The first thing I ever really cooked was homemade chicken soup. I made it in college by looking at the ingredients on a package of Manischewitz soup mix and replicating them using fresh ingredients. I remember discovering that it was the dill in the chicken soup that made it taste like my mom’s. There is truly nothing better on a winter’s day than homemade chicken soup, or “Jewish penicillin,” for whatever ails you— and guess what? It’s very hydrating when using real ingredients versus store-bought, fake, sodium-laden canned junk. It’s actually quite easy but time consuming. Just let the soup simmer in the pot for an hour or so, checking it occasionally to see if more water is required. —Dana

• 1 small whole organic chicken (about 2&1⁄2 to 3 pounds), giblets discarded and chicken rinsed
• 5 to 6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 5 to 6 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large Spanish onion, halved
• 1 parsnip, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch fresh dill or parsley
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, and dill in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water, making sure the chicken is submerged. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour, skimming the scum and chicken proteins from the surface every so often. Add real salt (the brand) and some pepper to taste. Remove the chicken from the pot, but be careful not to burn yourself or, worse, let the chicken slip out of your silicone-gloved hands and fall on the floor. Put it on a plate to cool.

When the chicken is cool enough to touch, throw away the skin (or feed it to the dog), and with clean hands pull pieces of the chicken off the bone and throw it back into the soup to continue simmering for another hour. You can throw away the onion, and pull out the parsnip and mash it with butter for an easy side dish.