Cure for the Common Cold

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child





Chris was a bit under the weather this past week and I decided to make him something warm and comforting, that included Mother Nature's cure-all (chicken broth).  I didn't have time to run to the store, so raided the fridge and pantry and decided I'd make a manlier version of chicken soup: Chicken and Biscuits.   

I put 2 TBS of unsalted butter in a large pot and melted it, adding a half of a leek (thinly sliced, white part only), cooking until soft.  Then, I thinly sliced some carrots and tossed those in as well.  When the carrots were starting to become tender, I added in 2 TBS of my new favorite item: Wondra (quick-mixing flour) and stirred until I had a nice roux-like mixture.  Then, in went about 2 cups of chicken broth which I stirred until I had a gravy-like consistency.  I thought I had chicken breasts in the freezer, but was wrong, so opened and drained a can of white meat chicken and added that to the gravy. Not ideal, but for soups, not a huge no-no, in my book. I also had some broccoli crowns and green beans that I had blanched and put in the freezer a few organic boxes ago (too much food!) so I cut those up into bite-size pieces and tossed them in as well.  I let all of this simmer for about 15 minutes, then added a bit more chicken broth and a big pinch of herbes de provence, transforming it from country chicken and gravy to de poulet et la sauce pays.    :)

I usually make biscuits from scratch, but seeing that Chris would be getting off the train in about 15 minutes, I popped some ready-made ones (I had bought them earlier in the week, wanting to make egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches, but never used them) into the oven and baked until golden.

When Chris came home, I broke up two of the biscuits in a large bowl and then poured the chicken, gravy, and vegetables over them.  He ate every bite...and whether it helped him get better, I don't know for sure, but stranger things have happened.

xoxoxox