Basil loved chicken and would often lie on the floor in front of the stove as I boiled chicken for soup, chicken pot pie or enchiladas, the comfort dishes my family loved. He knew that if he stayed close, a nice fat, juicy piece of chicken would eventually come his way.
My constant companion, he was always by my side whether on our power walks when he was younger or in the passenger seat of my car as we went away for weekends to visit friends, family or to our weekend home in Savannah. Proudly perched in the basket on my bike, his fur would be slicked back by the wind and nothing, except maybe a squirrel darting across the road, would distract him from enjoying the ride.
As he grew older, the long walks were too much for his little legs to deal with and he had cataracts, so on our short walks, the squirrels would run by taunting him as if they knew his sight was going. He was a tough little Yorkie, nevertheless, having undergone six bladder stone surgeries in his almost 17 years. Some people thought we were crazy to put him through the surgeries, but we always confirmed with the vet each time that he would be able to withstand the surgeries. He was like one of our children and deserved the same treatment.
On February 7, 2007, a month and ten days from our shared birthday on March 17, Basil couldn't shake the short debilitating illness so we made our final trip to the vet to have him euthanized. In the waiting room, his eyes stayed on mine as the vet gave him the first shot to sedate him. As it took effect, his eyes closed and with the second shot, it was over.
Basil was my best friend and he will be missed. This soup is dedicated to him, a sweet, loving and faithful friend.
Basil's Chicken Noodle Soup
Stock Ingredients
3-4 Bone in chicken breast halves
1 onion, peeled and left whole
water or stock to cover
Soup Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
2 leeks, white and light green section, thinly sliced, washed in cold water and drained in colander
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh cut corn, or frozen kernels
2 ounces dried egg noodles
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Bring stock or water to simmer. Add chicken breast pieces and onion and bring to a boil, skimming foam that comes to the top. Cook until chicken pieces are tender and no pink remains. Remove chicken from stock, let cool and remove from bone, chopping into bite size pieces. Discard onion.
Strain stock and place in large soup pot. Add vegetables, chicken, thyme and salt and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and simmer until tender. Adust seasonings.
You can add other vegetables to this soup also. Serves 6. Garnish with fresh thyme.
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