Hey Grandpa! What's Fer Supper?

Why, Chicken Noodle Soup, of course, since 2/3 of the Robinsons have a cold (Mike is the lone hold out...) The best part is it only takes about 90 minutes to make, instead of cooking all day, but it sure tastes like you spent all day making it...

HOME MADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP THAT DOESN'T TAKE ALL DAMN DAY
(aka Jewish Penicillin)
Serves 4 to 6.

When skimming the fat off the stock, leave a little bit on the surface to enhance the soup’s flavor. The soup can be prepared through the end of step 2 and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Store the chicken breasts in a zipper-lock bag with the air squeezed out and the stock in an airtight container.

STOCK
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground chicken (cheapest if you buy boneless skinless breasts and grind it yourself)
1 small onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot , peeled and chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium celery rib , chopped medium
1 quart water
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons table salt (taste the broth before you salt it, it might be salty enough without this)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in thirds
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper to taste

SOUP
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 small onion , halved and sliced thin (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots , peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 medium celery rib , halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces egg noodles (about 1 cup)

1. FOR THE STOCK: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ground chicken, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes (do not brown chicken).

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add water, broth, bay leaves, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, cayenne, and chicken breasts; cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. (If liquid is already boiling when lid is removed, remove chicken breasts immediately and continue with recipe.) Transfer chicken breasts to large plate and set aside. Taste stock and adjust seasoning as desired.

3. Continue to cook stock for 20 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain gentle boil. Strain stock through fine-mesh strainer or colander into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow liquid to settle about 5 minutes and skim off fat (see note).

4. FOR THE SOUP: Return stock to Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth slurry forms; stir into stock and bring to gentle boil. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 15 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain gentle boil. Add egg noodles and continue to cook until all vegetables and noodles are tender, about 5 minutes longer.

5. Meanwhile, shred chicken meat with fingers or 2 forks. Add shredded chicken to soup and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

This is great with soda crackers, crusty sourdough bread, or without any accoutrements at all. It's just a nice, basic feel-good soup, especially when you're not feeling so good to begin with.

Next, dessert...

Supper Was Great, What's For Dessert???

What's a better self-indulgent dessert than Old Fashioned Pound Cake, especially if you top a slice with some sliced strawberries macerated in sugar or Splenda, and put a big pile of Reddi-Wip on top of it (because I was too lazy to make real whipped cream... hey, at least it's not Cool Whip...)

OLD FASHIONED POUND CAKE

Makes 2 cakes in loaf pans or one cake in a tube pan

Dry ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter (use margarine if you must, but it doesn't taste as good)
5 eggs (yes, 5 eggs)
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

DO NOT PREHEAT YOUR OVEN!!!!!

1. Whisk dry ingredients together, set aside.

2. In a mixer, whip butter into sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. Add milk and vanilla, mix until fully incorporated.

3. Add flour in 3 batches, mixing well between each addition.

4. Using the butter wrappers, grease the loaf pans or the tube pan well, especially the bottom and corners.

5. Fill the pan(s) with your batter. Let your favorite child/husband/family member lick the beater and the bowl (unless you want it).

6. Place filled pans in COLD oven, turn it on to 325° F, and bake cake for 1 hour and 15 min. Cake is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven when done and cool in pans on cooling rack.

Real old-fashioned pound cake is good any way you want to eat it -- as a slice in your hand, covered with ice cream, smothered under a load of sliced strawberries and whipped cream, pound cake doesn't care. It knows it's Damn Good all on its own.

Pound cake baked in a cold oven develops a crunchy, delicious crust that will not develop if you preheat, so DON'T PREHEAT. Half the wonderfulness of the pound cake is the yummy crust -- what we aficionados call "the goody".

Enjoy it!