Hotplate: Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup

Hotplate: Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup
(Inspired by: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/)

I love soup. It is one of many comfort foods. This recipe is also frugal (Budget-friendly).

I appreciate Natasha's recipe. It inspired me to keep trying to make Chicken Soup. I had failed before so many times. While my recipe is a major departure from Natasha's, she pointed me in the right direction.

Now, I have an easy recipe, I can make with confidence.

I used leftover vegetables and vegetables I had on hand, so this recipe can have lots of variations.

I think potatoes add additional flavor and texture to the soup.


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
6 cups of water
1 dash of garlic powder (Optional)
1 dash of onion powder (Optional)
Ground Black Pepper (Optional)
Season to taste and GERD tolerance
Use vegetables on hand for example:
2 chayotes, 1 frozen, 1 fresh, sliced and diced
6 Leftover roasted potatoes, cubed
10 snack carrots, diced
*I added some leftover pastrami slices. (Optional)


Process:

Add 2 cups of water to a microwaveable container
Add 1 bouillon cube to the water.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and stir until bouillon cube has dissolved
Add stock to large pot.
Add 4 cups of water.
Add spices.
Stir.
Cover pot.
Cook on high.
Bring liquid to a boil.
Add vegetables.
Stir.
Recover pot.
Cook on medium for about 15 minutes.
Check vegetables, if they are soft, the soup is ready, if not, cook for 5-10 minutes more.

I serve soup with crackers.

I divide remaining soup into single servings in freezer containers and freeze for later use.

#GERD-Friendly, use none or a little of the spices

Hotplate: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a #GERD-Friendly soup. Using the spices is optional. What gives the soup some flavor is the tomato or spinach flavored noodles.


Hotplate: Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
(Inspired by: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/)


Ingredients:

1 Chicken bouillon cube
6 cups of water
Noodles, fettuccine (Spinach or Tomato), or other type of noodles
1 dash of garlic powder (Optional)
1 dash of onion powder (Optional)
Ground Black Pepper (Optional)
Season to taste and GERD tolerance
1 354g (12.48 oz) Can of chicken, drained


Process:

Add 2 cups of water to a microwaveable container.
Add 1 bouillon cube to the water.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and stir until bouillon cube has dissolved.
Add this stock to large pot.
Add 4 cups of water.
Add spices.
Stir.
Cover pot.
Cook on high.
Bring liquid to a boil.
Add noodles.
Stir.
Recover pot.
Cook on high for about 10 minutes.
Add chicken.
Stir and mash chicken chunks into smaller pieces.
Cook on medium-high for about 5 minutes or until noodles are soft (el dente).

I serve soup with crackers.

Later, I divide remaining soup into single servings in freezer containers and freeze for later use.

#GERD-Friendly, use none or a little of the spices

El Sueño de Gina

El Sueño de Gina - Libro Doble (English/Spanish)

En El Sueño de Gina, Kit Brennan, asistente del director de SETA, se encuentra con una mujer excepcional en una convención. Ella dice que es un extraterrestre. ¿Qué es lo que creer? ¿Qué ha de hacer?

Un compañero de trabajo del Kit la ve como una amenaza, primero a su amigo y luego a los humanos. El compañero de trabajo trata de descubrir los secretos de Gina para detenerla.

Mientras tanto, Gina ha infringido la regla principal de los emisarios diciéndoles Kit quién es. Pero ella está aquí para defender su mundo de una futura invasión por los seres humanos. Como se ve amenazada la seguridad de Gina, ¿qué va a hacer para defenderse?

Atrapados entre temores a su compañero de trabajo y la defensa de Gina, Kit tiene pocas opciones pero para dejarla seguir su sueño.

¿Qué harías si te encontraste un extraterrestre?

(PR crédito: Google Traducir)

Available in Print and eBook formats.

from: The Write Place

~~~~~~~~~~

Merida Author, Ria Stone*, Publishes Gina’s Dream

as a “Dual Book” in Spanish and English

Merida, Mexico
Press Release

1/1/2015

Ria Stone, former MD resident, now living in Mérida, México, has published Gina’s Dream, a science-fiction/romance, in print and as an eBook with The Write Place.

In Gina’s Dream, Kit Brennan, SETA’s (Space Exploration Through Astronomy) Assistant Director, meets an unusual woman at a convention. She claims she is an alien. What is he to believe? What is he to do?

Kit’s co-worker sees her as a threat, first to his friend and then to humans. The co-worker seeks to discover Gina’s secrets to stop her.

Gina has broken the emissaries’ primary rule by telling Kit who she is. But, she is here to defend her world from a future invasion by humans. As Gina’s safety is threatened, what will she do to defend herself?

Caught in the middle between his co-worker’s fears and her defense, Kit has few choices but to let Gina follow her dream.

What would you do if you met an alien?

Gina’s Dream began as an idea after reading several research papers, in the early 1990s, where basic life functions were being manipulated for singular purposes without regard for the universe’s ecosystem.

Several characteristics run through Ria’s stories. Characters confront moral dilemmas with honesty, truth, fairness, self-responsibility, compassion, common sense, respect for science, curiosity, hard work, and optimism.

Characters question the status quo. Spirituality, dreams, faith, and a belief in contributing to community and society to improve the lives of others now and in the future are underlying themes.

Category: Fiction
Genre: Science-Fiction/Romance/Predictive Fiction/Social Commentary
Audience: 12+ Adult
Length: Novelette
Language: English/Spanish
No illustrations

*Pen Name

Contact:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RiaStone
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitsBitesBooks
Blog: eBooks & More
Amazon: Author Page
Email: Ria.Stonemail@gmail.com

Gina's Dream - Press Release

Gina's Dream / El Sueño de Gina


PRESS RELEASE

10/29/13

MERIDA, MEXICO -- Expat, Ria Stone published her first Smashwords fiction eBook, Gina’s Dream in 2013.



In 2015, she published Gina's Dream in Spanish and as a POD Dual book (English/Spanish) with The Write Place.

In Gina’s Dream, Kit Brennan, SETA’s (Space Exploration Through Astronomy) Assistant Director, meets an unusual woman at a convention. She claims she is an alien. What is he to believe? What is he to do?

Kit’s co-worker sees her as a threat, first to his friend and then to humans. The co-worker seeks to discover Gina’s secrets to stop her.
 
Gina has broken the emissaries’ primary rule by telling Kit who she is. But, she is here to defend her world from a future invasion by humans. As Gina’s safety is threatened, what will she do to defend herself?


Caught in the middle between his co-worker’s fears and her defense, Kit has few choices but to let Gina follow her dream.


What would you do if you met an alien?

Description:


Category: Fiction
Genre: Science-Fiction/Romance/Predictive Fiction/Social Commentary
Audience: 12+ Adult
Length: Novelette
Language: English / Spanish
No illustrations
Includes: Bonus article -- My First Editor.
Translator: Ileana Silva


Available as Gina's Dream (English) only at:

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/372277

and other eTailers.


Available as Dual book (English/Spanish) as an eBook or POD at:

Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ginas-dream-el-sue-o-de-gina-ria-stone/1129520314;jsessionid=78088A3EC00404D74B772B07633B9089.prodny_store02-atgap12?ean=9780991652884

Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gina-s-dream-1

The Write Place
https://thewriteplace.biz/ginas-dream-el-sueno-de-gina/

Amazon and other eTailers.

Happy 25th Anniversary - Star Trek Voyager 1/16/1995 - 1/16/2020

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Star Trek Voyager 1/16/1995 - 1/16/2020

Welcome in the New Year with a Free Copy of Mocktails

Welcome in the New Year

with Free Copy of Mocktails!!!!!

Get a free copy of Mocktails at Smashwords!

Use Coupon Code FR26D.

The Fun of a Cocktail Without the Hangover!

 

Grocery Shopping as an Adventure

Grocery Shopping as an Adventure

In the past, going to the grocery store was just an errand squeezed in during a busy work week. Grab what you need and go.

But, three changes occurred in my life that altered my perspective on grocery shopping.

First, I got the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzcyn, and learned to use a "price book.” Also, I limited my grocery shopping to one day a month and learned to cook some basic recipes like the Universal Casserole, Cuban Bread, various "baked" potato toppings and more. The recipes replaced my usual potato chips and PB&J dinners, and the microwave frozen dinners I took to work for lunch.

The second change was when I moved back home to live with my elderly mother. She had stopped cooking, so I learned to make Reuben sandwiches, dump cake, grilled cheese sandwiches, crock pot dishes and more, always attempting to make dishes my mom would like. The crock pot made me look like a good cook. They are amazing.

At that time, I went to a day-old bakery for breads and sweets, an Asian market for eggs and other items, and a grocery store with lower prices for the rest. When I went grocery shopping, it was a break from work and some time alone, where I explored each aisle looking for bargains, examining new products and thinking about what mom would like.

The third change came years later. I traveled to Mexico and wrote a cookbook for noncooks. Now, I continue to research and try “new” recipes.

So, when I go grocery shopping now, still approximately once a month, it is like a mini-escape from the world where I still explore the aisles and ponder ideas like 'how did this can of Heinz potatoes get here?'

Maybe it was trucked from a farm in the U.S. to a canning factory, then trucked to a U.S. shipping port, then moved by ship to Mexico, then trucked to a distribution center and finally trucked to individual stores? Most of the food in grocery stores, around the world, travels thousands of miles from farms to stores.

I love the Ad Council's media spot on The Life and Times of Strawberry which highlights some of the rigors of food transportation and distribution.

Among expats here, there is a saying, “If you see a product you like, buy several because it may not be there next time.” So, when I see canned chicken, I buy several because it may only be on the shelves for a short time and not replaced for many many months.

When I first came to Mexico, the contents of the shelves in grocery stores were puzzling. I remember being amazed at the rows and rows of canned corn.

I wondered, “What do they do with all this corn?” I don’t have the final answer but I am living in the land of corn. It is worshipped and is part of Mayan mythology and many Mexican recipes feature corn.
 
Also, I saw lots and lots of hotdogs of various brands and types. I still don’t know what they use all these hotdogs for, there is a snack made from fried hotdog slices, street vendors do sell grilled hotdogs, and hotdog slices can be found in several recipes in restaurants. But, I never hear the term “backyard barbecue.” I have never been invited to a Mexican barbecue. Hamburgers are becoming popular but that does not explain all those hotdogs.

As I push my cart up and down the aisles, I still think of mom and often buy products she would have liked, like sauerkraut for Reuben sandwiches.

Mom was a great cook. Nothing I make compares to her dishes. I remember she was always trying new recipes and hated it when we kids turned up our noses at some new dish when we wanted "pigs in a blanket" (hot dogs with cheese wrapped in bacon).
 
American, British, Japanese, and food products from around the world can be found on many aisles these days.

I like Earl Grey tea from Bigelow (another item I buy several of if I see it).

Also, I am always amused when I see the familiar, famous Kraft blue box of Mac & Cheese.At one time, this was a mainstay meal for me. But, now, I can make my own "Mac & Cheese" from scratch in a variety of ways.

When I go grocery shopping, I also like to discover new items like this one: “powdered butter." I found it on my last trip. I've never seen this before. I used it. It does taste like butter, hummm.

I remember when a recipe called for descented onion juice. I thought, 'why bother'? But, powdered butter could be useful.

This spice is made by McCormick.

McCormick like Heinz and other American brands can be found more frequently in “high-end” grocery stores.

I am intrigued by the penetration of U.S. products into the Mexican market.

Coca Cola has been here for decades. It was one of first things I noticed. You could see the battle between Coca Cola and Pepsi played out in the economica cocinas.

These cafes carry either Coca Cola or Pepsi products and for their patronage, the soda companies provided lots of plastic tables and chairs emblazoned with their logo, so when you scan the landscape, you see Coca Cola won the war by the number of Coca Cola tables and chairs versus Pepsi's.

Hurray! On my recent trip to the grocery store, I finally found “Wagon Wheels” or Rotelle pasta for the Star Trek Cookbook recipe, Garrett Wang’s Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

 I have been looking for “Wagon Wheels” for at least a year.