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. To separate the rice or egg noodles from what your cooking, make sure to cook them separately and keep them to themselves until its ready to serve. Then place them in the bowl. No sogginess here! With slabs of homemade bread, cheese and some fresh fruit on the side, the meal is utterly simple and thoroughly satisfying.

At the monastery, I especially enjoy this meal after evening services. Inspired by the rays of sunlight at dusk as they cascaded through the refectory widow, our conversation became heightened from the mundane work of the day. When I’m back at home using that same chicken soup recipe, it lets my mind wander back to a nice, quiet serene moment. Isn’t it wonderful that both body and soul thrive on chicken soup? You can know from daily drudgery, you can find many good find stories from our troubles.

Fulfilling and lifting the soul is just as important as healing the body. The right chicken soup recipe can do both. What about a chicken wing recipe? 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. Purchased wing sauce and ranch dressing are generally all I need once they are fully cooked. If you prefer hotter wings, smear a little oil on them before sprinkling some red pepper flakes and seasoning with spices. 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 chicken grilled 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. If you prefer not to heat up an already hot day by using your oven, you can bake the potatoes for 30 mintues or so in the coals. Cooking time will vary based on the size of the potato. You can season the spuds with the dressing as well for a healthy alternative to butter and cream cheese.