Rosemary Chicken Soup for What Ails Ya

So...we've been working hard on our rustic cottage/cabin  (ok, shack).  We've finally got a working bathroom and a door on one of the bedrooms.  We've taken time out (?) to move the pile of firewood off the driveway and start stacking it against the pumphouse (which now has a tarp over it (to cover the hole that Hubby made when he fell through the rotted roof...)  He's fine...the pumphouse, not so much. 
When we couldn't actually drive out of the driveway because of rain & mud & slithering about, we had gravel delivered yesterday.  Much better - almost civilized.  Right there.  Just on the driveway.


We're heating our cottage/cabin (ok, shack) with funky little milkhouse heaters and a tiny electric 'fireplace' heater.  Did I mention that there is no insulation in this place?  Mornings are a bit chilly.  Two cups of coffee helps.

I've had a cold that seems to wax & wane.  Right now it's waxing as I woke up with a killer headache and my throat is STILL sore and all I could think about was Rosemary Chicken Soup.  Years ago, a favorite lunch place served it, but only on Thursdays.  We would occasionally get to town and actually manage to remember it was Thursday and we'd have this delicious soup.  Eventually, I recreated it at home and it morphs into whatever version I feel like eating at the time.  This morning, I NEEDED it. 

Did I mention a kitchen anywhere in the description of our cottage/ cabin (ok, shack)?  No?  That's because we don't have one yet.  We've got an 18' travel trailer that is functioning as our temporary kitchen...for now. Several steps away from the cottage/cabin (ok, shack). Soon I will blow a gasket and Hubby will hurry up the kitchen part of the cottage/cabin (ok, shack) but for now...it's the trailer or you don't eat. 

Trailer has gas burners, limited water and about 14" of counter space to work on.  Oh, and the little table.  Today I gathered ingredients from the freezer (on the porch), garden bed (front of the building), fridge (in the cottage/cabin ok shack) and the actual trailer and made my beloved soup.  It turned out FABULOUS.  You'll wish you'd been here to eat it and we're going to eat it again for dinner tonight. You should probably make travel arrangements right now. Yum.

The last three nights our alarm clock has gone off at midnight and again at 5am.  No, we weren't going anywhere and no, we do not care to wake up at these particular hours.  I couldn't figure out how to stop it.  Three nights in a row. The first night I hit OFF.  The second night, I jerked the cord from the electrical socket.  Finally, last night at the midnight alarm, I snatched it up, staggered to the door and flung it into the yard.  We'll have to get a new clock.  That one no longer works. 

When I woke up (did I mention I'm under the weather?) this morning, I was dreaming about teeny tiny squirrels.  No, not baby squirrels.  We're talking...caterpillar-sized squirrels.  They were adorable and I wish I had one.  Maybe I need medication.

I've got 'before' pictures of the place and I keep looking at them to remind myself that we are making progress, otherwise it seems a bit slow.  Grand adventures were a lot more fun when we were younger and every project didn't start with 'ouch, it hurts when I do this' and end with heating pads & ice packs!  Ok, maybe a bit of exaggeration (or not) but it is rather fun to imagine up the new gardens & animal pens, sewing room & kitchen and stuff.  We have discovered Pinterest.  It was very entertaining until the gravel truck took out the internet cable while graveling the driveway yesterday.  Sigh.  They will come next week and re-connect.  It may be a longish Winter, but by Spring we'll be newly fired up for the whole project, I'm sure.

Well, since  you're still thinking about that soup, I'd best give you the recipe:

Deceptively Simple Rosemary Chicken Soup

Carrots - chopped into smallish cubes, cooked in broth - I used Turkey, but you can use chicken.... til crisp/tender
Onion & fresh celery w/ leaves, sauteed in butter til tender
Chicken breast - cut into smallish pieces, sauteed in coconut oil with herbs until cooked through  ( I used dried thyme, salt, pepper, dried basil, fresh rosemary...be generous)

Put all in crockpot, add a few bay leaves and more broth to desired brothiness and simmer.

Just before mealtime, add cooked pasta of choice (I used organic veggie bow ties) and organic heavy cream.

Serve in low, flat soup bowls...pass the salt & pepper.

Wow.  Good for what ails ya. 

I'm sitting in my recliner today, resting for a change while I try to rid myself of this cold bug.  The thing to be glad about is that I can still go hug the grandbabies - they've already got the bug....because THEY are the ones who gave it to me!!!

In my new neighborhood there is a Pumpkin Farm just down the road!  The sweet people who own it go to the community church we are newly attending.  We joined our family in a Pumpkin Farm outing a week or so ago and were gifted a 'Welcome' pumpkin by the Pumpkin Farm Family! 

Well, back to resting in my chair.  Hubby is off to our old town to get my van repaired (air conditioning cover blew off at some point in our move), get his glasses repaired (they broke when the lawn tractor rolled out of the utility trailer and squashed him flat) and meet a friend for lunch.  Life is never dull. 

Good-bye for now and may God bless you with a closer walk with Him!  I'll be back soon with more 'fun' from the cottage/cabin (ok, shack) on this little farm!!