Great Meal to Start off the Season!

It is now officially fall here in Mountain Home, Idaho. Most days it's been cool, and of course windy. We've also had a few random hot days. But this last week we've had lots of rain. Once it's fall, I start thinking about holidays, and when I think about holidays I feel the need to cook alot, and have a cozy house filled with people. So a few weeks ago ago I had over all my favorite people from base and did a Sunday night supper, and kinda watched the game. "Kinda", because, well, as much as I'm trying to care about football, I just don't. However I love the excuse to have people over, and eat in excessive amounts! So the meal I made for our friends was Rainy Season Chicken Soup with buttermilk biscuits. This is my mom's recipe, and has been my husbands favorite soup for years! The biscuit recipe is basic, but it was something I've never made before and they were a wonderful compliment to the soup! Our friends have been bugging me for the recipe ever since. :) I doubled this recipe for company.

Rainy Season Chicken Soup


8-10 oz fresh white mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs. butter
2 leeks, white and green parts only-split, rinsed, diced.
2 medium carrots, diced
2 large celery ribs, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. dry white wine (or chicken broth)
4 cups chicken stock (if using store bought, get the low sodium)
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, melt butter over low heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cover and cook over low heat 5-10 minutes until veggies are almost tender. Place chicken on top of veggies, cover and continue cooking 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, recover pan and cook for another 5 minutes give or take, just until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool. Sprinkle flour over veggies, stir to cook over low heat, 2 minutes. Slowly add 2 Tbs. wine or broth, and 2 cups of broth. Stir and cook until bubbly and thickened. Add sour cream very slowly, and allow to cook gently while you slice chicken into thin, bite-size pieces.
Meanwhile, in large frying pan, bring remaining 2 cups of stock to a boil, then add noodles. Cook about 5 minutes, until noodles are done. Do NOT DRAIN! Slowly add noodle mixture to hot veggie/sour cream mixtures. Add chicken pieces and bring back to simmer.

Buttermilk Biscuits


2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. You need one large baking sheet-do not grease.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir them together with a fork or wire whisk. Drop the shortening into the dry ingredients and using a pastry blender, or your fingertips, work the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture is in fine, irregular crumbs resembling soft bread crumbs. Add the buttermilk all at once and stir with a fork just until the dough forms a cohesive mass.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth, lightly floured surface, and knead 12-14 times. Pat into an 8 x 8 inch square about 1/2 inch thick. Use a knife to cut the dough into 2 inch squares. Place the biscuits in the baking pans or on the sheet (with biscuits touching if you want them light and fluffy, or at least 1 inch apart if you want them darker and crisper). Bake for 15-20 minutes, and serve very hot.