BCP: Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

Happy New Year! I thought I'd start the year with a comforting recipe to get you through the winter cold (even though it's quite warm and sunny here in Florida). I love soup so the thought of making this recipe was quite exciting. I've made chicken soup from scratch many times and enjoy the process.

Sometimes making homeade broth can intimidate people but it really is a snap. You don't have to peel any vegetabes or chop them just so--you basically give them a rough cut and toss 'em in with a whole chicken and some herbs. I was able to find a packaged assortment of herbs instead of buying them all individually. Otherwise I probably would have just used the dried variety to save money.

Your house will smell wonderful as the soup simmers for a few hours. Then you remove the chicken, let it cool and cut off the meat. Meanwhile, you strain the rest of the contents of the broth, let that cool in the refrigerator (I left mine overnight) and skim the fat off the top. The broth is now ready to use.

I've never had matzo balls before so I don't even know how to judge this recipe. I'll be kind and say they weren't the best thing I've ever made. My kids kind of liked them though which completely shocked me.

I don't know what my problem is but I suck at whipping egg whites. No stiffness at all which I'm sure affected my end product. Anyway, I ended up throwing out most of the matzo balls and just serving the soup with noodles. Everyone loved it!