The darkness of winter has completely ruined my ability to take good photographs of food. I lieu of a fancy flash like Deb of Smitten Kitchen has, food just does not photograph well in artificial light. Food, being natural, requires natural light, and lots of it, to look good in a picture.

I made chicken noodle soup with homemade stock last weekend, and man, it was delicious, but I never got a good photo.

OK, OK, I did get one photo, it’s the soup in a jar, photographed in evening fluorescent kitchen light:

…but that’s not very appetizing, is it? Please, just use your imagination to picture a lovely steaming bowl of soup, perhaps a sprig of parsley, mmmm…

So anyways, we started by roasting a whole chicken on Friday night, boiled the carcass down into stock on Saturday night (see my post on Chicken Stock), and then made soup from some of the stock on Sunday.

This is one of my favorite ways to make chicken noodle soup, but of course, all manner of veggies and herbs could be substituted, based on whatever you have on hand. Oh, and I used gluten-free pasta for the noodles, but any noodle will work fine.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 2 carrots, sliced into rounds
• 2 ribs celery, large dice
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 can yellow corn
• Herbs, I like thyme and rosemary, fresh or dried
• 3-4 oz. dry spaghetti, broken into thirds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients except spaghetti to pot and simmer for about half an hour. After half an hour, add spaghetti and cook until noodles are soft.

A few notes: My homemade stock is exceptionally thick and rich (think jello), so I use about 2 cups of it, with about 4 cups of water. I roasted this particular chicken with chunks of garlic under the skin and sprigs of rosemary tucked inside, which infused the stock with both of those flavors, so I didn’t need to add either to the soup.

Hubby and I baked a whole chicken last night, always the beginning of a delicious journey as the carcass is turned into stock, which is then turned into some kind of soup. (I’m not the only one who loves the carcass, either.) Our version is really simple, and I think making your own stock is one of those things that is pretty difficult to f*** up, as long as you’ve got a little sense.

As you boil the bones, the gelatin comes out of them, which is what makes your homemade stock solidify after it’s been in the fridge, but what also gives it that rich velvety texture when it’s hot.

Chicken Stock

• Chicken Carcass
• Veggies and Herbs (Carrots, onions, and celery are basics. The leaves of the celery add extra flavor, and our favorite herb with chicken is rosemary. )

Throw in some salt, pepper, herbs, whatever you’ve got on hand, and simmer it all together for a couple of hours. Then strain out the solids and put the liquid in the fridge overnight, so you can skim the fat off the top the next day.

I like to freeze a few containers for future use.

Commence making delicious soups, stews, risottos, and whatever else your little heart desires.