Whew, what a weekend! We spent it celebrating the marriage of one of my best friends and her incredible (now) husband. I was so excited to enjoy a few nights in my old stomping grounds with many people we love. When Katie met Antone, I think we all pretty much immediately knew he would be “the guy”, but I had no idea just how much he would love and care for my friend. Their love is something very special, and I was so honored to stand by their sides as they said I do. We also got to spend time with my amazing best friends from college – which always makes me feel so young and makes my heart so full. I feel so lucky to have the friendships I do – that have lasted the test of time, boyfriends and breakups, marriages, babies and I love these women that make me a better person every day.
Needless to say… today I am exhausted and honestly a bit hungover. Endless champagne and white wine were flowing all weekend and my body is feeling it today. When we got home, we immediately knew soup was the answer and that it had to be brothy. I have the most delicious and simple chicken noodle soup recipe that is light and always a no-brainer for hangover cure.
What You Need
- One Rotisserie Chicken – take all the meat off the bones and chop roughly
- 5 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 5 celery stalks chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped*
- 2 ears of corn taken off the cob (this is totally optional and we only did this because the sweet corn this time of year is ahhhmazing)
- 3 chicken bouillon cubes (dilute in water)**
- Approximately 12 cups of water
- Juice of 1 lemon – I always add lemon to my chicken soup. I feel like it really brings out the flavors and adds a little extra depth of flavor.
- 1 handful of chopped parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- S+P to taste
- A swirl of olive oil to coat the pot
- 1 bag of egg noodles
Add your olive oil the pot and saute the veggies (celery, onion, carrots, garlic & corn) until they are fork-tender. From here, add the chicken, water, lemon juice, bouillon cubes, bay leaves, parsley, S&P and then it’s just a waiting game. I usually let mine simmer for about an hour or so. In the meantime we cooked up a bag of egg noodles per the instructions. If you read my blog, you know I always keep the noodles separate from the broth because nobody likes mushy, blown up noodles. 😛
Before serving, remove the bay leaves and make sure you have some dipping bread on hand like this take & bake ciabatta bread. Tip: take and bake bread and rolls are amazing and freeze like a charm. We always have them in our freezer for a garlic bread treat during dinner. I also love the rolls because we do not need an entire loaf of bread (hello portion control), but do enjoy a little bit with dinner from time to time.
*I always use pre-chopped garlic because I swear the smell of garlic is impossible to get off of your hands + this is easy and it stays fresh in your refrigerator for a long time.
**I also am a firm believer of using bouillon cubes – it’s so easy to manipulate the flavor by adding more or less. I use these all the time to season anything from soups to potatoes to rice dishes.
What a great weekend filled with friends, love and football – and wins for both the Badgers & Packers! Fall is in the air, and I couldn’t love it more.
I also need to just briefly mention what I’m feeling this evening as I write this post, while watching the specials on TV about the 15 year anniversary of the attacks on New York City and our great country. My emotions are overwhelming me and I’ve been wiping tears away for about an hour now. I, like most Americans remember exactly where I was when I heard of the attacks and I will never forget the sacrifices so many brave men and women made for our country. America is the greatest country in this world, and I am a very proud American. God bless all of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice – never…never forget.
Staying Martha 
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