I love cooking!

For my friends who knew me in my 20s and early 30s, they probably can’t believe this statement: I love cooking! In my 20s, my idea of cooking was frozen dinners. There is nothing wrong with them and they fit my lifestyle at the time. However in 2001, I started a job that required travel and I realized when I was home I wanted home cooked meals. As I started learning more about food, I realized I wanted to know where it came from and what were the ingredients in the food. I started reading recipes and experimenting. I generally cook whole foods and let the natural flavor come out. I am sad when our local farmers market comes to an end in November, but happy there is a local food co-op now in Doylestown. One of my favorite things to make is soup, especially as the weather is getting cooler. It also is great to use my Cutco Cutlery to dice and chop!

I posted a picture of a chicken, kale and quinoa soup a few weeks ago on Facebook and some asked for the recipe. Here is the thing, the way I cook, I don’t follow recipes. I made the soup again today, so I thought I pass the “recipe” here. This time I changed it and put Gluten free pasta.

Ingredients:

8 chicken legs
1 onion
handful of kale
3-4 carrots
2 parsnips
2 containers of chicken broth
box of quinoa or pasta

Place chicken in a crock pot. Cook till done. Slice and dice carrot, onion, and parsnips. Tear kale into small pieces. Place in large pot. Take chicken from crock pot and take off the bone. Place in pot. Add quinoa or pasta. Add chicken broth from crock pot and store-bought. Cook on low till done. Flavor to taste!

It’s easy and I love using local ingredients. The soup I made today has kale from a friends garden. Food is good for the soul! I get so much joy from sharing my creations with others. Happy Sunday!