Frosty Morning, Chicken Soup

Yesterday was one of those mornings that made me wish I didn't have a full-time job, that I didn't have anywhere to be, and could just spend some time taking pictures. 

It snowed more late last week and over the weekend-about 7 inches probably. While I am OVER the snow and cold, I couldn't help but love sight I woke up to yesterday morning. It was sunny, but there was a low fog that hung over our yard and fields. I got just two pictures of it all, taken with my iphone.

 This was taken standing on my side porch, looking out into the horse's pasture:

Taken in my driveway:

And since it was a particularly cold weekend, I thought it would be perfect to make my homemade chicken noodle soup. 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1/2 Cup diced carrots
1/2 Cup diced celery
1 Tbsp Parsley
1 Tbsp Basil
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp. Rosemary
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
10 chicken bouillon cubes
1 package (1 lb) whole wheat noodles (I use the ones that look like egg noodles).

Directions
Place chicken in a large stock pot, and fill with water until the chicken is submerged. Add the next 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from the soup, and dice or shred into bite-size pieces. (I only use the white meat part of the chicken, and save the chicken thighs as leftovers for another meal). Place chicken back into the pot and add noodles. Bring to a boil and cook until noddles are done. Serve and enjoy!

(Note: When adding the noodles, they usually soak up most of the liquid in the soup. When I add the noodles I usually add 4 more cups of water and 2 more chicken bouillon cubes).

This soup makes a lot, so there are plenty of leftovers! It also freezes well.