Chicken Noodle Soup . . . and a little on letters to Gwynnie
We had some puny feeling fellas in the home this week. If you haven't been hit by one of the many bugs floating around lately, keep doing whatever you are doing to keep it that way! All I can say is thank Heavens I somehow averted the illness. That's always a good thing since it's pretty awful when the nurse is also sick. Being from the South, the first thing I always do is make something good and soothing to eat. I have a great, quick and good Chicken Noodle Soup that seemed to hit the spot this week. It's probably nothing new and you may have the same way of making it. If not, this is always a good recipe to have on hand.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
This recipe makes 6 servings, but I doubled it
and have lots left over.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
This recipe makes 6 servings, but I doubled it
and have lots left over.
- 1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion - 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
- 1/2 pound shredded cooked chicken breast (I actually used 4 lbs of chicken and shredded it)
- 1 1/2 cups egg noodles
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- Directions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. I actually doubled this recipe so I used a GIANT pot! Cook the onion and celery in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour in both broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.
It's amazing to have something so simple, delicious and easy in only 30 minutes!! That's my kind of cooking.
We ate on this for two nights and a couple of lunches AND I still put two containers in the freezer for the next bout of whatever comes our way.
Gwyneth with her trainer, the tiny Tracy Anderson
Yesterday, I read the open letter to Gwyneth Paltrow that hit the internet with a roar. I will be honest and say I loved it! Not because I am a Gwyneth Hater (niether am I enamored with her but did like her more in her younger days. And I STILL haven't forgiven her for saying it's okay to have ). She seems a little too perfect, doesn't seem to notice how she comes across sometimes and, hey, if you are going to put yourself out there and do and say some of the things she does, you are going to get what you get. If you missed the letter and are interested you can see it here. Since the author got SO MUCH feedback, she followed up. I've taken the liberty to print the entire follow-up here as I think it is a good dialogue. She actually doesn't hate Gwynnie either, but "calls a spade a spade".
Yesterday, I wrote an open letter to Gwyneth Paltrow, tied to a recent interview with E!. In it, she said: “I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening. When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,’ and then you work 14 hours a day, and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.”
I was happy — and a bit shocked — to see that the piece got such a good response. It seemed to strike a chord with parents and non-parents alike, with both moms who work outside the home and those who stay at home. You didn’t think I forgot you, did you, SAHMs? I know how much work you do, even though it’s not for a paycheck!
(And you, too, dads. You guys rock, particularly the guy in Philly who tweeted at me, “Writing this tweet from the train. Looking forward to getting home in an hour to cook kale.”)
A lot of the comments congratulated me for “kicking Gwyneth in the throat,” “pulling no punches” and calling her a “spoiled, clueless brat.”
“Well said, celebrities don’t have a clue, do they?” wrote one woman in thenypost.com comments section. “They walk around with their $500 shoes and purses and strut the streets looking for the ‘Pap’ to snap their pics, then get pissed off when they do. Trade jobs for about a year and see where you stand then Gwinnie.”
Awesome! I’d like to add that my desk job has no end date. Last time I checked, a movie wraps up, while I look forward to decades worth of routines and hard work. I have it so easy!” wrote another.
And perhaps the best comment of all: “Are we really talking about the ignorant comments of a woman who wore a fat suit? Just ignore her.”
The thing is, I don’t hate Gwyneth Paltrow at all. I’m sure she’s a good person and a great mom to her two kids. I honestly — with no irony or malice — wish her the best as she separates from her husband, Chris Martin. A conscious uncoupling is difficult for anyone; I know this, because I’ve been through one. At the time, I called it a divorce, but still. It was rough, and you couldn’t pay me to repeat that time in my life.
I just wish Gwyneth weren’t quite so tone-deaf. When you’re fortunate — and I count myself in this, as someone who has a loving husband and family, good health, no debt, a job I love, and a supportive network of relatives and friends — you have an extra responsibility to be empathetic and grateful and, in general, not oblivious.
And by “not oblivious,” I mean not likening your tremendously lucrative work on a movie set to the desk job someone clings to, hoping not to get downsized, and to be able to save enough money for retirement.
As some may have heard, these last few years in America have been tough on many, and I think it does a disservice to these people — many of whom are audience members at Gwyneth Paltrow movies! — not to acknowledge that.
No one expects her to hang with us, or to pretend she knows what it’s like to be scared about the possibility of your husband being laid off next week, as one woman wrote me.
But a little self-awareness goes a long way. So does humor.
Because at the end of the day, most of us are just trying to muddle through, doing the best we can.
Yes, even Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the other hand, not everyone liked my piece. “BE A MAN. SUCK IT UP SOLDIER” wrote one nypost.com commenter.
“YOU WOULDN’T LAST ON A BATTLEFIELD,” he added, and I completely agree.
That’s why I am grateful that there are men and women who bravely serve in the armed forces — and whose jobs are much, much more important than my job. (Which, incidentally, involves writing about pop culture and assorted other issues, to answer those of you who wondered how I “found the time” to post this article.)
Another detractor used my article as proof of the fact that women had best go back to the kitchen, where they belong: “You’re all a bunch of whiny lazy Liars and the reason you’re stuck doing office work is because this is how you spend your time instead of bettering yourselves,” he said. “And being a mother is not that hard. It’s just time consuming.”
Actually, I’m pretty sure the reason a lot of us are doing office work is because most families find that a household with two working parents helps pay the bills, but thanks for your feedback!
So what have I learned from the response to this article? I’ve learned that if you want to discuss issues that are close to your heart, all you have to do is incorporate a celebrity. So stay tuned for my next work, “A Working Mom Writes to Bradley Cooper About the Importance of Mandated Paid Maternity Leave.”
I appreciated her comment that all of us are trying to muddle through. Isn't that what it's all about? We shouldn't be bashing each other. We all try to get by and do what we need to each day. However, I do agree that "a little self-awareness goes a long way. So does humor." And I'm not sure where the battlefield comment came from. Neither office work, stay at home mom work OR filming a movie are in no way comparable to any form of service work. Those men and women truly rock!
There you have it . . . .my little tidbit of celebrity ramblings for the day.
I actually had one more thing to share today, but this post has gotten pretty lengthy and I don't want you to feel as if you are reading a novel, so I will save it.
Get out there and Enjoy your Day!
Have you gotten a bug lately? What makes you feel better? Have a go to recipe? Did you read the letter to Gwyneth? What did you think? Follow her Goop site? Are you a lover or a hater? And why does it seem to be either with her?
Yesterday, I wrote an open letter to Gwyneth Paltrow, tied to a recent interview with E!. In it, she said: “I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening. When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,’ and then you work 14 hours a day, and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.”
I was happy — and a bit shocked — to see that the piece got such a good response. It seemed to strike a chord with parents and non-parents alike, with both moms who work outside the home and those who stay at home. You didn’t think I forgot you, did you, SAHMs? I know how much work you do, even though it’s not for a paycheck!
(And you, too, dads. You guys rock, particularly the guy in Philly who tweeted at me, “Writing this tweet from the train. Looking forward to getting home in an hour to cook kale.”)
A lot of the comments congratulated me for “kicking Gwyneth in the throat,” “pulling no punches” and calling her a “spoiled, clueless brat.”
“Well said, celebrities don’t have a clue, do they?” wrote one woman in thenypost.com comments section. “They walk around with their $500 shoes and purses and strut the streets looking for the ‘Pap’ to snap their pics, then get pissed off when they do. Trade jobs for about a year and see where you stand then Gwinnie.”
Awesome! I’d like to add that my desk job has no end date. Last time I checked, a movie wraps up, while I look forward to decades worth of routines and hard work. I have it so easy!” wrote another.
And perhaps the best comment of all: “Are we really talking about the ignorant comments of a woman who wore a fat suit? Just ignore her.”
The thing is, I don’t hate Gwyneth Paltrow at all. I’m sure she’s a good person and a great mom to her two kids. I honestly — with no irony or malice — wish her the best as she separates from her husband, Chris Martin. A conscious uncoupling is difficult for anyone; I know this, because I’ve been through one. At the time, I called it a divorce, but still. It was rough, and you couldn’t pay me to repeat that time in my life.
I just wish Gwyneth weren’t quite so tone-deaf. When you’re fortunate — and I count myself in this, as someone who has a loving husband and family, good health, no debt, a job I love, and a supportive network of relatives and friends — you have an extra responsibility to be empathetic and grateful and, in general, not oblivious.
And by “not oblivious,” I mean not likening your tremendously lucrative work on a movie set to the desk job someone clings to, hoping not to get downsized, and to be able to save enough money for retirement.
As some may have heard, these last few years in America have been tough on many, and I think it does a disservice to these people — many of whom are audience members at Gwyneth Paltrow movies! — not to acknowledge that.
No one expects her to hang with us, or to pretend she knows what it’s like to be scared about the possibility of your husband being laid off next week, as one woman wrote me.
But a little self-awareness goes a long way. So does humor.
Because at the end of the day, most of us are just trying to muddle through, doing the best we can.
Yes, even Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the other hand, not everyone liked my piece. “BE A MAN. SUCK IT UP SOLDIER” wrote one nypost.com commenter.
“YOU WOULDN’T LAST ON A BATTLEFIELD,” he added, and I completely agree.
That’s why I am grateful that there are men and women who bravely serve in the armed forces — and whose jobs are much, much more important than my job. (Which, incidentally, involves writing about pop culture and assorted other issues, to answer those of you who wondered how I “found the time” to post this article.)
Another detractor used my article as proof of the fact that women had best go back to the kitchen, where they belong: “You’re all a bunch of whiny lazy Liars and the reason you’re stuck doing office work is because this is how you spend your time instead of bettering yourselves,” he said. “And being a mother is not that hard. It’s just time consuming.”
Actually, I’m pretty sure the reason a lot of us are doing office work is because most families find that a household with two working parents helps pay the bills, but thanks for your feedback!
So what have I learned from the response to this article? I’ve learned that if you want to discuss issues that are close to your heart, all you have to do is incorporate a celebrity. So stay tuned for my next work, “A Working Mom Writes to Bradley Cooper About the Importance of Mandated Paid Maternity Leave.”
I appreciated her comment that all of us are trying to muddle through. Isn't that what it's all about? We shouldn't be bashing each other. We all try to get by and do what we need to each day. However, I do agree that "a little self-awareness goes a long way. So does humor." And I'm not sure where the battlefield comment came from. Neither office work, stay at home mom work OR filming a movie are in no way comparable to any form of service work. Those men and women truly rock!
There you have it . . . .my little tidbit of celebrity ramblings for the day.
I actually had one more thing to share today, but this post has gotten pretty lengthy and I don't want you to feel as if you are reading a novel, so I will save it.
Get out there and Enjoy your Day!
Have you gotten a bug lately? What makes you feel better? Have a go to recipe? Did you read the letter to Gwyneth? What did you think? Follow her Goop site? Are you a lover or a hater? And why does it seem to be either with her?
