The monastery’s recipe for chicken soup still is the best I have ever tasted! Spices like thyme, mint, or dill complement the wholesome chicken breast and stock and the fresh celery, onions, and carrots. Long grain white rice or egg noodles are cooked separately and kept aside until meal time, when the rice or noodles are placed in the tureen or bowl just before serving. No sogginess here! Round out this meal with cheese, homemade bread and lots of fresh fruit.

At the monastery, I especially enjoy this meal after evening services. Talking about work, or books we’re reading, or welcoming guests is so easy when we’re watching the sun set through the refectory windows. At home, when I use the same chicken soup recipe put together with a similar meal, it takes me back to retreat space, to inner peace and a quiet, sensible manner. Isn’t it wonderful that both body and soul thrive on chicken soup? So the book publishers know that this good food is a fitting metaphor for stories, sayings and short advice that can lift us from daily drudgery or ordinary troubles.

We all know the healing power of chicken soup when we have colds or the flu. So, too, we need to find the best recipe for chicken soup that fills and uplifts our souls. What about chicken wing recipes? Chicken wings are really expensive to buy at restaurants especially when you can buy a whole bag of frozen ones for five or six dollars and you get sixty or seventy wings in a bag. You can buy fresh ones and its usually three or four dollars for twenty or thirty wings. I dont have a fryer so I usually place the wings on a foil lined baking sheet and brush them with vegetable or olive oil to help them crisp and cook them in the oven.

I usually turn them once when I am cooking them and brush the other side with oil as well. The oil usually helps keep them from sticking to the pan. After they are fully cooked I usually toss them in a store bought wing sauce with ranch dressing on the side. If you like your wings a little hotter you can sprinkle some red pepper flakes or other spicy seasoning on them after brushing them with the oil. Now that summer is here you can cook outdoors more often instead of slaving away in a hot kitchen. You can make a quick healthy inexpensive diner by firing up the barbeque and making some boneless skinless cubed grilled chicken recipes on skewers with fresh garden vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions.

You can marinate the chicken and vegetables first in a zesty Italian salad dressing for seasoning. You can serve it on top of rice or pasta and have a fresh salad to go along with it. Another tasty vegetable you can make on the grill is baked potatoes. Just wash the spuds and wrap them in tin foil so they dont get scorched. You can use your grill instead of the oven to cook the potato by placing it on the barbecue for approximately 30 minutes depending on its size. For a healthier potato, you can use the dressing in lieu of the traditional butter or cream cheese toppings.