Grandma's penicillin

When I was about 7 years old, I decided I didn't want to go to school for a few days, and the best way to do this would be to get sick. So I sneaked out onto the balcony in the dead of winter barefoot in my nightgown, and ate some snow. This is partly the reason I don't believe that cold weather doesn't cause colds; this brave venture bought me a serious pneumonia. I was even hospitalized. Being in a Russian pediatric hospital is another post for another day. Suffice to say, 10 days of penicillin injections in the bum were NOT fun...

Whenever I would get sick, the routine was such: as soon as said illness was established, my grandma would immediately change all my sheets to clean ones, get me changed into clean pajamas, set up camp in the living room on the foldout couch (more room, closer to the kitchen, where she was, plus, possibility of TV) with markers, paper, several books, tissues, and a tiny bedside table whereupon she would place the customary sick person food, deliveries of which came at regular intervals of about 1 hour or so. Also, right away I would be made to swallow various Russian medicines. I still remember the names: Amidopurine and Aspirin.

The topic of this post is customary sick person food. There are several staples. First, there was cranberry morsik, which is basically ground up cranberries with sugar cooked to release juice and strained. Second, was the nauseating warm milk with butter, honey and dates. Sticky and sweet, and always with penki on top (when the milk cools, it forms these yucky films...).. shudder...

But finally, and most most importantly: chicken soup. As soon as one got sick, a ginormous pot of this concoction was made and was served in lieu of water q 1-2 hours prn get better cold! It was served in a mug, piping hot. As a child, I resisted it. Although, this type of penicillin certainly beat the penicillin shots in the bum!! But now, as soon as I get sick (as I am now; I'm typing through a feverish haze of the flu), I automatically and reflexively brew up this magically medicinal potion and do just like grandma did: every hour until better! I'm so happy to say, this soup came out just like hers this time around.

Grandma's Penicillin:
2 chicken leg quarters - skinned & extra fat cut off - or not...
(breasts will work too, and will be lower fat)
carrots 2-3, rough chop, or don't even chop
celery 3-4 stalks, rough chop, or same, don't even chop
2 sm or 1 large onions halved, not chopped
dill, handful, chopped
parsley, handful, chopped
egg noodles, about a handful per cup of soup
water, salt, pepper

1) Find a soup and stock pot. Put chicken pieces in cold water, enough to cover, bring to first boil, then discard the first liquid, and wash the pot to get rid of the grey yuckies that will appear
2) Put chicken back in pot, add in carrots, celery and onions. I don't chop the onions because I don't like the gooey jelly fish like texture of boiled onion, and halved onions give just as much flavor. The other veggies you can chop if you wann eat them, or throw them in whole if you just want them for flavor.
3) Fill pot with water, add dill, parsley, seasoning
4) bring to boil, then lower to simmer such that a few bubbles at a time pop up, and simmer as long as you like, depending how hearty you want the soup, but at least 1.5-2 hrs
5) cool, refrigerate, and skim fat off the top, although, made this way, the soup is more likely to jellify after refrigeration. Very hearty.
6) make noodles separately if you want a clear broth
7) Heat up, sprinkle with fresh dill, add noodles, serve!!!

If you make a lot, you can freeze part of it and use as stock later; you can make chicken salad with the chicken, too - although I prefer tearing it off the bones with my fingers and eating it like that, sometimes even while it's still cold. It's very satisfying. Like a sandwich with leftover thanksgiving turkey.

Currently, I'm sipping the broth froma mug, like God and grandma intended. I'm breaking a sweat, and I just FEEL myself getting better.
Thanks, grandma!