Homemade Chicken Stock

You can always use canned stock or broth for your soup but homemade stock really does add a wonderful flavor. There are two types of stock, commonly called "light" or "dark". For a "light" stock being lighter in color make the stock using the meat of a chicken but not the bones. For a "dark" stock, which I prefer, use a leftover cooked roast  chicken carcass, making sure to include the skin and especially the wing and leg bones. You can also use the giblets if you want to mess with that nasty stuff!

Ingredients:

leftover chicken carcass, (you can make stock from a raw carcass, but I prefer to use an already roasted bird.) OR chicken meat if making a light stock.

1 onion, chopped
2-3 celery ribs with leaves
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 garlic clove or a couple dashes of garlic powder
6-8 cups of water

Place all the ingredients into a dutch oven, cover and simmer 2-3 hours. Remove the meat and bones and pour the stock through a strainer.  You can then either use your stock right then to make your soup or you may refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze in ice cube trays or serving size freezer containers.  Yield: 6-7 cups.

*I prefer to refrigerate my stock overnight prior to use, the fat will rise to the top and can be scraped off before using the stock. The stock will appear gelatinous but will turn back to liquid upon heating.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I like to make this soup whenever we have roast chicken, I use the leftover chicken carcass to make the stock I use in the soup. For the best flavor/texture use homemade noodles. The recipes for the stock and noodles will be posted also. 


Ingredients:


1 cup or so (I don't measure) diced or shredded cooked chicken (I prefer shredded)
  *use chicken from a roast chicken breast or use the recipe for poached chicken breasts found in this blog. You can use canned chicken, but I don't recommend it.


2 large cans of chicken broth OR homemade stock from roast chicken along with 4-6 cups of homemade chicken broth. 


1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced or chopped


Assorted seasonings, sorry I do not measure, I simply pour! 


salt, pepper, thyme, poultry seasoning, garlic powder


Place all the above ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low 8 hours. Transfer the soup once done to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil, add homemade noodles and cook till tender (5-10 minutes)  


Serve with rolls or homemade bread. 

Super Easy CrockPot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:


1 lb frozen meatballs (appetizer size)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 yellow/orange pepper chopped
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
2 jars Sweet & Sour sauce (I use Kraft)
1/4 cup soy sauce


Mix the sweet & sour sauce w/ the soy sauce in small bowl, place sauce and all other ingredients into Crock Pot, cook on low 8 hours or high 5-6 hours.  Serve w/ rice or noodles. (this recipe can be easily adjusted for size!)

Pasties

Another Recipe from Dining on a Dime Cookbook.  These are sooooo good, though we don't have them often because they are a lot of work!  But well worth it if you have the time!  I've included the dough recipe but I usually just use the ready made pie crusts.  I like to serve these with fries and brown gravy, though my husband likes to put ketchup on his!

Filling:

1 Tbsp water

4 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped (I actually dice mine)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2-1 lb ground beef, browned

salt and pepper to taste

Dough:

1 cup shortening

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp water

In a saucepan simmer the carrots in the water, butter and chicken boillon cubes.  Add potatoes, onion, ground beef and salt and pepper.  Divide into fourths.  Mix dough ingredients and roll into four 10 inch circles.  Put the meat mixture on one side of the dough.  Fold the other half of the dough over and seal with fingers or a fork.  Bake 1 hour at 375.  Serves 4-6.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is another traditional British recipe that has been Americanized - but not by me!  I still prefer the English version but this is a good second, though pretty much totally different!  It's from an awesome book I own called Dining on a Dime Cookbook.  This is a MUST have cookbook if you are looking for ways to save money while still serving awesome food!  It's not only full of great recipes it also has money saving tips, and gift ideas for you to make yourself.  

This recipe reminds me of chili actually in taste.  It's very good and even better as a leftover dish.  If you are interested in experiencing a traditional British Shepherds Pie Meijer's sells the seasoning mix in their World Foods section, along with a lot of other tasty treats directly from Britain.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots diced

1 can peas, drained, or 1 can mixed vegetables for carrots and peas (I omit the diced carrots and simply use 1 can of mixed vegetables.  Otherwise you have TONS of carrots!)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce (I prefer Hunts)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

4 cups mashed potatoes

3/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef and onion.  Add carrots and cook until tender.  Drain grease and add peas or mixed vegetables.  In a casserole dish combine tomato sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder.  Mix well and add the beef mixture.  Mix again thoroughly.  Top with mashed potatoes then grated cheese.  Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Serves 4.

Frog in the Ditch - an Americanized Version of Toad in the Hole

I love British food and having a British husband has opened all kinds of new food experiences and recipes to me!  My mother in law is quite possibly THE best cook in the world, when we visit England I live for her home cooked meals.  She makes an awesome Toad in the Hole, which, if you are not familiar with it, is basically sausage in a pastry like batter.  When my husband moved to America he brought some pretty good British cookbooks with him and I've had fun trying to replicate the recipes.  NOT an easy task though since American ingredients differ greatly from British ingredients!  Take sausage for instant.  In Britain they have the most wonderful sausage full of flavor.  It has a lighter texture than American sausage (their hot dogs are different as well).  Problem is you can't find British sausage here, at least not where I live!  And believe me, we have looked!!!  The same with flour.  With American flour you get a tougher, flakier pastry than what you get with British flour, which gives you a softer, more substantial pastry.  This is why the bread you find in British grocery stores is soooo good!  Not the light squidgy stuff we get here.  British bread makes the best toast!  The closest I have been able to find here to British bread is Italian or the specialty bakery bread that costs $$$$.

It's so disappointing that there is a common misconception that British food is bland and tasteless.  NOTHING could be further from the truth!  Trust me, I am just about THE pickiest eater you will find, and I love pretty much everything I've ever had to eat in England.  (exceptions being Branston, Marmite, Christmas pudding and Blood pudding! Ick!)  

So on to the recipe!  The traditional Toad in the Hole, prepared correctly, is delicious but it takes a lot more work and patience than I currently have!  Plus like I said, I don't have the proper ingredients.  Still, Glen and I have managed to come up with what we think is a suitable substitute to have here in America.  When we visit England we get to have the real thing from Glen's mom!  This recipe has been adapted by yours truly from Delia's How to Cook Book One.  Hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 tube of breakfast sausage (I use the mild but it's up to you)

3/4 cup white flour

1 large egg

3 fl oz. (75 ml) semi skimmed milk (I am guessing this means 2%)

2 fl oz. (55 ml) water

salt & pepper

1 onion, sliced and separated into strips

2 teaspoons oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 425.  Mold the sausage into links (I usually get 5-6).  Cut your onion.  Mix oil and sugar in a bowl and toss the onion to coat.  I use a small rectangular (glass) baking dish (sorry can't remember the measurements, smaller than the 9x13).  Spread your onions on bottom of pan, place sausage links inside.  Cook in oven till done, I usually give them 30 minutes just to be sure they are done!  

Now you are ready to mix up the batter.  Sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the flour with a large spoon, break the egg into it and add salt and pepper.  (I also had a sprinkle of onion powder).  Whisk the egg into the flour.  Measure your milk and water into a measuring jug and gradually add the liquid, whisking  until smooth.    When your sausages are done, pour the batter over them and return to the oven.  Cook for another 20-30 minutes, be careful or it will burn and you won't be able to cut it!  

I make a brown gravy to serve over top (usually just the brown gravy packets).  A typical serving is two sausages in the batter.  It may be tough to cut so use a sharp knife (thanks again to American flour!)  Serve with mashed potatoes and for that authentic British twist baked beans on the side!    

Not sure how many this serves, it's perfect for Glen and I so if you have a bigger family you will want to double the recipe and use a bigger pan.

Now I'm sure there are better American versions of Toad in the Hole out there, I haven't looked, but this is the one we use and enjoy.  You can use a link sausage if you like, but in our experience it lacks that authentic British flavor.  Feel free to tinker around with your recipes, that's what makes them fun!!!

Southern Baked Beans

This recipe is from Paula Deen and it is sooooo good!!!    (and no, this is NOT a low fat recipe, LOL!)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon

1 large onion, diced

1 16 ounce can pork and beans

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

5 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a skillet fry bacon until crispy and crumble.  In the same pan using the bacon drippings, saute the onion until brown.  Mix bacon, onion and drippings with the remaining ingredients.  Pour into a baking dish and bake covered for 45-60 minutes.  

Yield:  4 servings