“When you are sick, you need chicken noodle soup, and now science says there’s really something to it.” – Calla Ferre
“When I was suffering from an elusive gastrointestinal problem, my Mom came up to Davis to take care of me. For 2 1/2 weeks, the only thing besides Jamba Juice that I could eat was Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup.” – April Ferre
Place chicken in pot and cover with water (1-inch over chicken). On medium heat, cook approximately 25 minutes. Take scum off. Take chicken out and rinse with cold water. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add carrot, celery and onion to broth. Cook until almost tender. Add chicken. When vegetables are tender, add cooked noodles, salt, pepper and parsley.
Note: You may use 1 chicken cube for added chicken flavor, but if you do, do not add salt.
Turkey Noodle Soup: A great way to use your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is to make soup. Follow the same directions using the carcass, neck, and any other bones. Pick excess meat off bones and supplement with Thanksgiving leftovers. Note: Turkey stock will be a little more cloudy than chicken stock.
“There is a great produce market in Dixon called Pedrick’s Produce. One winter I bought a several pounds of Roma tomatoes, probably because they were cheap when bought in bulk. I can’t remember why I initially needed tomatoes, but it came time to use them or loose them. I took the odds and ends from the refrigerator, roasted the vegetables and made this soup. Feel free to mix and match whatever veggies you have on hand. It would also make a decent pasta sauce. Great during on a cold night or rainy afternoon.” – April Ferre
“I had extra butternut squash I needed to find a purpose for, so I roasted it with some garlic and added a little half and half and it made a pretty good soup. Simple and creamy.” – April Ferre
Toss butternut squash and onion with garlic and olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Combine squash and chicken broth in blender and puree on high speed until well blended. Stir in half and half. Serve hot.
Seasoning options:
Sage: Finely chop 6 fresh sage leaves and toss with butternut squash before roasting. Garnish soup with extra chopped fresh sage.
Autumn Spiced: After adding half and half, add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.
“To me, French Toast is just French Toast, but my daughter, April, says I make the best, so I had to figure out the amounts for her.” – Calla Ferre
“My Mom seems to be the only person who knows how to make good French Toast! Any restaurant I’ve ever tried has had very dry French Toast. Mom’s is light, soft and moist. It is one of the dishes I most request when I go home for a weekend visit. Serve with extra butter and maple syrup or Grandma’s Apricot Syrup.” – April Ferre
Beat eggs with half and half until light. Pour mixture into shallow pan. Place slices of bread in pan and soak up as much of the egg mixture as possible, turning bread to accomplish this.
Rub fry pan with butter, but do not preheat or egg mixture will not cook in the center properly. Place bread in fry pan and drizzle any remaining egg batter on the tops of the bread. Cook over medium high heat (approximately 350 degrees) until golden on both sides, flipping once.
Variations: Add cinnamon and sugar mixture, orange zest or lemon zest to egg batter. Or other spices.
Serve with: Maple Syrup, Apricot Syrup, jams or marmalade. Stuff with: yogurt, cream cheese, fresh fruits. Top with whipped cream.
Notes
The sky’s the limit. Use your imagination for different tasty breakfast concoctions.
“One night while raiding the fridge, I decided to make an omelet. The thing is, I can’t for the life of me keep the egg intact. In any case, I used whatever I had in the fridge that night and scrambled it, and it came out amazing! The key ingredient here is the Dill Havarti, but in a pinch you can just add Dried Dill.” – April Ferre
“Bridget brought me this recipe for my cookbook of a Peach-Apricot Cornbread that she made with the Apricot Syrup I had given her. It had been a stand out summer for peaches, and she came up with this cornbread coffee cake for something quick and satisfying to have on weekend mornings. You can substitute maple syrup if you don’t have apricot and it still tastes fantastic!” – April Ferre
“Donna’s margaritas are always highly requested at Shacklett lab shindigs. Her ‘secret ingredient’ really makes the difference. The ‘virgin’ version and it’s alter ego are equally good.” – April Ferre
“I was looking for a creative way to mix up the appetizer plate during the holidays, so I took the recipe for the Cheese Ball, changing it from a dip to a finger food and creating a low-carb alternative to cheese and crackers.” – Calla Ferre
Combine first three ingredients, blending well. Place in refrigerator and let flavors blend for a couple hours or overnight. Spoon cream cheese mixture along one edge of a piece of ham. Roll up. Cut into bite-size pieces and secure with a toothpick.
