Chicken Alphabet Soup

I'm not sure how my daughter Mimi avoided catching the flu bug in our house, but for the rest of us who have been sick, life has been miserable this past week. After a really nice winter break, both girls were supposed to start school again this morning. Excited to wear her new black winter boots her aunt bought her for Christmas, Mimi left the house eager to see her friends. Still in bed and coughing up what sounded like her lungs, Abigail was buried under her blankets with our new puppy cuddling with her at her feet. Once I placed my palm on her warm forehead I knew, with no need for a thermometer, that her health didn't improve overnight and she would not be be attending school with her sister today. No school for you today, okay? I gently told her as I left her room to go downstairs to make Mimi her lunch. All I heard was a soft moan of agreement. With not much of an appetite or energy, my concern for Abigail was to make sure she felt cared for and loved. TLC (tender loving care) goes a long way when anyone in my family feels lousy. Before we married, my husband was a stereotypical bachelor who relied on drive-through fast-food meals, boxed TV dinners, and cans of soup stocked in his kitchen cupboards. When we started dating I remember asking him over the phone what he planned on eating when he caught a bad case of the flu and was forced to take sick leave (he never took sick leave and rarely does to this day!!).

I'm just going to make chicken noodle soup, he said while coughing. From a can? I asked in dismay, even though I already knew the answer was "yes."  Before he could respond I said, Don't eat, I'll be right there." This conversation was the beginning of a new family tradition of me making homemade chicken noodle soup when anyone in our family is sick. There are many opinions on how effective chicken noodle soup really is for healing a sick body. Although I'm not convinced there are enough nutrients in chicken noodle soup to really aid in fighting the flu, I also know for a fact homemade soup matters because it involves a type of TLC home remedy that a person craves for when they feel lousy. You just can't buy TLC over the counter. When kids are sick and feeling miserable they often depend on "doctor mom' to help them feel better. My kids in particular rely on me to weigh in on their recovery by making sure they get enough rest, drink plenty of water, and sometimes insist they eat. Even from a can, chicken noodle soup is easily digested and the sodium from the broth often soothes sore throats much like gurgling salt water, a proven home remedy. I make different variations of homemade chicken noodle soup for my husband and kids depending on who is sick and how much time I have. Sometimes I make homemade egg noodles and chicken stock and other times I use packaged dry pasta and store-bought chicken broth.

Today's easy recipe for homemade chicken alphabet soup will tempt even finicky eaters into a serving, even when they don't have much of an appetite. And kids love the pasta-shaped letters and tiny bite-sized vegetables. Parents will not only be providing some extra TLC for their sick kids, they will feel good knowing they are doing something to care for their loved ones.