Chicken noodle soup: Coping with *winter*

I will admit it straight out: I'm not a fan of winter. Even better said: I hate winter. I hate being cold, I hate the darkness, I dreadfully miss the sunlight, and I hate the boredom & seasonal doldrums that creep in a result of all the above (no sun, no warm, no outside garden work, *sigh*).

Today in particular, is miserable. It's way below zero at the farm today. Our windchill is about -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Misery. Dressed indoors in multiple layers, with sweatshirt hoods pulled up. A good day for a pot of chicken noodle soup.

I take the remains of a chicken dinner (the bones & skin leftover after cutting up a chicken). I boil those in water for at least an hour (the longer the better). This makes a huge pot of homemade chicken stock. Then I add whatever vegetables I have around. Today, I used carrots & garlic from our farm, and some celery I had leftover from thanksgiving. Also some good quality egg noodles (homemade are awesome, but time hasn't allowed us to make homemade noodles for a long time).

Cook until veggies are tender. Season with salt & pepper.

While it won't chase winter away completely, at least your kitchen will be warmer while it simmers. And your warm belly will feel a bit better for a while, too.