Hey There Noodle Day!

Let’s noodle on that. Have you ever heard that expressions? It means to mull something over and come back to it later. Don’t ask me how noodling came to mean thinking. I don’t have a clue, but let’s noodle on that.

We’ve been talking a lot about faith lately. Okay, maybe that should be more so lately, since faith has always been discussed here. Since the death of Charlie Kirk, Catholic web sites have been posting about how Charlie Kirk (an Evangelic Christian) had a Catholic wife. That he attended Mass with his wife, and was known to pray the rosary. High profile Catholics such as Cardinal Dolan have praised him. Charlie himself once said Protestant Evangelic Christians could learn a thing or two from the Catholics with regard to Mary. That our Blessed Mother is the solution to toxic feminism. That’s pretty powerful.

I thought it might be nice to point out a few things about the Protestant Evangelic Christian that a Catholic could learn from. When it comes to worship, nothing compares to that of the Catholic Faith. It’s not a social gathering, a place to be entertained or even for fellowship. The Mass is all about worship, bowing down before God in a very spiritual, ritual, meaningful way. Where Protestants have us beat is the ability to recite scripture at the drop of a hat. While some Catholics can, most don’t even retain what scripture was read in last Sunday’s Mass. We do have Bible studies, but these are small groups at best. Memorizing scripture isn’t something we are all that motivated to do. I ask, would it hurt? I don’t think so.

The music selection in most Catholic Masses is very somber. It’s more a form of prayer than a celebration. So while the Mass is a very solemn occasion and Born Again music might not be all that appropriate, maybe we can figure out a way to work it into our social settings. I go around the house singing to the likes of Michael W. Smith all the time. It’s very uplifting. That brings me to the final thing – fellowship. Catholics tend to get in and get out. At our parish we have a beautiful Plaza. It would be nice to linger together in a more social setting. The problem is sometimes the first Mass runs a little long. Then you have people trying to get out of the parking lot while those coming to the next Mass are trying to get in. I suppose we could space the masses out a little more, but that would make for a very long day. We have the early morning Mass, Latin Mass, Children’s Mass, Noon Mass, Spanish Mass and not one but two evening masses. Seven Masses on Sunday, two each day the rest of the week. It would be nice for there to be more fellowship, but with a parish so large, that’s just not possible. And I really don’t see the Catholic Churches building smaller community churches. That’s another thing the Born Agains have over the bigger churches. I just think we have all something positive to contribute to faith and worship.

Now where were we again? Oh yeah, National Noodle Day! Before we get to making this delicious soup, I want to apologize for the photos. Or rather the lack thereof. In the midst of preparing dinner, the phone rang. It was my doctor’s office with the results of my recent tests and changes we need to make to my routine. Nothing life-threatening, but I couldn’t very well ask that they call back. So I continued to make dinner, just with the phone in hand rather than my camera. Sorry about that.

Chicken Egg Noodle Soup
2 large boneless Chicken Breasts
8 cups Chicken Stock, divided
Pinch of Salt
4 springs Thyme, divided
1 small White Onion
2 Carrots
1 Celery Rib
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Flour
4 oz Egg Noodles

Step 1: Poach Chicken
Place the chicken in a medium saucepan that’s large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping. Cover the chicken with 2 cups chicken stock 2 thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt.

Start the chicken on high heat and bring the poaching liquid to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Gently simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes, until fully cooked.

While the chicken is poaching, peel and finely dice the onion. Peel carrots, slice into rounds. Clean celery, slice or dice. Peel and mince the garlic. Set aside until ready to use for the stock.

Remove the chicken breast from the poaching liquid and set it on a cutting board to cool. DO NOT discard the chicken stock. Strain stock with a fine mesh strainer and reserve for the soup.

Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle cut into small cubes or for a more rustic appearance shred by hand.

Step 2: Make Soup Stock
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot and the butter has melted, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic to the pot; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir well until it’s incorporated. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes while continuing to stir.

Add the reserved poaching liquid, whisk to blend. Slowly add in the reserved poaching liquid and the 6 cups of chicken stock. Stir constantly until the ingredients are combined and the flour has fully dissolved into the liquid.

Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the stock to a boil. Add the chicken and remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Stir to combine.

Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the soup for 20 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally and keep it at a simmer; if it starts boiling too vigorously lower the heat a bit.

Step 3: Egg Noodles
In a separate pot cook egg noodles as directed on the package. To avoid over-cooking, use the lowest recommended cooking time. Drain noodles well and set aside until the soup has been finished and is ready to serve.

Step 4: Finish the Soup
With tongs remove the thyme stems from the soup pot. Remove soup from heat, add egg noodles. Cover and let steep for a few minutes. Taste and adjust with a pinch of salt if needed.

Ladle soup into bowls and enjoy.

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Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and He answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and He heard my voice.