It’s September in Texas and it’s still REALLY hot outside, although that isn’t unusual for Texas…. Despite the fact that it’s 100+ degrees outside after a long day at work I still can always find comfort at the bottom of a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup, served with a side of Cheesy Biscuits.

Yes I started back to work this past week and I’m pretty sure that I will not be coming up for air until Thanksgiving. What do I do for a living? I’m not sure that I have mentioned this before… My Husband and I run a school Fundraising Company call Big Kahuna Fundraising and this year as a company we are working with over 500 schools across the state of Texas. I love my job and it provides me with the flexibility to do all of the things that I enjoy 9 months out of the year. But from the last week of August until Thanksgiving… Let’s just sat that the Big Kahuna (a.k.a. my Husband Doug) owns me.

With that being said there hasn’t been as much time for cooking. But the good news is that I spent an entire summer preparing for this and I have a deep freezer full of ready to go meals with one exception… I didn’t have any Chicken Noodle soup. So I whipped up a quick batch of this soup the other night and stored it in my freezer.

Now I have to be honest with you… there really isn’t a precise recipe to this soup. My Chicken Noodle Soup is more like a handful of this and a bit of that. One of my most favorite things to use when making this soup is left over smoked chicken.   Not only does the smoked chicken add great flavor to this soup but it’s also cuts the cooking time in half since you don’t have to worry about cooking the chicken. A rotisserie chicken works great for this soup recipe too.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and next time you are feeling down make a BIG pot of this soup! Chicken Noodle Soup makes everything better and the Cheesy Biscuits are just the cherry on top.

Mel’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Make 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

1 Extra Large White/Yellow Onion, diced

4 Carrots, peeled and diced

4 Stocks of Celery, diced**

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced or grated

3-4 Stems of Fresh Rosemary, removed from the stems and chopped

1 bunch of Thyme, tied together with twine

3 Fresh Sage leaves, minced

1 Handful Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons of Butter

4 Tablespoons of Flour

2 Quarts of Chicken Stock

2 Cups of Milk

1 Cup of Water

¾ Cup Small Pasta such as Ditalini

5 Cups Shredded Smoked or Rotisserie Chicken

Salt and Black Pepper to Taste

 

Directions:

Heat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, carrots, celery and a good pinch of salt, and cook for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the parsley, sage rosemary and the thyme bundle along with the 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted add in the 4 tablespoons of flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the chicken stock and the milk and bring everything up to a boil.

Add in the shredded chicken then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add in one cup of water and the ¾ cup of pasta. Cook the soup for 10-12 more minutes just until the pasta is cooked through.

Serve in big bowls with Cheesy Biscuits.

 

** Buy celery has pretty green leaves on the ends, then chop them up and add them to the soup. Celery leaves have SO MUCH flavor so don’t throw them away.

 

 

When these biscuits come out of the oven you are hit with this intense cheesy, buttery steam cloud that is out of this world. On top of that I love the crispy, cheesy, crust you get on the biscuits from baking them in a muffin tin… SO GOOD!! I love biscuits! Guard these biscuits with your life because hungry mouths will be waiting in the kitchen to devour them.

Mel’s Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 12 Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Sugar

2½ Teaspoons Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

½ Teaspoon Black Pepper

½ Cup Vegetable Shortening, cut into small pieces

1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Grated

¼ Cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, Grated

½ Teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves

1¼ Cup Buttermilk

¼ Cup Melted Butter

 

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, thyme leaves, and black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cut in the vegetable shortening with a pastry cutter until it resembles cornmeal.

Toss in the grated cheeses. Pour in the 1¼ Cup of Buttermilk and the melted butter and gently mix everything with your hands until a consistent mixture is formed.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray. Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop, scoop the biscuit dough into the muffin tins.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.