simplykim2: Trisha Yearwood's Chicken Soup and Pioneer Woman's Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Apricot Sauce

Still obsessed with my copy of Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood, I made Trisha's Chicken Soup. The picture in the book was so beautiful and I was convinced that I needed to make it as soon as possible. I have tried five of her recipes so far, and I like this recipe for her Chicken Soup the best. It was delicious, outstanding, creamy, hearty, and quite addictive. My husband and I each had two bowls, in one setting.

I love how Trisha uses tricolor pasta to really liven up this bowl of soup. This soup is also chockful of veggies, bell peppers, onions, celery, red potatoes, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies!! To thicken the soup, Trisha uses a mix of Wondra flour and water and then finishes the soup off with a liberal dose of cream and butter. Thick, creamy, hearty and addictive, this is a soup recipe that I will make over and over again in my kitchen.

Chicken Soup

Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Serves 10

Salt and Pepper

4 Whole Chicken Breasts, bone in and with skin

2 medium bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

1 48-ounce can chicken broth

3 medium red potatoes, chopped

1 16-ounce pacakage frozen mixed vegetables

1 cup tricolor rotini pasta, uncooked (I used the whole pound)

1 cup small carrots, cut lengthwise into fourths

3 tablespoons Wondra or all-purpose flour

2 cups (16 ounces) heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Sprinkle salt and pepper on each chicken breast and place in an 8-10quart stockpot. Add the bell peppers, onions, and celery, then pour the chicken broth over all. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the chicken for 40-50 minutes, or until done.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Allow to cool slightly. Remove the bones and skin and discard. Shred the chicken and put back into the pot. (NOTE: I skipped the above steps because I used a rotisserie chicken. Instead I sauteed the bell peppers, onions and celery in about one tablespoon oil, until tender. I then poured in the required amount of broth and followed the steps below.)>Add the potatoes and cook for 12 -15 minutes. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for 12-15 minutes more. Add the pasta and carrots, and cook for 7 minutes more. (NOTE: I cooked an entire pound of the tricolor pasta separately so that the pasta would remain al dente. I kept the pasta separate until right before serving).In a quart glass measuring cup, mix the flour into 1/4 cup water until smooth. Pour in the cream, then add to the soup mixture along with the butter. Cook for 10 more minutes. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. (NOTE: I spooned the tricolor pasta over each bowl prior to serving)

In the mood for both soup and sandwiches this week, I also made Pioneer Woman's Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Apricot Sauce. A creamy sauce is made from equal parts apricot preserves, mayo and Dijon mustard. You begin by spreading the sauce on two slices of good sourdough bread.

Layer spinach and sliced red onions on one slice of bread and the grilled chicken breast on the other side. Ree chose to leave her grilled chicken breast whole. I had to slice mine in order for it to fit on the bread.

I think you could definitely stop here and eat this sandwich cold, but Ree grilled hers and so did I. If you chose to serve it grilled, brush the bread with a little bit of oil to ensure that nice crispy brown crust. You can also find the recipe over HERE on Ree's website.