CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

What better recipe to post during cold & flu season?! This is a delicious soup recipe, and it's really easy. The only time-consuming part is chopping the vegetables. You could always use pre-chopped frozen vegetables to speed things up, and any variety of veggies will do. I really love to include lots of mushroom and carrots, and about a cup of frozen corn. I've also made it with spinach, broccoli, shredded cabbage, cauliflower, and/or zucchini. For the noodles, try the frozen variety--they are very doughy and much tastier than the dried noodle variety. Look at the cooking time on the bag of noodles--buy the ones that cook in about 5 minutes. (If you get the ones that take 20-30 minutes to cook, your chicken & veggies will probably be overcooked, and the noodles absorb so much of the liquid that you will lose a lot of the rich broth.)

1/2 tbls butter
1/2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 box (32 oz) + 1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cans water
2 tbls chicken broth base or bouillon granules
3-4 cups veggies, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbls dried, or 1/2 cup fresh, parsley
2 tbls dried basil
dash tarragon
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups (measure uncooked) frozen noodles, such as Reames or Aunt Vi's brand

Heat butter and olive oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Add broth, water, and chicken base. Heat to boiling, stirring well to dissolve chicken base. Add veggies and all remaining ingredients, except chicken and noodles. Return mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered at a low boil 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is opaque. Add noodles, and return to a boil. Reduce to a low boil again. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are done, approximately 5 minutes (check noodles package for correct cooking time).
This soup reheats nicely, and it is even better the 2nd day.

Vegetarian Option:
Omit chicken, and serve as Vegetable Soup

This makes a large pot of soup. I've never actually counted the servings, but I'm guessing it would make about 8 main-dish servings, or about 16 cups.