Sick day soup

First, put some olive oil and butter in your pan, equal amounts, on medium. Wait for it to bubble and sizzle then chuck in 2 cloves of crushed garlic and as much onion as you want (we didnt have any at the time)

When your onions and garlic soften, add a chopped carrott and a stick of celery.

When the carrots start to brown a little, dump as much broth in as you want, i used about 3/4 of a cardboard container.

Reduce heat to low, then wait till the broth boils. Once it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and add all your seasonings. Basically dump every herb you can find in. I used rosemary, oregano, thyme, cilantro, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and onion powder.

Simmer it until a golden melted fat ring forms around the edge, then dump in some cooked pasta. Any kind you want works but orzo is great for soups. Simmer for atleast 45 minutes, then serve. 

I like to add grated parmesan when i serve it, but that is optional.

Chicken Standollini with sliced mozzarella

Standollini is a beautiful (looking and tasting) dish consisting of peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a meat, that is fun to make and is great practice in chopping, flipping, searing, braising, and plating. Its one of my favourite dishes to make, and is almost a complete meal. You can add a little homemade pasta (link below) if you want ;)

Start off by sauteing some onions and garlic in olive oil. The proportions are up to you as far as the veggies go, but I used 2/3 of an onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add lots of salt and some olive oil.

next, start braising, shallow frying, or searing your chicken. Deglaze the pan with red wine after you finish for some beautiful "sauce" to pour over your plated chicken. I tenderized some chicken breast tenderloins, seasoned with salt and pepper, then braised them. 

Now, check on your onions. When they are starting to turn from translucent to golden brown, add your peppers (I used one green and one orange, colours don't matter though) and mushrooms (any single one of the veggies is optional, but I like to leave the mushrooms out) and sweat them out a little, just until they start to look really glossy and are pliable or tender.

Once the peppers are tender, add a little red wine or balsamic vinegar (I prefer both) to taste. Add a little salt as well, then scoop into a dish, or onto your plate.

When the chicken is done cooking, lay it on its nice bed of veggies. 

We served ours with a little sliced mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano.

Have fun cooking, and enjoy eating your homemade chicken standollini. 

Homemade pasta: http://theramsayscook.blogspot.com/2014/11/homemade-pasta-tagliatelle-farfallini.html