Matzo Ball Soup. The Miracle Cure.

Whenever someone in this house gets sick, it's time for soup.  Not sure what it is about a hearty chicken soup that makes flu germs flee like a politician from the truth, but it sure seems to do the trick.  Hell, sometimes I think my kids feign illness just so I'll make soup.  To heck with an apple, a bowl of hearty stock full of chicken, veggies and matzo balls will keep the doctor away, unless, of course, you know the doctor, and they know about your soup.  Then they'll never get out of your hair...

Hot bowl of magic right here.

If you've made the stock in advance, this soup is pretty much a matter of chopping everything up and dropping it in hot stock.  But there's still a step by step after the jump.  Just hit that 'Read more' button down there...

I felt like a basic soup this time, but don't limit yourself to the ingredients I have here.  Yellow squash is wonderful, as is rice, wild rice, pasta, turnips, chard, spinach, broccoli... I could go on and on...

Time: 45 minutes to an hour

Cost: $8 for a good sized pot

Difficulty: 2

Sunday night: Pasta again!!

Sunday is a transition day at the Sparks house, so I made something with little thought, but lots of flavor.

Rigatoni with a very veggie sauce (and a little chicken sausage)

This sauce is seriously heavy on the veggies.  Started with my basic mix of onions, garlic, celery and carrot sauteed together, then crumbled in the remaining two chicken sausages from the other night.  Added a jar of organic pasta sauce this time (cheater!) and continued to add veggies.  Zucchini, mushrooms, yellow peppers.  Served on a bed of rigatoni, topped with fresh grated romano.. MmMm.