Chicken Soup For The Toddler's Cold

The two little guys were sick with a cold yesterday. All around grouchy, clingy and whiny. I made them chicken soup. But they weren't up for eating much at all. They had some bananas, a little egg and bacon and that is pretty much it. Plus I gave them all the cut juice and milk they wanted. When they weren't whining, they were sleeping. Big Boy rested on the couch for a while watching his favorite show, Chuggington. Little Boy napped upstairs for a short while. Then they both fell asleep mid afternoon. Early evening they awoke for a little snack (thin slices of Darlin's apple spice birthday cake) and went back to bed at 7.  I hope they are up for eating more today, and that they feel better. Poor babies. Why do the little guys get colds much worse than adults, especially when there seems to be no cold medications for little guys? Sigh. Hopefully we all get over this soon. I've had a cold for going on four weeks now.

Here is the start of the chicken soup. This is my Germa's chicken soup pot. She made many a good chicken soup in this pot. I remember going to the grocery store with her when we would visit her or she and Poppop would come to Maine. She would be dressed up in a shawl, knitted hat with a pompom on top, clip on earrings and bright pink lipstick. She would go whistling up and down every aisle, the aroma of Emeraude wafting behind her. When we would get to the meat department she would say "We need an old, fat hen for our soup, Becky." And we would paw through the chickens, looking for an "old, fat hen." I didn't have the heart to tell her that most of the chickens in the grocery stores now are 8 week old cross rock meat birds. She told me that what can make or break your soup is the fat. "Fat is flavor, and a preservative." She'd say. Thus, the reason for an "old, fat hen". And I'd have to agree. 

 This chicken wasn't very fat, so I added a few tablespoons of leftover bacon grease from that morning's breakfast...mmm!

 First I put in my chicken, two small, chopped onions, a few cloves of minced garlic, and some thinly sliced celery with two quarts of water. I added some sea salt and black pepper and two small bay leaves and let it all simmer for a couple hours. Next I took the chicken out, and once cool enough to handle I took the meat off the legs, wings and back and diced it, putting it back into the soup. Then I added some diced carrots from our garden that I'd blanched and froze earlier, and some sliced mushrooms, rosemary and thyme, and two diced potatoes. That simmered for another hour or so. Mmm!

Big Boy, snuggled up on the couch watching Chuggington.

Yesterday was pretty much all about sniffles and crankies. Hopefully today things go a little better. 

Hope you have a great day today!!