This is my friend LeAnn Rice. She’s an amazing woman, mom, servant leader, friend, and so much more. She’s one of the most beautiful people I know – inside and out! She loves like Jesus in every way. And she’s an incredible cooker!
Cookers are the kind of people who like to cook.
I’m not a cooker. But I grew up in a family of cookers. My mom is a cooker. My dad is a great cooker, and my brothers love to be in the kitchen cooking. My oldest brother is even a trained chef.
When I was growing up, there was no reason or room in the kitchen for me to cook. I did everyone a favor and stayed outside chasing boys and butterflies. Then one day I got married and discovered my husband’s love-language is food.
During our first week home from our honeymoon I tried to tap into my lineage of cookers and whip up a traditional meal I’d grown up eating. I was from New Orleans. Surely I could remember what went into red beans and rice: red beans, rice, sausage, and red wine, right?
I wish you could have been there to taste and smell my creation. However, you might have been carded if you had come for dinner that night. I’m pretty sure my newlywed husband got drunk just walking through the front door of our apartment. I think I poured the whole bottle of wine into my “I will just make it up as I go” red beans and rice.
Needless to say, when I asked JJ if he liked the special meal I cooked for him, he sheepishly told me I didn’t have to cook such fancy things and I wouldn’t need to try making this one again. Bless his Pennsylvania heart, he just wanted meatloaf and potatoes.
I’m still not much of a cooker, but I do love to cook for my peeps. Over the past 17 years, I’ve learned a few thing about cooking. First I learned that recipes are a good idea. And that trying to impress my family with fancy fixings is not. They just want their favorites. Simple is best, and homemade speaks volumes of love.
My friend LeAnn invited me to guest post on her website She Cooks. I didn’t have much to say so I simply shared my homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s yummy, I promise. My son Joshua even wrote about it in a poem for his literature class last year. He said I could show it to you here:
Where I am From
I am from being outside.
I am from friends playing together.
I am from trampolines and wooden forts.
I am from imaginations combining together to create something marvelous.
I am from early Christmas mornings in front of the fire.
I am from Halloween in the back of a pickup.
I am from Easters at Grandmas.
I am from Uncle Bill’s lake on the 4th of July.
I am from red beans and rice while watching Moby Dick with a friend.
I am from eating huge piles of cheese fries from Outback with a former NFL player.
I am from crawfish and crab at Grandpa’s house after catching them.
I am from homemade chicken noodle soup that could be mistaken to be from heaven.
I am from mistakes and successes.
I am from fun times and sad times.
I am from wonderful memories.
I am from a wonderful life.
And it’s not even halfway done.
©2009, Joshua Swope.
Did you see how he mentioned his momma’s chicken noodle soup!? And used the word “heaven” in the same sentence. Now that’s progress for a non-cooker wanna be mom. Yes, he also mentioned red beans and rice. He grew up on Zataran’s, without the wine.
Well friend, I don’t know if you’re a cooker. I just know family and friends love when we cook for them. There’s just something about the smells and feelings that spread through the kitchen when memories are made around the table, across the counter or over the stove. It’s so special that sometimes our cookin’ even gets mentioned in poems written by boys about life and the things they love!
I can’t be much help in the cooking department, so that’s why I want you to meet my friend LeAnn. She’s got all kinds of encouragement and wonderful recipes that will make your mouth water! But before I send you off to her site, be sure to enter to win a copy of her fabulous e-book “Sharing Grace.”
It’s full of memory-making inspiration and wonderful recipes. Just click on the word “comments” below this post and tell me if you are a cooker or not, what your family likes to eat, or memories you’ve made over meals. And if you’ve ever gotten someone drunk or sick with your cookin’, ‘d love to hear all about that!
That’s all you’ve got to do to be entered to win, and be sure to include your email or I won’t be able to tell you. Also, last week’s winner of Jill Beran’s book “Letters from Leanne“ is Anonymous who posted at 11:54pm. Jill will be in touch to get your address.
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Hi Renee, Looks like I'll be bookmarking your site to return to time and again. I love to cook for my family, friends, and church family!
I'm currently "famous" among my peeps for my apple cranberry pumpkin butter (which will go out as Christmas gifts this year along with peach butter from the abundance from our one small tree).
My funniest kitchen oops was when our gas oven didn't light and the turkey dinner sat there in a chilly blob. We had company coming – yikes! We hauled the whole kit and kaboodle to my husband's former roommates home (we were newlyweds), and baked the entire thing over there, and invited those guys to come too since it would have been cruel to let them smell but not taste.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Katie
I am a cooker, I like to throw things together as I go sometimes and then other times I do follow the recipe. For most of the day to day stuff I like to do quick meals but still cooked, ya know? Then there are special occasions when I make things that require some time and they are -oh so worth it!
As far as anyone getting drunk or sick from my cooking I will have to say, 'NO' however I remember when I was about 14 for St. Patricks day I wanted to make something green for dinner. My mom was making roast chicken for them meal so I decided to make the gravy and of course found the bottle of green food coloring and added several drops. It looked so gross but tasted fine to me. One problem-no one, I mean not even my brothers- would eat my gravy, my mom didn't even eat it. Hhmmppff! Well I never! LOL
thanks for the blog…have a blessed day.
Barbara R. [email protected]
I LOVE to cook. When my kids were home, it was just like you said – simple, homemade, lots of love, where we all sit down together and talk over a meal.
HOWEVER, now that the kids are grown and gone, I do a lot of the fancier stuff – just to see if I can do it. One of our favorite kind of evenings is to invite several couples over, assign them specific ingregients to bring, and when they get to my kitchen, hand them the part of the recipe that they are making for the evening meal. Everything totally from scratch – no store-bought anything.
We all have a great time in the kitchen, chatting, preparing, laughing at two grown men trying to truss a chicken, and all sorts of other fun stuff.
Then while dinner cooks, we just talk or play a game – and VOILA – dinner is ready. And the conversation and good times and great food continue into the evening.
I immediately laughed when I read your story of the red beans and rice. I, too, tried to create a magical meal in my first months of marriage 25 years ago. It was a cold and rainy Saturday, and I began cooking the best smelling, biggest pot of homemade vegetable soup! As it simmered all day, my husband and I could not WAIT until supper time to dig into a big bowl of soup and a hot piece of cornbread. Doubting my abilities, I taste-tested "one more time" before serving, and decided that it needed a little "something else". SO…….I poured a heaping amount of lemon pepper into the soup. NOT A GOOD IDEA! It ruined the entire pot! As sweet as my husband is, there was just no way to fake a smile. The overpowering effects of the lemon pepper were the only tastes to behold. For 25 years, Jay has loved telling that story….usually as he is enjoying a bowl of my soup cooked the right way……WITHOUT lemon pepper! 🙂
I am definitely a cooker. My husband loves that fact (and he loves my special lasagna recipe). But I haven't always been a cooker. I had to learn. The first time I cooked for my hubby I burned the chicken and made really bland instant potatoes! Poor man was used to his momma's amazing cooking and probably was scared out of his mind to know I'd be cooking for him the rest of his life. Now, however, he says he likes my cooking better than his mom's. But…shhh! Don't tell her that. 😉
I love the She Cooks blog and I'm happy to find YOUR blog today. Thanks for the chicken soup recipe!
Heather
I consider myself a non cooker who has learned to cook and make her family their favorite foods. I love to bake and feel I am very good at it but when it comes to making a meal I sometimes struggle.
[email protected]
I am a cooker…from a long line of cookers. I still haven't mastered biscuits…someday if I keep trying.
I like to cook, but hate to bake. I am one who cannot make jello, but can make a thanksgiving dinner that has everyone diving in until they can't move.
My first meal for my then "soon-to-be-husband" was banquet chicken and frozen french fries. Thankfully for him, I have improved some. However, I admit, I still like banquet chicken!
Gaylene
I just came back by to say I LOVE YOU! You use an already cooked rotisserie chicken! I can do that! Your soup sounds so doable for this non-cooker! 🙂
Hugs,
K
Oh My! I am so very much a cooker! Of course, I like to cook when I have time, but on a rushed, harried night, cooking is not my favorite thing at all! A favorite of my family is my Speghetti sauce recipe. It took me a while to perfect it, and it can be heardy with sausage and meatballs, mushrooms, etc., or just a simple sauce with hamburger meat. I can't wait to try your chicken noodle soup recipe. It looks delicious. Gotta find those noodle nests, though. Thanks for all you do, and for listening to God.
I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE LEEBIRD'S CHICKEN DUMPLIN'S AND BANANA PUDDING . ROGER NY BELOVED HUSBAND OF 47 YEARS THIS MONTH LOVES BOTH AND I CAN'T MAKE THEM. LEEBIRD PLEASE SHARE.
I AM A COOKER FROM A LONG LINE OF COOKERS. MOTHER'S FAMILY WERE GREAT COOKERS. GREAT CLEANERS . I JUST INHERITED THE GREAT COOKERS . I HATE CLEANING.
MY WORST RECENT DISTARES WAS JUST A WEEK ARE SO AGO. OUR CHURCH HAD A CHILI COOK OFF. AT THE SAME TIME WE HAD A FRIEND THAT HE HAD JUST HAD KNEE SURGERY SO I DECIDED TO SPEND THE DAY MAKING CHILI. THIS WAS ON A SATURDAY. SO EVERYTHING WENT FINE. I USE FRESH PICKED TOMATOES FOR MY CHILI WHEN I HAVE THEM . I MADE A HUGE BATCH. I HAD A LOT LEFT OVER SUNDAY . SO I WAS GOING TO TAKE BACK WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO CHURCH FOR OUR FELLOWHIP SUPPER. THANK GOD I AM A TASTER AND SO IS ROGER (NOT A COOKER BUT A TASTER ) . THE CHILI HAD SOURED . NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I HAD CHILI SOUR. WHAT I THINK HAPPENED WAS ONE OF THE FRESH TOMATOES MUST HAVE A BAD SPOT I DIDN'T SEE BEFORE I BLENDED. THANK GOD THAT WAS FOUND OUT HERE AT HOME.
ROGER HAS BEEN FIGHTING THE STOMACH VIRUS SO GOOD HOME MADE CHICKEN SOUP WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE WEEK-END.
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE POEM . I REMEMBER WHEN OUR SON WAS 15 NOW HIS SONS ARE 15 & 16 . HOW BLESSED WE ARE. KAY
I am a cooker! I love recipe books. I get together with my cousin and other family members to go over them. Its fun finding new ones.
Recently I have gotten into baking cakes, candies and pies. The family seems to REALLY enjoy this phase that I am in, though my hips do not!
I've never considered my self a "cooker" but my family loves my cooking… I may like it more than I realize but it had become such a "job" over the years while raising kids that the fun faded after a while…I hope the fun returns…can a non-cooker become a "cooker" or can a former "cooker" be reinvigorated in her "cooker"-ness? We'll see 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts!
I have tried many of LeAnn's recipes and every one has been yummy, yummy, yummy!!!!
I didn't start out with much promise in the kitchen. In the early years of our marriage (I was a young bride) I attempted fried chicken. I'm from NC and my husband's from Georgia so having fried chicken seemed to be a must. I gave it a shot! Well, my feeble attempt failed. It looked all brown and crispy on the outside, but much to my dismay when we tried to cut open the chicken we discovered it wasn't exactly all cooked on the inside – YUCK!!!! I must say I decided then and there that cooking fried chicken wasn't for me. And I still suggest heading to my Grandma's or Kentucky Fried when the hankering hits.
I'm not much for creating my own dishes, but this girl can follow a recipe. So, I suppose my success in the kitchen can be attributed to attempting all those tried and true recipes over the years. My family has some definite favorites and will ask for them by request. Pretty good coming from a girl that initially couldn't fry a piece of chicken – don't you think?
I enjoyed your cooking story and thanks for sharing your chicken noodle soup recipe – after all it comes highly recommended!!
No way am I a cooker! My mom is an awesome cook (my kids rave about her "mamaw's famous noodles"), my brother even cooks better than I do. I guess it's a good thing my husband loves me. 🙂 Thanks for all of the encouraging words and funny stories!!
Good Morning, I am a cooker! Can't wait to try your version of the chicken soup. I LOVE LeAnne and her 'She Cooks' site!!! Two of my families favorites are home fried chicken and chicken and dumplings! I would love to have LeAnnne's e-book. [email protected]
I am not a cooker. So, so not a cooker. Me and box mixes are close friends. 🙂 That's why I subscribe to LeAnn's new blog…because I need help! The few things I can cook, my sweet mother-in-law taught me how to make.
Bless my sweet husband's heart. He went from a seriously good cooker to…well…I'm learning. 🙂
I was so excited to see a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup in my inbox. I haven't read her post yet…so I was even more excited to see here it is YOUR recipe! 🙂 A little touch of heaven and a splash of sweet Renee in my kitchen. ;)(And I LOVE your son's poem! What a treasure!)
Love to you, sweet friend,
K
I used to be a cooker…and, sometimes, I still am.
I love recipes – but I don't usually follow them (except for LeAnn's, as much as I can, even though I have to convert from American to British).
I love giving friends food – especially breakfast – but don't care too much about making it too fancy (though it's nice to try something new for them, too).
I'm not much of a cooker now that I am a blogger. Yet I have started, slowly slowly slowly, to blog my favourite recipes. The ones that really work. And they're online, so I can't lose them… The first recipe I recorded, at my daughter's request (she is a much better cook than I am) is Gougere – delicious savoury choux pastry.
Good morning, Renee! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Chicken Noodle Soup is one of my favorite things to make for my family; I'd like to give your recipe a try next time! Some of their other favorites are Chicken Divan and my Sausage, Peppers & Onions dish! So, I guess I am a bit of a cooker after all.
Hey sweet Renee!
I'm not a cooker. Cliff's mom made everything from scratch, so the first time I cooked for Cliff and made him a piping hot bowl of Dinty Moore canned beef stew, he was not thrilled!
Slowly but surely, I've gotten better at cooking, but I don't really enjoy it that much. Probably because it requires cleaning, which is something else I'm not wild about! 😉
My most famous recipes are my chicken and dumplin's and banana pudding. Maybe I'll post the recipe on my blog one of these days. I think they might give your soup a run for its money! Just sayin'!
Much love to you, Lee