ROTISSERIE CHICKEN SOUP

Atchoo! Picked up more than the mail at the post office. Guess that does happen. When returning from the post office, forgot to wash my hands. Unfortunately, that was my bad. Because my calendar shows that the only places where my physical being has been were home and the post office. So, it was easy to narrow it down to that location.

Sore throat, chest congestion, and feeling run-down were my three symptoms. Immediately, googled flu and bronchitis symptoms. That was two weeks before the news feeds highlighted or mentioned the cold & flu season and more COVID-19 shots. The exact date of the symptoms was the 23rd of September.

Did you know that flu, COVID, and bronchitis have the same symptoms? After reading and re-reading the symptoms online. Self-diagnosed. Did home treatment for bronchitis. Starting with herbal tea, made and drank two cups of hot chamomile tea a day. Because warm salt water gargle gives some comfort to a sore throat, every hour, well almost every hour, gargled with the simple mixture. In the evening, the humidifier was filled with water. We ran the humidifier through the night.

By Sunday, my friend also had the same symptoms. We watched football and drank hot herbal tea. This time peppermint and chamomile and added a dash of ground ginger. No sweeteners! Gargled with warm salt water and added a pain pill for each of us. Drank lots and lots of water too.

Normally, we would have made flu-buster soup. Instead, several glasses of water filled us and we napped most of Monday morning. Aching all over, it was hard to do the simplest chores.

Monday afternoon, my friend presented me with homemade rotissere chicken soup. The soup smelled so good. Unfortunately, didn't stop to take a picture. The chicken stock was made from the rotisserie chicken from Costco. In this case, the chicken stock was in the refrigerator and needed to be used. Perfect timing!

How to make rotisserie chicken soup:

Making stock, you place the rotisserie chicken bones, no skin, into the stock pot add water and cover. Adding one tablespoon of peppercorns, and three or four bay leaves, you bring to a boil and reduce heat leaving the stock to simmer on the stove for four or five hours. Note: no salt was added to the stock.

Let the stock cool!

Once the chicken stock has cooled, strain the liquid into a separate container. With the bones in a colander, you can strip the meat off the bones.

(If you aren't going to make soup the day you make stock, store stock in a glass jar with an airtight lid refrigerating it no more than two or three days.)

Before the stock finishes simmering, you can prep your vegetables. One large carrot, two stalks of celery, one half medium onion, and one-fourth of bell pepper, are sliced and diced. The bell pepper is your choice of yellow, orange, red, or green, and it is optional.

After slicing and dicing, you saute your vegetables in one tablespoon of butter. Pour cooled chicken stock back into the pot adding the sauteed vegetables and uncooked pasta. While we use rice twister pasta, you can use any pasta of your choice and you decide the amount that you want to add. Bring soup to a boil, you cook the ingredients together until the pasta is cooked.

Turn off the heat, add the chicken, and season to your taste.

Enjoy!

Affirmations:

After you make this soup, here are four affirmations you can say:

I am taking care of myself and my wellness.

I am making wise choices and being kind to myself.

Today and always, I love my healthy body.

With healthy food, I am nourishing my body and soul.

Author's notes: The Prompt

Share a story and recipe of a comforting dish you received when you needed it most, and a positive affirmation for the next person who cooks it.

Every dish has a story, and food has a unique way of weaving tales of comfort, love, and solidarity. At times when we needed a helping hand, a simple meal offered by someone can make a world of difference. We welcome you to share your heartwarming experiences tied to a special dish – whether it was a warm bowl of soup during a trying time, a comforting casserole after a long day, or a surprise dessert that made you want to celebrate. As we pass on these recipes, let's also pass on positive affirmations to uplift the spirits of those who recreate our meaningful dishes.

This challenge has 3 components.

The components are the story, the recipe, and the affirmations.

Thank you for reading! You are appreciated!