On hiatus

So....I've not been doing much cooking, quilting, knitting or much of anything else lately because of the classes I've been taking this quarter in my grad program.  I'm in an "exclusive" creative writing workshop (or at least I like to think it's exclusive); there are just four of us.  But that means we each have to bring a new story every week for the whole quarter!  And the other class I'm taking is a very interesting 20th century British colonial/postcolonial literature class.  We're reading Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out, and E.M. Forster's A Passage To India, along with some postcolonial novels, including Achebe's Things Fall Apart, which happened to really rock my world.

So I haven't been able to do any quilting, etc., which makes me sad.  But the good news is that I've written 80 pages of my thesis in the past two months!!!  Graduation is just around the corner, and I am so, so glad I decided to apply to this program because it's far exceeded my expectations, and I feel that it's re-awakened my passion for literature and writing and, really, all things creative.  But I promise that, come June, the quilts will be churned out with zeal, and my blog posts will be more frequent than they have been as of late.

No news on the adoption front.  We're just taking some time to decompress and enjoy the last bits of our educational careers at the moment.  Unless I apply to another program......to be continued!  

Homemade Chicken Soup for flu season

Well......my husband and I got the flu.  And not the stuffy nose, aches and pains flu, but the stomach bug that's been going around that makes you feel like Sigourney Weaver when she gives birth to the alien.  It was absolutely dreadful.  Thank goodness for saltines and ginger ale.  But ALSO, thank goodness I made a huge batch of my homemade chicken soup and froze it in quart containers a couple weeks ago!!!  Here's my recipe:

8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (I've made my own, and I've also used Better than Bouillon)
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium-sized yellow onion
1/2 pound of boiled chicken breasts, shredded
3/4 cup of uncooked noodles (I like to use mini shells, but whatever is your favorite is fine!)
handful of fresh parsley (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

First, I saute the onion, celery, and carrots in a tablespoon of olive oil until the onions become translucent.  Next, I add the broth.  Ahead of time, I've boiled 1/2 pound of chopped up chicken breasts.  When they are cooled, I shred them into bits.  So now is the time to add the shredded chicken to the pot.  Next, throw in the uncooked noodles. Lastly, I throw in the handful of chopped parsley, add a little salt and pepper, lower heat to medium/low, and let simmer for about 45 minutes.  If the carrots are still a little crunchy by this point, lower heat to low and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

And it is really that simple!  Also, it's a great, delicate soup to help nurse a cold or flu.