Chickenless Soup

A few months ago, I was laughed at by my sister Betsy. Being laughed at wasn't my issue...I'm used to that! My issue was the REASON she was laughing at me. In fact, it had never occurred to me that "this" could ever be an issue. What's the "this" all about? Well, it's about chicken, or more accurately, the lack of.

I love from-scratch, home-made, chicken noodle soup. I start with boiling the whole chicken. After it's cooked, I remove the chicken and let the broth cool. I then strain the broth to remove any chunks and fat. Then I turn up the heat again on the stove and begin adding the finely chopped vegetables--onions, carrots, and celery. Next I season with REAL salt, fresh ground pepper, and 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Finally, after all the vegetables are tender and the flavors are blended, I add the noodles.

So what's the laughing matter??? Well, apparently, it's HAALARIOUS that I do NOT add back any of the meat. Frankly, I believe the stringy meet ruins the good soup, and I also would prefer using the meat to make chicken salad instead. Why waste perfectly good meet when you can get a whole other meal out of it? Is this truly worth being laughed at? I don't think so.

Tonight I made my chickenless soup, and it was a raving hit! So there...laugh all you want. I'm still keeping the chicken meat out of it!!!