[On a completely un-soup-related note, expect a special entry on the 18th. Can anyone guess why? I'll add a hint to the comment section if you ask for it.]

On Sunday, I'm entering a chicken soup contest. I have to provide two gallons of soup, along with a written recipe.

So far, I don't have an exact recipe, but I do have a pretty good idea of what the soup'll contain.

Here's a list of ingredients:
1. one gallon homemade chicken and veggie broth --I'll make this using whole chickens (with breasts removed to be cooked later), spices, and whole vegetables (which will be discarded later). After the broth is ready, I strain it, add the rest of the ingredients, and cook them all together.
2. one gallon store-bought beef broth -- Making two gallons of homemade broth would take too many chickens. I won't use store-bought chicken broth because it smells and tastes weird.
3. barley --Will be added towards the end to add some bite to the soup.
4. rice --Boiling it with the broth will season the rice itself, and thicken the broth without using flour, which is flavorless and can clump up.
5. onions--caramelized with butter
6. garlic --caramelized with butter
7. parsley --added as a garnish
8. carrots --whole carrots added to the broth and discarded later, as well as small chunks added after the broth has been strained
9. celery --same as above
10. red pepper --adds another level of flavor
11. black pepper --Some whole peppercorns will be used to make the broth, and some crushed pepper will be added to season the soup after straining the broth.
12. curry --adds a nice taste and smell
13. cinnamon --adds a level of flavor
14. nutmeg --just a bit, less than a teaspoon.
15. ginger --Fresh slices of ginger will be added to make the broth, and will then be strained away. I'll add some ginger powder to the soup towards the end.
16. sesame oil -- added to give the soup a smokey/nutty taste
17. salt --I'm hoping this is self-explantory for you all.
18. green onions --I might not add this, actually.
19. basil leaves --Added to make the broth, then strained later.
20. heavy cream --just enough to thicken the soup a bit
21. three whole chickens --Added to make the broth and then strained away.
22. whole chicken breasts from three chickens --Added during the last 20 minutes of cooking, then sliced and reheated with the soup.

Basically, I'm trying to make the soup a little thicker than broth, and a little thinner than gravy. I want it to taste rich but not too spicy. I hope this works out. Eep. I just realized that I don't have a pot that's big enough to hold two gallons of soup... Guess I'll have to buy one more thing.