Making your own Chicken and Beef Broth

Why?

• Its easy
• Its inexpensive
• You have control over the sodium and fat
• Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT labor intensive

Did you pick up a store bought roasted chicken for dinner?

Take the carcass, and any skin you did not eat;
3 stalks of celery cut in half
3 carrots peeled, cut in half
1 garlic bulb cut in half
1 large onion cut in quarters
Bay leaf, salt and pepper

Put in stock pot with 12 cups of water and simmer for 1.5 hours

Strain out veges and bones, throw away
Chill broth until any fat solidifies and skim off
Freeze in ziploc bags and/or individual custard cups (approx 1/2 cup) and when frozen, release from cups and store in a large zip lock bag.

Thats it.

To make it better, spend some time roasting a chicken or beef soup bones (rubbed with the rub at the beginning of this blog) along with the vegies sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour before adding them to the stock pot.
The meat can then be removed and used for other dishes.

I've always made my own stock, however, when I was out, I had Tim pick some up from the store.   Being the thrifty man he is, he picked up Great Value chicken broth.   The ingredients included salt, MSG and sugar as the main ingredients.   We won't be doing that again.

Potato Salad

HMMM, the ice was out and the dock put in the water on Saturday 3/24/2012.   REALLY REALLY early for north central Minnesota.   Add to that the 70 degree temperature and the need for picnic food kicked in.   Thus, the first potato salad of the season.

I have made this salad for years and never had a recipe, so in order to post, I had to follow and record my steps and measurements.    Now, for those people that have asked me for the recipe, I actually have one to share.  

Start with the  usual suspects:

Ingredients:

4 lbs red potatoes

Peel and cut into thirds (or 6ths if large potatoes), making sure you have somewhat uniform sizes.  Put into pan of cold, salted water and bring to a boil until fork tender.    8-10 minutes.    Drain and let cool.

7 large eggs

Cover with water in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.   When water reaches a boil, cover and remove from heat for 14 minutes.  Then immediately chill in cold water.  For easier peeling, slightly crack each egg while cooling in the cold water.

3 stalks celery

4 radishes

1 small sweet onion or 1/2 large one

1/2 package dried Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (about 1 1/2 t)

1/3 cup pickle relish

1 T dijon mustard

1 t kosher or sea salt

2t freshly ground pepper.

While potatoes and eggs are boiling and cooling, cut celery and onion into approx 1/2" pieces and thinly slice the radishes.   Place in large bowl.

When potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2" pieces and add to the vegetables.   Sprinkle the 1/2 pack italian dressing over the warm potatoes and let sit until fully cooled. 

Add the relish (Jeanne's Picadilly Relish is awesome but you need to wait until fall harvest for the recipe, therefore any pickle relish should do), mustard, mayoi and salt and pepper.  Stir to mix.

Finally chop 6 eggs and add to the mix, leaving the last egg for slicing and placing on top.

Taste for adjusting the seasonings.   The Italian dressing has salt in it, therefore check at this point to determine if the added salt is enough. 

Place in serving bowl, arrange egg slices over the top and sprinkle with paprika.   

This is pretty tasty and a good start to warmer days ahead!   Enjoy. 

Shepherds Pie

So, my sister-in -law was visiting for St. Paddys weekend and said she would supply the Irish dinner.   Tim recommended Corned Beef and Cabbage but 'Queen' Mary who had received a growler of Liftbridge Chestnut Hill for her birthday www.liftbridgebrewery.com thought a cabbage and beer combo would be a bit much.  As a result, we thought Shepherds Pie would be a great alternative.    Total comfort food. 

Anyway, I had not made Shepherds Pie before and Tim sent Queen Mary to the Foodnetwork for choices.   When I reviewed their choice and looked at more, we ended up using Shepherds Pie, recipe courtesy Anne Burrell at   www.foodnetwork.com .  Why this one? Well, first it had lamb roast instead of ground beef or lamb.   If you're going to go with lamb, you might as well make it the good stuff.  Second, it included a cup of red wine.   What red meat is not enhanced by a bit of wine? 

Queen Mary picked up some ridiculously expensive lamb tenderloin and was too afraid to make the recipe since she had spent $40 on the lamb alone so we tag teamed it.
Mary sliced and diced the vegies and I did the cooking.

This is what it looked like up until making the mashed potatoes.

This is after the taters.  The the final, broiled topping version is up top of this blog.
While this is certainly not my own recipe, I do have a few comments:

• I added pepper to the ingredients in all places that added salt.
• Red wine could be skipped but if you do use it, use a wine that you can actually drink.  The cooking wines in MN grocery stores are horrible.   Go with more chicken stock if this is all you have.
• This is a healthy dish until the mashed potatoes.   We went with the levels of butter and heavy cream recommended because in this family, St. Patricks Day is a national holiday.  However, to reduce the fat and calories, milk, less butter and chicken broth can lower fat without compromising taste. 

Enjoy!
 

Balsamic Chicken with Peppers and Pecans

Serves 4



A very simple recipe that takes grilled chicken breast to the next level.

Tim and I were watching Giada on the Food Network when she was making ravioli with a balsamic sauce.    It sounded so good, I had to make something similar.    Reducing balsamic vinegar and sugar into a syrup yields a fantastic sweet-tart sauce.  It is easy and quick.  Dipping each bite into a bit of the syrup makes your tongue smile.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter, divided
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper (or any two colors you prefer)
2 cloves garlic minced.
2/3 c toasted pecan halves, roughly chopped.*
2/3 c balsmic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
8 thinly sliced chicken breast cutletsy (or two to threee chicken breasts pounded and cut into 8 pieces)
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Thinly slice peppers and saute in a large pan with 1 tbsp of the melted butter, salt and pepper until soft, about 5 minutes.   Add the garlic for another 3 minutes, stirring to prevent the garlic from burning.       Set aside in bowl and stir in the pecans.

In small sauce pan add the balsamic vinegar and sugar.   Simmer over low heat until reduced to a syrup (5-10 minutes), add 1 tbsp butter and set aside.

Add olive oil or Pam spray to both sides of chicken pieces and salt and pepper.    Grill or saute chicken until cooked through.   These are thin pieces of chicken, if on the grill you only need about two minutes a side.

Arrange on a platter, drizzle with balsamic syrup and top with peppers and pecans.

*I have always toasted my pecans in a dry skillet, shaking to avoid burning.  However according to the Georgia Pecan Commission, simply spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Very simple!   Also, walnuts could be substituted, just don't forget to toast them.

A Blonde Moment?

No recipe, just a humbling kitchen experience.

I poured myself a glass of milk with my dinner and it was somewhat warm.   Thinking I had simply bumped the temperature control knob on the fridge, I turned it up and forgot about it.   The next morning, in getting my orange juice, it was still warm and I opened the freezer to find most of the items partially thawed.    I immediately brought items down to the large freezer in the basement and called the repair man. 

Mind you this fridge is only about 5 years old and we've already had to replace a blower.  I am very indignant and will never buy an Amana refrigerator again!

So, the repair man comes out and explains that he really doesn't have a problem with Amana, and perhaps we are just unlucky.   He checks everything and all is o.k.   Before he leaves he checks one last thing.   He removed the front bottom of the fridge and asks if we have cats.   There is so much dog hair down there, the generator got to warm and shut off.   

I have routinly vacumned behind the fridge, but underneath only put the swiffer underthere.  I did not know that the lower panel nicely unsnaps for vacumning.    DUH!

We have three dogs which shed.

Good thing I was using that pound and 1/2 of shrimp for gumbo that very day or I would have had to find a quick use for the thawed out seafood!



Seafood Gumbo

For us Midwesterners, another name for gumbo could be stew.   This wonderful, slightly spicy seafood combination was a wonderful Friday dinner during Lent for my Irish Catholic husband and inlaws. Total comfort food with complex flavors that make my taste buds smile.   
While there is probably a different gumbo recipe in every New Orleans household, and often times includes Andoule sausage, a wonderful smoked, spicy sausage, I of course, was staying away from the meat because of Lent.
This recipe is time consuming, has many steps, and is probably made over a two day period, it is worth the trouble.  Read the recipe in its entirety before making.  Serves 8

Step 1
Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.   Stir in flour, salt and pepper and cook until smooth, stiring until darkened (about the color of a copper penny).

Step 2
Add:
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 bayleaves crushed
1 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp caynenne
2 cups coppped celery
2 cups chipped onion
2 cups chopped bell pepper (I used red pepper)
4 garlic cloves, minced

Cook until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes) and let cool somewhat.


Step 3
In separate pot, boil:

1 1/2 quarts reduced sodium and low fat chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup clam juice (or the juice from two cans of diced clams, reserving the clams
The shells from 1 1/2 lbs of medium uncooked shrimp, reserving the shrimp.  If you are using whole shrimp, include the heads in broth mixture. 

Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.   Strain out the solids and add the stock slowly to the roux and vegetable mixture.  Add

Step 4
14 ounces tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as tobasco), or more to taste.

Cook until thickened.

NOTE: At this point, if cooking this over a two day period, let 'stew' cook and refridgerate over night.  The flavors will blend beautifully letting it sit.

Step 5
When  ready to serve, rewarm the stew and add:

The reserved clams and shrimp
2 cups crab meat

Or, any combination of seafood you wish.   Fresh shucked and drained oysters and/or crawfish meat would be wonderful.
Heat for 15 minutes.

Serve in bowls over rice and topped with chopped green onions.

This is awesome!

Dry Rub for Barbeque or Roasting

No picture for this first recipe.   This is simply a good, all around rub for meats being smoked, roasted, grilled and even slow cooked in a crock pot.   I've used this on Pork, Beef and Poultry with great results.   The rub can be stored in an airtight container for about 3 months or frozen for up to a year.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/4 cup corriander seeds

Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, shaking frequently to avoid burning.  2-5  minutes.  Remove and let cool, then grind to a powder.     Note, if you only have ground cumin and corriander, you can use them, but this toasting process does make a difference.

Add to toasted spices:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup hungarian paprika (sweet or hot)

1/4 cup ancho chili powder

2 tbsp red pepper (cayenne or thai)

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp fresh ground pepper

Stir together and rub a generous amount over meat and refridgerate for 4-24 hours.  Brown meat and cook as desired. 

If you prefer a smokey taste, substitute smoked paprika, and if you like smokey and more heat, add 1 -2 tbsp of chipotle chili pepper. 

Again, this is a general, all around rub and makes a healthy batch.   Amounts can be reduced for a smaller recipe.    I always use this when smoking pork ribs, roasting chicken, beef roast, pork roast, country style ribs, etc.    Enjoy!