The Doldrums.....German Chicken Barley Soup

A state of inactivity or stagnation. That is what I'm going through at the moment mentally, the calm before the storm. I'm trying to get everything squared away at work and here at home before my surgery. Other than that life plods on.

Our weather here at the moment reminds me of south Florida in December light, breezy with pretty sunsets, but there is a storm brewing on the horizon. Am I ready for cold weather? No! Do I wish we were on our way to someplace else...warmer perhaps? Yes! Two years from now is our target date to get out on the byways and highways of this great country. Am I looking forward to this? You bet, so much that I can taste it! But there is so much to do before we can get to that point. Follow me on The Countdown as we try to achieve our goal to fulltiming. We have a new follower on The Countdown, welcome Donna aka Froggie and Stu, hope to meet you one day.

Key West, Florida Picture taken by our daughter Christie, December, 2001.

We have never operated on a true budget so trying to create one and sticking to it will be something new for us. But I can see where in the future it will be a necessity. So there is no time like now to start one, therefore I have been looking at items that we seem to splurge on...like eating out, which we do way too much and shopping on a whim for stuff. Those habits will have to change if we want to achieve our goal of fulltiming. We have lived in the land of excess for a long time, now we are going to have to make a shift to living in the land of the lean if we wish to achieve our goal.

Today I am making a wonderful soup that is a main stay in our family. It's a hearty German Chicken Barley soup. The original recipe calls for chicken gizzards ground up but since I don't like gizzards I use a whole chicken instead. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

German Chicken Barley Soup

1 Whole Stewing Chicken

2 Large Yellow Onions chopped

4 Cloves Garlic Crushed

1 lb Carrots ground (I use my Kitchen Miracle Chopper)

1 Bunch Celery ground

1-1/2 Cup Pearled Barley (Quaker Oats)

4 whole Peppercorns

4 whole Cloves

3 Tbs. Osem Chicken Consume Crystals (Found in the Kosher Section of your grocery store)

Sea Salt

2 Bay Leaves

1 Loaf French Bread

Butter

Instructions:

In a large pot place chicken and cover with water. Add 2Tbs. of Sea Salt and 2 Bay Leaves. Place on simmer and let cook until done and bones start to remove easily. During the cooking process skim foam from top of water and discard.

Remove chicken from water when done and let cool. Once cooled remove skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken and set aside.

In separate skillet add 2 cups of stock, onions and garlic. Let cook and start to to turn golden. Add more stock to pan and de-glaze, add all of mixture to the stock in the large pot. Add celery, carrots, peppercorns, whole cloves,barley and shredded chicken to stock pot. Cook on simmer, taste, add salt if necessary(This is personal choice). If you need more chicken flavor add in another Tbs. of chicken crystals.

Soup is done when barley is swollen and tender.

Serve with buttered slices of french bread and a side salad.

Makes 15 servings.

17 Days and counting until surgery day, 12 days until Thanksgiving. Time is flying by, before long we will be into a new year. I wonder what 2011 holds for us.

Happy Trails and be safe out there...