CHICKEN STOCK!!!

Hey Folks!!
Ok so I love chicken anything and one of the best things you can do with a carcass of roasted chicken you can make the most magical incarnation of poultry imaginable.... STOCK!
This lovely, and slightly gross, concoction can be the foundation of amazing soup, flavorful rice, and added to just about anything. Just like a tub of bacon fat, this is a staple for your fridge and it freezes excellently. OK so there are several ways you can make this awesome liquid gold. My method involves a crock pot.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time 13-15 hours

Tools:
Crock pot
Ladle
Colander
Large Freezer Bags
Measuring Cups
Large Mixing Bowl


Ingredients:
A left over chicken carcass, I used the one from the roasted chicken recipe I posted last. I froze it to use later!
3-4 carrots, peeling and sliced
3-4 stalks of celery, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion
1 tbls of fat of choice, I chose bacon fat :D but olive oil works very well also
1 tbls of garlic, minced
pinch oregano *opt*
sprig of thyme *opt*
1-2 tbls of fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
8-10 cups of fresh water, by fresh I mean the kind you would drink straight up so if your tap water is nasty then don't use it

making your stock!
Sweat the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and fat. Add the chicken, water, veggies, s&p and herbs to crock pot and set it to high for the first hour. After an hour move heat to low and go about your day till the next after noon. * I started it at 11 pm and finished it at 3 pm the next day*

Storage and Straining
Once you remember that you had some stock bubbling away and are ready to pack it away you will need to strain it. The nice thing about this stock is there is no, or minimal, fat to skim off the top. I used a colander and a large mixing bowl to strain the soup and help cool it down some. Using a ladle and some freezer bags, spoon mixture into colander and use measuring cup to dole out a few cups per freezer bag * I use about 3-4 cups a bag* I let the bags chill in the fridge then chuck them in the freezer and forget them till you need them!!

Enjoy your chicken liquid to and a great use of your dusty crock pot! This recipe is so easy and really makes a great stock that is minimal in salt, because wouldn't you rather salt the end product your using the stock in rather then have a salty broth?

Thanks for reading and have a fantastic day!!
Love,
Ditzy!!

Summer is here and gonna keep knitting and cooking

Well I have been away from the knitting for awhile, and as always, I will try to get back in the swing now that schools out. I have been having a ball in the kitchen as you can see here at my ditzy kitchen blog. I have been making the cream of spinach scarf a lot though just because I think it is a great pattern. But keep checking in and I will keep posting on ditzy kitchen. Posting one on homemade stock today.

Much love!,
Ditzy

Awesome, Fool Proof Roasted Chicken PLUS peach cobbler!!

Ok so I work late tonight and had about 5 hours to kill before work so I decided to make something very comforting... roasted chicken! As well as chicken fat potatoes, asparagus, and peach cobbler.
The recipe for the cobble can be found here.

But with out further ado... The roasted chicken recipe!

Ingredients:
Small fryer chicken-de-gutted
2-3 tbl olive oil
1-2 tbl minced garlic
2 springs fresh rosemary
small sweet onion, quatered
small granny smith apple, halved
small lemon
s&p

Preheat oven to 375,
In a 13X9in shallow baking pan place the chicken breast side up. Take apple, onion, and one sprig of fresh rosemary and insert in the cavity. Take garlic and remaining rosemary, removed from twig, and massage on and under the chicken's skin. liberally sprinkle with olive oil and continue to massage garlic, rosemary, and oil until the chicken is well coated. Sprinkle with salt and fresh black pepper. Cook till internal temp reaches 180, or juices run clear, around 1 and half hours. After an hour sprinkle with a bit more olive oil and wait patiently till the temp is right.

Let sit for 10-15 min and carve it up!!!

I took the drippings and used it in place of olive oil on roasted potatoes, it was amazing!

Happy cooking!