta tip–I look forward to trying it!

    1. Amanda, it’s a lot like Lipton, which I only had at friend’s houses because my mom refused to buy processed foods. 🙂 I hope you like it!

  3. I am sure my boys will love getting to break up the pasta! I need to make some more chicken broth though because we have gone through a ton eating so much soup recently. Come on Spring!

  4. This looks delicious! I’m sorry to hear that everybody was so sick, but I have to say I’m a little jealous that you got to do all that Olympics-watching 🙂 We don’t have TV, so I have only gotten to see bits and pieces when I was out and about (the biathlon is my favorite!). Watching the Olympics definitely takes away the sting of winter a little bit. We’re having a little bit of “warm” weather here in Maine this week, but it isn’t going to last long.

  5. According to the news here in winnipeg, it is the coldest winter in 60 some years. To say that I am unimpressed in understating things a bit 😛

    I have been trying out different chicken soup recipes looking for one I like. Have not succeeded yet. Looking forward to trying yours out!

  6. Sitting here eating homemade soup and cheese toast while enjoying your blog. I love winter but the frigid cold in Montréal has me longing for Spring – it could start, say in the next few days and I would be really happy.

    As for soup, we are a family of soup eaters – most often it is “clean out the fridge “soup with some meat or poultry along with a handful of noodles or rice. With two teenage boys at home, a bowl of soup hold them over till their main meal!