Menifee Foodie: Let's Appreciate the Value of Food Together

Editor's note: Please welcome our new food and restaurant columnist, Malissa Meeks. Each Tuesday, Malissa will share with our readers her love and appreciation for good, healthy food. We'll let her introduce herself:

By Malissa Meeks

Calling all Menifee Foodies...

Menifee 24/7 is now adding a Foodie Feature. Awesome! So all of you Menifee Foodies join me as I start on my adventure in this weekly column.

Some weeks I will critique a local restaurant. Some weeks I will share one of my favorite recipes. I am a kitchen gadget freak, so there may be weeks I share with you information about my favorite gadgets. I’m very interested in making life in the kitchen easier.

As a way of introductionm I am a mom, just like many of our readers. I have seven children, so I know my way around the kitchen. I have packed approximately 16,380 school lunches, prepared 42,705 meals, and eaten in restaurants approximately 2,308 times. I do believe that all of this experience will help me to pass on some valuable information to you.

My favorite season is Fall. I am so excited with the change of weather and love to drive up the mountain and look at all of the beautiful changing leaves.

This week I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes. As soon as the weather gets the least bit cool. I love to make my Chicken Noodle Soup. It is a favorite in our family. In fact, my grandkids request this soup. The best part is, it’s super simple.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 lb. skinless chicken breast filets
1 lb. skinless chicken thigh filets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup diced onion (I like white onion)
1 cup diced carrots
3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
½ cup diced celery
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon minced parsley

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove from skillet to cook for a few minutes.

Reduce heat in skillet to medium/low, add butter and sauté the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring often until veggies are beginning to get soft.

Cut chicken into small pieces and put the chicken, veggies, chicken broth, water, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of the parsley into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add noodles and simmer for 15 minutes.

Prior to serving, garnish with the remainder of the parsley.

Make a pot for your family and let me know what you think of this recipe. See you next week!

Malissa Meeks, the Menifee Foodie, welcomes your comments. Leave a comment on the website or our Facebook page or email menifee247info@gmail.com.