Soup Season is Here :)

One of my favorite parts of fall is making soup.  I really didn't develop this love for cooking until a couple years ago, but now I look forward to crockpot meals and soups every fall and winter.  I made this soup awhile ago (I'm so behind on blogging... sorry!) and it was very tasty!  I'm definitely going to make this one again: Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup.  It's a lighter soup that is very tasty.  I need to make it again because for some reason I didn't have a couple of the ingredients... so next time I need to make sure I have oyster crackers and spinach.  Minor details...

Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

For the Chicken
1 lb Chicken
1 stalk of Celery (I left this out.. I'm not a big fan of celery)
Half of Lemon
Fresh Parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp Salt and Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
3 Sprigs of Thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Chicken Broth

Combine all ingredients into medium sized pot.  Bring to a boil for 20 minutes.

Let chicken cool, shred and set aside.

For the Soup
1 Onion
2 cloves Garlic
1/3 cup of White Wine
3 Carrots, sliced (Not a fan of cooked carrots, so I left this out)
6 cups Chicken Brother
3/4 cup Orzo (or other small pasta), uncooked
3 Egg Yolks
2-3 T Fresh Lemon Juice (Same as 1 1/2 Lemons)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T Fresh Parsley (1/4 tsp dried)
1 1/4 tsp Thyme
2-3 large handfuls Spinach

Add 1 T Olive Oil to large soup pot or dutch oven.  Saute onion over medium-high heat until golden and tender.  Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

Add white wine, cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in broth and carrot, let boil.  Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and lemon together.  Add 1 cup hot broth from soup pot VERY SLOWLY to the egg mixture.  Whisk while you pour.  Transfer mixture to soup pot.  Stir in pasta and chicken.

Continue cooking over medium-low heat until pasta is tender-- about 10-15 minutes.



This is definitely a weekend soup as it takes a little time to prepare.  It makes a lot of soup and makes great lunches for the rest of the week.  ENJOY!

Other things going on in our lives: We just got home from a GREAT weekend in New Jersey visiting some friends, I've picked up running again since the weather is so perfect, and I've been enjoying some great books :)  I just wish I had more time to read...

I ran the Capital Pursuit 5K at the end of September, the Color Run 5K in October, and next weekend I'll run Race for the Cure 5K.  In November, I signed Chris and I up for the Living History Farms race.  I'm pretty excited for that one :)  Not sure how excited Chris is though.






As for reading, here are some good books I've been reading lately.

• Cutting for Sone by Abraham Verghese (AWESOME BOOK!!!)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (ok, like Hunger Games... not as good as HG though)
• Maine by Courtney Sullivan (Great beach read)
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (I'm a sucker for his books-- and they're meant for 5th grade)

I just started Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling.  So far it's ok, but we'll see.  I'm betting she just can't do as well as Harry Potter :)

That's all for now!  Enjoy the soup recipe!