The monastery’s chicken-soup recipe still is the best I have ever tasted! They use real chicken stock, diced celery, onion and carrots, solid white breast meat, salt, pepper a dash of thyme and a generous hint of mint or dill. Long grain white rice or egg noodles are put into the serving dish immediately before the meal, having been cooked earlier and set aside. No sogginess here! There’s nothing quite like a wholesome meal of slices of homemade bread, cheese, and fruit that could’ve been picked off the branch this morning.
At the monastery, I especially enjoy this meal after evening services. Watching the setting sun through the full length refectory windows, conversations are easy, touching on the work of the day, books we are reading, or welcoming new visitors. When I’m back at home using that same chicken soup recipe, it lets my mind wander back to a nice, quiet serene moment. Isn’t it wonderful that both body and soul thrive on chicken soup? So the book publishers know that this good food is a fitting metaphor for stories, sayings and short advice that can lift us from daily drudgery or ordinary troubles.
Finding the best recipe for Chicken soup is almost a quest for a magical soup, so when we eat it, if were sick, it will uplifts our spirits. What about chicken wings? Chicken wings are really expensive to buy at restaurants especially when you can buy a whole bag of frozen ones for five or six dollars and you get sixty or seventy wings in a bag. You can buy fresh ones and its usually three or four dollars for twenty or thirty wings. I dont have a fryer so I usually place the wings on a foil lined baking sheet and brush them with vegetable or olive oil to help them crisp and cook them in the oven.
I usually turn them once when I am cooking them and brush the other side with oil as well. The oil usually helps keep them from sticking to the pan. Purchased wing sauce and ranch dressing are generally all I need once they are fully cooked. If you prefer hotter wings, smear a little oil on them before sprinkling some red pepper flakes and seasoning with spices. Now that summer is here you can cook outdoors more often instead of slaving away in a hot kitchen. You can make a quick healthy inexpensive diner by firing up the barbeque and making some boneless skinless cubed chicken grilled on skewers with fresh garden vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions.
You can marinate the chicken and vegetables first in a zesty Italian salad dressing for seasoning. You can serve it on top of rice or pasta and have a fresh salad to go along with it. Baked potatoes are delcious made on the grill. You just clean them and cover with foil. You can use your grill instead of the oven to cook the potato by placing it on the barbecue for approximately 30 minutes depending on its size. If you put the dressing on your potatoes, it will be healthier than using butter and cream cheese.