This is not the year to be signing up for cooking classes, so I have decided to cook my way through one of my underused cookbooks.  Ever since I read the story of a blogger cooking her way through Julia Child’s French Cookbook I had imagined me doing the same thing.  I like the idea of just having a list to cook from.  For me it is more tiring to plan what to eat than to do the work of preparing the meal, so following a cookbook gives me a structure and a sort of rule book to follow.  My only problem is my husband has so many food allergies that rigidly following a path like this can be hard.  But I will adapt.  Recipes can be adapted, most of the time, and that is the plan.

I am going to use The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.  I don't think I can share the recipes, but I will explain when I make changes.  When I tried to find a link for these recipes I found one that had to be paid for.  So, either buy or go to the library and check out this book. I believe it is worth buying if you get the chance, especially if you are cooking for a smaller group.  I still tend to think I am feeding five people, and we get tired of leftovers at times. 

 

I started with the first soup recipe, Chicken Noodle Soup.  I cooked chicken soup so often when my kids were growing up, they all now claim to hate soups in general and that one in particular.  When we were raising our three kids, I wanted to be frugal and healthy when it came to foods.  I loved the idea of homemade everything, and even more I loved getting several meals from one chicken.  First was the soup, made from boiling the bird with celery, onions and carrots.  Next I cooked chicken potpie, and then with any extra meat I made chicken salad.   I varied the casseroles and dishes for the meat, but the soup was nearly always the same.

 

But that is okay, they all have their own homes, and they will see how hard it is to find new things to cook.   But, how different can chicken noodle soup be, really?  All I have to say is if I had had this recipe when I cooked for the entire family, they would all still love soup.  It was that good.   All the recipes in this book have been adapted for only two people, and also for quicker cooking than if I were roasting or boiling an entire chicken.  Instead this soup is made from a bone in chicken breast.  

 

I didn’t have to make any substitutions for diet on this meal, and that made me happy.   We finished eating before I could take a picture, but the next meal I talk about will be photographed.  Happy Eating!