Lazy Chicken Noodle Soup

I enjoy cooking, I really do. I love creating something homemade and delicious. I love the feeling of accomplishment when a new recipe turns out well. I love the smells and the process of things coming together. It's therapeutic.

But mostly, I enjoy eating. And sometimes I just want things to be easy and quick...sometimes that means skipping steps or improvising.

I'm here to tell you that sometimes, it's alright not to mix the dry ingredients before adding them into the cookie dough. Why do you want to get another bowl dirty?

I'm also here to tell you that even though sometimes it really IS important to follow a recipe closely, sometimes it really isn't. Don't have that obscure spice? Skip it. Throw in something that you like.

One of my favorite easy, I-do-what-I-want things to cook is soup. I've always felt like it's a pretty forgiving food to make, and you can keep going until you love it! You can make just a little, or make big batches to freeze and have around for a quick lunch or dinner. The hardest part is chopping meat and veggies. If you can get past that, you can make beautiful meals.

So tonight, I bring you...Lazy Chicken Noodle Soup. I'm not including a lot of measurements here for two reasons. 1. I didn't measure anything and 2. You should tailor it to your own needs. To make this soup you will need...

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Carrots
Onion
Celery (I didn't have any...but it would be good. It's also fine without it)
Butter/Margarine
Whole wheat egg noodles
Chicken broth/water
Salt and pepper
Basil
Oregano

So here's the worst part...the part I didn't photograph. Because I was lazy. Chop up your carrots, onion, celery if you have it, and chicken (I used 2 large breasts, one medium onion and 5 or 6 carrots). Ugh. So hard. Glad my husband chopped the onion for me. Don't know if I could have managed otherwise.

Toss your veggies in a big pot with a big hunk of butter. It doesn't need to be swimming, just enough to grease it up and let it start cooking.

Give it 5 minutes or so, and here's perhaps the laziest part of my soup-cooking...just go ahead and toss your raw chicken in. Most recipes will tell you to cook it separately but I live on the wild side. What's the point? Who wants to clean another pan? Stir it around and let the chicken cook with your veggies and butter. Toss in a little salt and pepper.

After the chicken is cooked through, things get very approximate. You're going to throw everything else in the pot. Do what you want! I use about 6 cups of broth (or water with bouillon) and maybe 4 more cups of water...I make a fairly big batch. You could also do all water and chicken bouillon to taste. Just put in enough to make sure that everything is covered, including the noodles that you've thrown in. For the amount of soup I make, I use about half a package of egg noodles, maybe 3-4 cups of dry noodles. Or more, or less, whatever you wish. Just make sure it's all soupy!

Now be generous with your pepper, basil, and oregano. Basil and oregano are FABULOUS for this soup. Yum!

Let the soup come to a boil and fill your kitchen with its delicious aroma. Turn down the heat and let it all simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Now, congratulate yourself for making dinner in one pot!