Chicken soup for Sarah's soul

So last fall and winter I spent a fair amount of my time hoarding Kleenex and frequenting my pharmacy for zinc fortified lozenges. Long story short, I had a multi-month long no good very bad allergy-induced sinus infection.

Finals week was an especially rough time to be so sick, so my boyfriend decided if the litany of meds I was taking would not cure me, he would do it with the legendary panacea for all sniffly illnesses: chicken soup.

I was partial to the Campbell's variety as a child, but he had to get more creative than that because now I follow a low carb, high fat, whole foods diet to control my seizure disorder (colloquially referred to on the web as a ketogenic diet). Therefore, the chicken soup he set out to create had to be noodle-less and the fat content had to be dialed up to make it a balanced meal for me. This soup was a labor of love, as he cooked it for me that afternoon as a solo chef completely from scratch (stock and all). It turned out hot & lemony (a great combo for relieving cold symptoms) as well as filling and nap inducing. It was a huge comfort and confidence booster that chilly December finals week.

While this soup did not cure my sinus woes back then, it did become one of our favorite meals to cook together. Remembering the intentional devotion that encouraged my boyfriend to undertake the task of making this soup for me makes it lovely beyond just its excellent flavor.

Our rendition is based on this recipe. Wicked Stuffed is one of my favorite sites to find keto recipes to try out.

My favorite part of this soup is that it does not call for boxed chicken stock. There is just something invigorating about starting with tap water and ending with a fresh, flavorful stock.

Sliced lemons (we add more than the recipe calls for), diced onions, minced garlic, and chicken breasts boil together for about a half hour, then the broth is strained and the chicken is chopped (or shredded if you don't want to chew your soup, like me) and added back in to the strained broth.

With the broth and chicken returned to the pot, add chopped vegetables(we like celery and carrots, pretty traditional for chicken soup). After those have softened up a bit, add the Magic Cheesy Stuff (a lovely mixture of heavy cream, parmesan, rosemary, parsely, and CHARDONNAY) and let all of that simmer together until the veggies are cooked to your liking. Time to eat!

The recipe with measurements makes "a generous 6 servings" and given how yummy this soup is, I would err on the side of caution with that estimate.

I think this soup has a traditional Americana vibe when we make it, but it could easily be made with a Mexican, Italian, or French flare depending on the spices and vegetables you add.

It is not a quick and easy dinner, but great to make on a Sunday for lunch or dinner with the intent to have left overs for the week ahead.

With all of the vegetable prep to make this soup, you end up with a lot of scraps. I tried my hand at making another stock with the scraps instead of just throwing them out in addition to a few halved pearl onions, a couple of chopped carrots, two links of smoked sausage cut in half, and a generous splash of leftover red wine.

I am not sure what this stock will become a part of, but if I can't decide this week I'll probably employ my stock ice cube tray method. Freezing stock in an ice cube tray makes using it in small quantities much easier than having a large container full of frozen stock or a Ziploc full. The same method can be used with compound butter!

I just love cooking. Especially on rainy Sundays with a person I love so much. There is something so very natural and gratifying about creating with a beloved other and enjoying that creation in its glory together. Surely that is how God feels when we invite Him into our lives to create intentional relationships with our families, friends, and even our enemies!

It is such a gift when something so commonplace as soup can open my heart and my soul to recognizing God's graces. God moves among the pots and pans!

Love always, friend.