Canine Good Citizens and Chicken Velvet Soup

WHEW! This weekend has been busier and more stressful than the work week! Though I am exhausted and can hardly face the idea of Monday, I am thrilled to report that, not only did my literacy team make it to the finals at the mall yesterday (YAY!), but after FOUR LONG HOURS of testing today, nearly 12-year-old Prunelle and 9-year-old Grady BOTH earned their Canine Good Citizen titles, and Grady also passed his Therapy Dog exam! It's a MIRACLE! (Paw-note: Prunelle passed both the TDI and the CGC back in 2007, but the AKC lost their record of the latter, and Grady completed all of the exercises on the CGC last summer, but failed the test because he peed on some weeds during his loose lead walking. So HUZZAH to my little hounds!)

Because I was so busy this weekend, I could not make my usual Sunday evening culinary fanfare. So I needed something easy to prepare that I could leave simmering in the crock pot while I was off doing the dog testing. Somewhere online recently, I was reading about this tea room in Indianapolis (later identified as The L.S. Ayres Tea Room by my friend, Phillip, who himself hails from Indiana) that is no longer in existence, and the person posting was grieving the loss of their delicious Chicken Velvet Soup. I was intrigued by the name of the dish, though have no idea how it's any different from cream of chicken soup. Nevertheless, that's what I had crockin' today. Now, I do realize that this would be quick and easy to make on the stove top, but tragically, my range died an electrical death right after I finished browning my braciole on Sunday. So until we get a new stove, we are making do with a microwave, an electric skillet, and my trusty crock pot. Ugh.

Crock Pot Chicken Velvet Soup

(Source: adapted from L.S. Ayres Tea Room Recipes & Recollections)

 

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm milk
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup warm cream
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

Melt the butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and then whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour into the crock pot. Add a cup of warm milk, two cups of hot chicken stock, and a cup of warm cream. Whisk until smooth, and cook on high for about two hours, stirring every so often when you happen to wander through the kitchen. Then whisk in another quart of chicken stock, the chicken soup base, and the pepper. Stir in the chicken and cook for another couple of hours on high. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.