Chicken Soup -home made

My Chicken soup is not a thin soup, when I make soup I tend towards a heartier stew style!

Ingredients

3-4 large pieces of chicken or more (your choice of dark or white, I like a mix of both)

*chicken can be bone in and strained for bone removal to retain a nice broth. I actually like this best but de-boned and cut up chicken can also be used with canned broth. If the chicken is pre-cooked...place in stew towards the end of cooking time so as not to overcook.

3 large carrots sliced
2 pieces of celery sliced
3 medium potatoes quartered
1 medium onion cut in quarters
2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
pepper to taste
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
6 cups water
1 pkg. of powdered chicken gravy
2 can chicken broth
1/2 lb. noodles or 1 lb. gnocchi

Directions

• Add water, broth and powdered chicken gravy.
  ( If using bone in...add chicken to the above and cook until most of the meat is cooked off of the bone, remove the chicken bones and cut off any remaining meat. *Large pieces of meat should be cut into small cubes.
• Add salt, pepper and seasonings.
• Add all of the vegetables- cook on medium heat 30-40 min. or until vegetables are tender.
• Bring to a full boil and add your pasta noodles and cook according package directions

Gnocchi Chicken or Turkey Soup/Great with left over turkey

Do you ever wonder at the waste when tossing out the entire carcass of the turkey at thanksgiving or any other time? I raised four kids, sometimes on my own entirely. I couldn't afford to throw away anything!

• Place the entire carcass of your turkey after the meat has been sliced and picked clean into a large pot
• Fill pot 2/3 full with water and let it cook several hours.
  
• Place a colander or strainer over another large pot or slow cooker and transfer all of the broth into it .
• Be sure to pick out any meat that has cooked off the bones and place back into the broth.
  For a low fat content: set the broth in refrigerator over night and clean off the solid fat that rises to the top.
  
  
  Mix together:
  
• 2 cups cooked meat-turkey, chicken or other meat (chopped in small pieces, approx 1" cubes)
  
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 carrots, diced
• 3 stalk celery, diced
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large potato diced small
• 1 small can mushrooms or 1 cup of fresh mushrooms
• 1 tsp. oregano or Italian spices
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups or 3 cans of broth or broth from turkey)
• 1 16 oz. gnocchi

• 1 hour before dinner is to be served, add the ingredients above to your broth and bring to a boil.
• Let simmer until vegetables are tender.
• Add gnocchi according to pkg.instructions. (approx. 3 min. or until they all float to the top) Do not over cook the gnocchi.

Tortellini Soup Crockpot Style

My Tortellini soup is not a thin bowl of broth with some floating pasta. When I make any soup I tend towards a hearty stew!

2 large pieces of shin beef (bone in)
2 frozen bags of beef tortellini
4 large carrots sliced
2 pieces of celery sliced
3 medium potatoes quartered
1 small can of mushroom slices
2 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
2tsp Italian mixed seasonings
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8 cups water
1 can beef broth
1 can chicken broth

Place shin beef in 8 c. water with spices in crock-pot - turn on high heat

• Cook for 2-3 hours
• Add all of the vegetables and continue cooking on medium heat 1 hour
• Most of the meat will have cooked off of the bone, remove the shin bones and cut off any remaining meat.
• Any large pieces of meat should be cut into small cubes
• Turn heat up to high and add the tortellini,
• cook till tender, approx 20 min.
  
  Note: This soup is great served with fresh bread and salad