Quick and Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock Prep Time: 23 minutes
Stock Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Soup Prep Time: 8 minutes (I prepped some with the stock)
Soup Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10) (Recipe at link)
Recipe Source: Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2009)

Note: This is on the TV show website, so click link above and print, if you would like the recipe. It will probably be available through this year only.

I rarely make homemade chicken noodle soup, because dealing with chicken parts grosses me out. This recipe is pretty simple though, and most of the stock flavor comes from using ground chicken. That is nice and easy. You do have to cut two chicken breasts (on the bone) in half and simmer them in the stock for 30 minutes which also provides some of the flavor (and the meat for the soup.) Cutting the breasts was the hardest part for me. (I'll skip the details on why, because I don't want this to be an unappetizing read!)

The recipe ends up taking about 2 hours from start to finish, but there is really only 35-40 minutes of hands on time, so it is not a lot of work.

The soup was really, really good. The man in my life, who just really doesn't care that much about food (much to my dismay) said after his first bite "Wow, this is good." To elicit that response means it really was good. The broth was very flavorful and potatoes and carrots were perfectly cooked, along with the chicken. I used a frozen thicker Egg Noodle. Mrs Reames (I think.) It was my first time with them, and I think I would use them again, because they are more substantial. I didn't have parsley, so I added some peas at the last moment for a bit of green. I would definitely do that again. I also cut the chicken instead of tearing it, because I hate tearing the chicken.

Next time I make this, I might try doing the stock the day before and letting everything cool down first, so that removing the fat is easier (and you can get more of it.)

I'm not going to make this an A+ recipe yet, but it may get upgraded if after my second attempt I still like it as much.

Skillet Tuna Casserole

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2005)

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very tasty, but I am reluctant to use this recipe a lot just because it uses a lot of heavy cream (why it was so tasty, of course!) It was good and very easy. I replaced the mushrooms with some roasted red peppers, and that is a great sub. But I will use regular peppers instead of roasted, because the charred bits were unappetizing.

Mediterranean Tuna Noodle Casserole

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2007)

This was a nice variation on a Tuna Noodle casserole. I don't love mushrooms, so I liked having other things to put in it. If I make again, I definitely want to use more red pepper. I could probably skip the artichokes too, since I didn't really taste them, and they were expensive. I used a little less olive oil than called for.