Stocking Up

I recently started making my own chicken stock.  I realized that I was going through at least 2 cardboard containers of stock a week, much more than that during the holidays. I don't love stock in a box, but it's convenient. Here's a simple, organic, inexpensive way to make and freeze your own so that you always have it on hand.

Homemade Chicken Stock

1 1/2 - 2lbs of organic chicken legs 
4 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons of sea salt
5 quarts of water

Remove skin from chicken legs
Place all ingredients in a large dutch oven or pot
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer
Cook for 5 minutes, skim the foam from the top and cover
Simmer for 2 hours
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes
Pour contents through a colander into a deep bowl.
Cover and refrigerate the broth until cool, discard the colander contents*
Divide into freezer bags, marking amount, date on the outside.
Store up to 6 months.

*Don't waste! pick the boiled chicken from the bones to use in soup.

** Trader Joes shortcut: buy their mirepoix in the prepared vegetable section to save time.  They also sell organic free range chicken legs for under $3. 

 
 

Cherry Baby

I'm a shameless fan of Trader Joes. I love their little shelf of new products and usually try one new thing each week.  I would not normally write up my grocery store findings, although I got really excited about the cookie butter. Try these. They are somewhere between a jalapeno and a bell pepper on the heat spectrum, fruit sweet and tangy. Try them stuffed with soft cheese, it would make a delicious 5 minute appetizer. Every Friday we make homemade pizza and do a movie night and this week we're doing a Green Eggs and Ham pizza to celebrate Dr. Suess's Birthday, but I might need to sneak some of these on my slice.

Cookie Monster

This weekend we get to go to two fun parties!  Unfortunately Jasper can't have dairy and the ubiquitous cupcake usually has lots of it. Most of the time we just get him one at Whole Foods and bring it with us, but today while at Trader Joe's we stumbled upon Cookie Butter.  For some reason, perhaps I have been good this year, it has no dairy. I grabbed a gingerbread cake mix and made mini cupcakes with the leftover fancy papers from the Anthropologist hack.  Warm the Cookie Butter just a bit and pipe onto a cooled cupcake.  Would be delicious with chocolate as well.