imagine chicken broth – in thriver words

When I’m feeling a chill and need a mug of comfort, I reach for chicken broth. You may have noticed that my last few posts have been about keeping things simple. Comfort doesn’t get simpler than this: a steaming mug of chicken broth.

Last week, I felt under the weather – not bad – no fever, sore throat, aches or pains – but not good. I could have forced myself to cook. It wasn’t beyond my ability. I wasn’t that sick. And because I wasn’t that sick, I didn’t feel like I should indulge in delivery.

Luckily, I keep Imagine^TM Free Range Chicken Broth in my pantry. I opened a box and poured a large mug. It’s delicious heated up without anything added, hydrates while providing comfort, and I can drink it right out of the mug.

If you prefer tomato or cream of tomato soup, Pomì Strained Tomatoes make an easy gluten-free soup base as well. Add a little milk, some herbs and spices, and heat. Within minutes you’ve got a red delicious mug of comfort.

And if I need something a little more substantial, frozen Brazi® Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread Cheddar & Parmesan or Garlic Asiago only require as much effort as popping in the oven. I often have them in my freezer because they’re a family favorite. When they come out of the oven, the rolls can be dipped in tomato soup like a tiny cheese sandwich ball.

For dessert, try a mug of hot chocolate. You’re sick! Keep it simple. Use a mix. There are many brands that are gluten-free. If you prefer coconut or macadamia milk, melt a mini chocolate bar in warm milk. Stir it up, add a sprinkle of cinnamon, marshmallows, or whipped cream, and magically you have sweet, sweet comfort.

In between these filling mugs, I love to sip herbal tea. Peppermint, chamomile, orange spice, chai, and ginger all feel comforting to me. And they can sooth a sore throat.

You may find comfort in other mugs – hot apple cider, mulled wine, hot Dr. Pepper, hot lemonade, or buttered rum. I have a friend who swears by whiskey, honey, and lemon whenever he’s sick. He also swears by Hennessy to get through a regular day, so maybe take his advice with a grain of salt.

The nice thing about a hot mug is it warms your hands. It steams your face. AND it delivers whatever wonderful warm liquid makes you feel hugged inside. The ones I’ve mentioned here require little effort to prepare.

In keeping with my current theme of simplicity, I wrestled my way through last week with large mugs of warm liquid to keep me hydrated, and all of them came from my pantry. I try to keep comfort available at all times!

Next time you’re under the weather, remember a mug of comfort may already be in your kitchen.

https://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/and-so-this-is-christmas-sipping-chicken-soup/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cooler weather is finally here, so soup’s on – literally! When that first blast of cold air hits each fall, everyone I know starts to clamor for soup. From chili to chowder, hot thick soup fills and warms your tummy and is the perfect antidote for a chill.
tomato soup
Soup preference is often determined by the base of the soup. Some prefer broth or stock, some tomato, and some cream. This is reflected in the top five soups sold in America – chicken noodle, tomato, clam chowder, potato, and minestrone.

Of course the choices don’t stop there. There’s tortilla soup, French onion soup, chicken and rice, chicken chili, split pea, lentil, butternut squash, corn chowder, beef stew, ham and bean, lobster bisque, gumbo, vegetable, Thai chicken coconut soup, and phở. The possible combinations are seemingly endless.

My grandmother made her own chicken stock and canned her own tomato juice. These became the base for soup at her house. Most of us don’t feel like we can spend 2-3 hours in the kitchen prepping the base for a soup. That doesn’t mean the only way to have a delicious soup for dinner is to pop open a can or have some delivered.

A great soup can begin with ingredients you usually discard. Vegetable broth from fresh green beans, black beans, butternut squash, cabbage, greens, and even sour kraut can serve as a flavorful base.

You can also boil potato skins, and asparagus, mushroom, broccoli, and cauliflower stems that would normally go in the trash or composter in a separate pot at the same time you prepare those vegetables. You’re using veggie pieces that result from prep you’re already doing and you’re cooking during a time you’ll already be around the kitchen. That makes for a time friendly, budget friendly practice.

Put the resulting broth in a large glass jar in the refrigerator and save it for soup. You can add broth from multiple vegetables over several days to deepen the flavor and nutritional value.

Your broth can also include chicken skin, hearts, livers, and gizzards, or fat trimmed from beef, pork, or chicken. If you prefer, you can place these in a slow cooker with some water, onion, seasonings and vegetables to create broth while you’re at work. You’re going to discard everything but the liquid so don’t worry that the ingredients are ugly things you wouldn’t eat on their own.

When I am too taxed to have the capacity for planning soup in advance, I use prepared items from the grocery to get me started. My favorites are Pomi Tomatoes, Imagine Free Range Organic Chicken Broth, and milk. I always have these items around.

Pomi Strained Tomatoes are just that. Tomatoes. There’s nothing added – no water, no salt, no preservatives. For a healthy soup base with a long shelf life and no prep time, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Imagine Free Range Organic Chicken Broth is available from any store at which I shop. It comes in a low sodium version. The ingredients are: organic chicken broth (filtered water, organic chicken), organic onions, organic celery, organic carrots, natural chicken flavor, organic spices, sea salt. The only thing suspect here is “natural chicken flavor”, but there’s no MSG, no sugar, no yeast extract and the natural chicken flavor isn’t at the top of the list of ingredients. Truthfully, I don’t always buy the low sodium version.

I don’t always have cream on hand, but with a 2-year-old around I consistently have whole milk. It may not be quite as rich as cream, but it gets the job done in potato soup or corn chowder.

I also keep rice in the pantry, curry in the spice rack, onions and garlic on the counter, and herbs growing in pots on the back porch or in the house. All of these can be used to flavor or enhance soup.

The temperature in my house has dropped 10 degrees in the last hour, but I’m in luck. I have chicken breasts in the refrigerator, chicken broth and rice in the pantry, an onion and fresh garlic, some English peas and some rosemary. With those and some salt and pepper, I can make soup for dinner.

It won’t be long before soup’s on!

https://solesoups.com/2017/02/17/top-five-bestselling-soups-america/

https://www.pomi.us.com/en-us/products/#strained-tomatoes

https://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=product&id=9EBAF56C-E113-11DF-A102-FEFD45A4D471

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/why-did-your-grandma-make-chicken-soup/

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/dump-soup-perfect-for-a-lazy-day/

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/travel-tip-12-cold-soups-vary-different-countries/