no-recipe soup

Last weekend I decided to be creative with my cooking and make soup without any recipe.  I've come to enjoy cooking quite a bit, and it's become a stress-reliever for me at times.

While I was cooking this soup, I wrote down what I did, in case things turned out okay and I ever wanted to recreate it.

Here was the result:

Butternut Squash Chicken Noodle Soup

a little bit of cooking oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

3 cups water

3 cups chicken broth/stock (I used homemade)

5 cups butternut squash, cubed

2 stalks (~1.5 cups) celery, chopped

parsley, to taste

sage, to taste

rosemary, to taste but more than the other herbs

thyme, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups bite-sized chunks of precooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)

2 cups dry rotini noodles

1 six-ounce bag of fresh spinach (can be frozen)

In a medium to large stock pot, saute the garlic and onion in a little bit of your favorite cooking oil till tender/translucent/done.  Add the water, chicken broth, squash, celery, and herbs and simmer on MEDIUM heat till the squash can be poked with a fork without too much effort (but it's not super tender yet), stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken and noodles; cook until noodles are tender and the chicken is heated through.  Add more of the salt or herbs as you feel so moved.  Add the spinach and stir it in, cooking it lightly for a few moments.  Makes 6-8 servings (I think).