Chicken & Puppies!

Okay, bet that title got your attention!! No eating puppies on this blog, but there are some cute pictures of puppies! You may have noticed that I have been a bit delinquent about blogging during the last week and a half... I have been busy dog-sitting & house-sitting for our friends who own our dog's sister. So we had two giant golden retrievers for 10 days while they went away on their spring break vacation. The puppies were great & my hubby was fooling around with the camera one day and got some great shots that I thought I would share with you. :) I also thought these photos would make up for the lack of photos I have of the chicken I'm going to tell you about! ;)

This chicken is some of the most flavourful, moist and delicious chicken I've ever had. Annnddd its super duper easy to make! Honestly, any one can make it.

Take about 3/4 cup of chicken broth and heat it in a medium size skillet until it boils. Turn down to simmer and add two chicken breasts. Simmer the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat, slice and sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now you have some amazing chicken to do whatever you want with, we put it on top of salad, but you could have it in some pasta, or make sandwiches with it, or you could just eat it with some rice or potatoes and some roasted veggies. Either way, its a delicious alternative to baking chicken and is just as healthy for you. :)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

The Daring Bakers Challenge - March 2011 - Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake!

I am most definitely posting late for this month's Daring Bakers' Challenge. It has been an insane month and it seems that just yesterday I was posting about our Panna Cotta challenge. Well, surprise, an entire month has flown by and I feel like I have nothing to show for it. But at least I managed to complete the challenge! And had a good time doing it! The March 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria's Collection & Jamie of Life's a Feast. Ria & Jamie challenged the Daring Bakers to make a yeasted meringue coffee cake. I made two of the coffee cakes - the first one I stuck to the recipe and used cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, and toasted pecans. I shaped this bread differently - more of an "S" shape then cut down the middle to show off the meringue. The second coffee cake I sprinkled on a tiny bit of the cinnamon sugar, fresh cranberries, toasted pistachios, almonds, and the zest of one lemon. I shaped this one like the wreath we were challenged to make. I found this to be a very similar technique to that of the Stollen Wreath we made at Christmastime, the only additional challenge was rolling it up without the meringue squishing out the sides! I will definitely be making this recipe over and over again with different fillings! The possibilities are endless and it really does look nice when it is baked. Not to mention the fact that the house smelled absolutely heavenly while it was baking away in the oven. It was pretty tough to wait for the loaf to cool before hacking into it!

There are a couple of parts to this recipe, the first being the sweet dough.

Yeasted Coffee Cake Dough

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 3/4 tsp salt


• 1 pkg active dry yeast


• 3/4 cup whole milk


• 1/4 cup water


• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, the yeast, and the salt. Set aside.


2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water and butter. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is warm and the butter is melted.


3. With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the flour/ yeast mixture, beating until well blended. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the eggs and one more cup of the flour and mix for 2 more minutes.


4. Switch to your dough hook and stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough that holds together. Knead with the dough hook for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, sexy and elastic, adding extra flour as needed.


5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and then a tea towel. Place in a warm, draft free place until risen and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.


6. Prepare your fillings.

The next component of this coffee cake is the meringue filling. The meringue is super easy to whip up as long as you have a stand mixer that you can just turn on high and walk away!! Which I do, so of course I LOVE making meringue because it turns out perfect every time. :) Ingredients:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 1/2 cup sugar

Method:

1. Once the dough has doubled in bulk, make the meringue. Using a very clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and the salt on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase speed to high until the egg whites and foamy and opaque. Add the vanilla and then start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Mix up 2 tbsp of sugar with 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. Also prepare one cup toasted pecans and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or as I did for my other bread - sprinkle with cranberries, pistachios, almonds and zest of 1 lemon).

The last step is to assemble the bread!

Method:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. Punch down the dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 20x10 inches. Spread half the meringue over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch of room on each side. Then sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture, 1/2 of the nuts and 1/2 of the chocolate.


3. Roll the dough up jelly-roll style, starting on the long side. Pinch the seam closed to seal. Bring the ends of the log around and seal together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.


4. Using a sharp knife, slash the dough evenly about 1 inch apart.


5. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for about 1 hour.


6. Preheat the oven to 350F. Take 1 egg and beat well. Brush the loaves with the egg wash just prior to placing in the oven.


7. Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven until risen and golden brown. The dough should sound hollow when tapped.


8. Remove from oven to cooling racks until well cooled. Just before serving dust the tops lightly with cocoa powder or icing sugar (or both) to give them a pretty look. These are best if eaten fresh, the first day or two is ideal.

Yummers! They were great! The meringue sort of absorbs into the bread to make it so moist and delicious tasting. You'll have to restrain yourself from eating the whole loaf!

Thanks Ria and Jamie for such a lovely challenge! My favorite part about this challenge was the fact that it took elements that most of us Daring Bakers were familiar with and did something totally unexpected with them. I mean who would have thought of putting meringue into a sweet bread?! I know I never would have. I can't wait to have a look around at what all of the other fabulous Daring Bakers did with their challenges. Check it out if you have a second at the Daring Kitchen website. You won't be disappointed. :)

Hope everyone had a great Monday! Only 4 days left til the weekend. :) The count down is on!!!!!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Smashed Potatoes & Sesame-Soy Green Beans and Peppers

Sick of your same-old same-old week night dinner routine? Think you can't whip up a great, new recipe on a weeknight when you're tired after work? Think again!!! Rachael Ray is here to save the day with some more of her "30 Minute Meals". You will be in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes flat and dining on a great meal that will get you out of your week night dinner rut. I guarantee it!

Give this recipe a try this week and let me know what you think! If you like it and find these kind of recipes helpful in getting you through the week, let me know and I will definitely post more. :)

Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Smashed Potatoes & Sesame Soy Green Beans & Peppers

Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

Ingredients:

• 3 inches of fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp tamari (aged soy sauce)
• zest and juice of 2 limes
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp grill seasoning (i.e. montreal steak spice)
• 2 lbs flank steak
• 2 1/2- 3 lbs idaho potatoes (4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks
• salt
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tbsp wasabi paste (how hot do ya like it?!)
• 3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
• salt
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 scallions, trimmed of root ends
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Method:

1. Preheat a grill pan or indoor/ outdoor grill to high.
2. Combine the ginger, 1/4 cup of the tamari, lime juice, 3 tbsp of the oil, and grill seasoning in a shallow dish. Add the meat to the marinate, turn to coat evenly, and let stand for 10 minutes.
3. While the flank steak marinates, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a oil, salt the potatoes, and cook until tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Use a potatoe masher to mash the potatoes with the cream and wasabi to your preferred consistency and heat level. Adust the salt to taste.
4. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Grill meat for 6-7 minutes on each side, for medium-rare to medium. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice on an angle against the grain.
5. While potatoes and meat cook, cut the green beans into 2-inch pieces on an angle, and place in a skillet. Add an inch or two of water, salt it, and bring to a boil. Cook the beans for 5 minutes, then drain. Return the skillet to the burner and ad the remaining vegetable oil. Heat the pan over high heat until the oil smokes. Add the beans and bell peppers and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the remaining tamari and sesame oil, toss, and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Finely chop the scallions together with cilantro and lime zest.
6. Serve the meat over a mound of smashed potatoes and garnish with a generous sprinkling of chopped scallion-cilantro-lime zest. Serve the sesame-soy green beans and peppers alongside.

Hope you have all had a great weekend and managed to find some time to relax! I ran an 8km race this morning with some of my co-workers. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time running with some awesome people. What did you do this weekend? Whatever you did, hope it was great. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Roger on 10th - Restaurant Review

While I was out of town for work, my co-workers and I tried out a great new restaurant in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Roger on 10th was delicious - great west coast style food with wonderful service. Check out the review I wrote on TripAdvisor if you're interested. Otherwise, just check out the pictures of a couple of the dishes we ordered. Above is the herb crusted chicken with pureed potatoes and below is a lamb curry served with rice and raita. Both dishes were great! I can't wait to go back there and try out some more of their exquiite menu.

Happy Friday to all of you! Hope you enjoy your weekend and have lots of fun (or relaxation) planned. Happy Cooking my Friends!

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Pancetta

Well, we're over half way through the week now! Woohoo! And tomorrow is St. Patty's day - so be sure to wear something green. :) If you're entertaining this weekend or even if you just want to try out a new recipe, try out these amazing stuffed mushrooms. You will be blown away by how perfect they are. They're so flavourful with a hint of spice from a pinch of red chilli flakes. You and your guests will love them, if you even want to share.


These mushrooms are great because you can make them ahead and then just pop them into the oven right before you need to serve them. They're surprisingly easy and quick to prepare!

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Pancetta
Recipe from the Best of Fine Cooking Magazine, Party Food and Cocktails 2010

Ingredients

• 35-40 cremini mushrooms (about 1 1/2 lb), about 1 1/2-2 inches wide
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, more for the baking dish
• 1 1/2 oz pancetta, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)\5 medium shallots, finely diced
• 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs (preferably from a day-old rustic french or italian loaf)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-regiano
• 2 to 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425F. Trim and discard the very bottom of the mushroom stems. Remove the mushroom stems and finely chop them, along with 5 of the largest mushroom caps.
2. Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat for 1 minute and add 2 tbsp of the butter. When it has melted, add the pancetta and cook until it starts to render some of its fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shallots, sage and red pepper flakes, cook gently until the shallots are tender, about 4 minutes (reduce the heat if shallots begin to brown). Stir in the chopped mushroom stems and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tbsp butter. When it has melted, transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and parmigiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.
3. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the mushrooms in one layer. Arrange the mushrooms in the dish and season the cavities with salt. Stuff each cavity with a rounded 1 tsp of the filling, or more as needed. The filling should form a tall mound. You may have leftover filling; if you have extra mushrooms, keep stuffing until you run out of filling.
4. Drizzle the mushrooms with the olive oil. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve warm.

Thats that! Since its a week night and you're sure to be busy, I'll keep this post short. Hope you enjoy this fantastic recipe and take the time to give it a try this weekend. Happy Cooking my Friends! Be sure to stay tuned for some more great recipes this weekend. :)

Blackberry Avocado Salad

This has been a really eventful week for most people around the world. Sad and scary with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and the tsunami that hit other areas after rippling out from Japan. My heart goes out to the many people affected by this horrible tragedy - those living in Japan and those with family and friends in Japan. What a scary and stressful time for them. I am really touched the by the aid and fundraising efforts that started so quickly and will continue to provide support to Japan when they need it the most. The devastation and wreckage there is absolutely unreal, looking at photos and video footage makes it all the more real and all the more unnerving. My thoughts and prayers go out to those in need and those who are worried about their friends and family who may have been lost in the wreckage.

In light of the seriousness and stressfulness of the week, I thought sharing a simple and light salad with you would be fitting. As many of you are likely consumed with worry and sadness, this salad is quick to whip up, and will provide you with much needed nourishment to keep you strong and on top of things. This salad is delicious and definitely has a spring feel to it.

Blackberry Avocado Salad

Recipe from Anna Olson

Ingredients:

• 8 cups arugula or other mixed baby greens
• 1 ripe (but not too soft) avocado, sliced
• 1 pint of fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup feta
• juice of 1 lime
• good quality extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1. Wash and dry lettuce and place in a pretty bowl. Fan out the sliced avocado artfully on top of the greens and sprinkle with the blackberries and crumble the feta on top. Juice the lime over the salad, sprinkling evenly with the lime juice. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I told you it was easy! And it tastes amazing - the fresh flavours really come out and the lime juice keeps the avocado from turning brown. You will love this salad and hopefully it's simplicity brings a little joy to your life in such a sad and trying time.

To all of you affected by this horrible tradgedy, my thoughts and prayers are with you. May you find your loved ones and feel a sense of peace in such a tough time.

Happy Cooking my Friends! Hugs to you all.

Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling

I've been having a great weekend! My Dad is here visiting, so we went out for a great dinner last night and spent the day hanging out together. Plus, the weather is nicer than its been in quite some time here, so all in all its been a good weekend! Since I'm feeling pretty joyful, I thought I would share a recipe with you that brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction - ginger-spice sandwich cookies with lemon cream. Mmmmmmm!!! I had never tried sandwich cookies before, but decided plain old cookies weren't really special enough to make for my hubby's Superbowl party last month, so I decided on this recipe from the Best of Fine Cooking Magazine - Tailgating 2010. It was definitely a good call - all of the cookies were devoured during the party and people raved about them! They were so perfect - the right amount of spice in the cookies countered with the sweet lemon cream inside the cookies. Next time I make them I'll be sure to put even more filling in them.


The cookies weren't nearly as much work as I thought they would be which is always a plus. And if you put the filling into a piping bag and pipe the filling onto the cookies, filling them is a breeze - speedy with minimal cleanup. If you make them, put about double the filling you see piped on them in the picture below, and make them the night before that way the cookies can soak up some of the filling making them extra moist and delicious.

Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream

Recipe from the Best of Fine Cooking magazine - Tailgating 2010

Cookie Ingredients:

• 9 oz (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lemon Cream Ingredients:

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 6 oz (1 1/2 cups) confectioners sugar

Method:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the molasses, egg and vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
4. Put about 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll about a tsp of dough into 1-inch ball. Roll each ball in sugar and arrange about 2 inches apare on the lined baking sheets. Use the bottom of a gladd to flatten the cookies slightly. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies feel dry to the touch and are beginning to firm up (they'll still feel soft inside), 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on racks.
5. Make the lemon cream: with a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and continue to mix until smooth.
6. Assemble the cookies: pipe filling liberally onto the center of a cookie, top with another cookie, then gently press them. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

If you want to serve them up pretty, you can put them on a plate with some candied ginger. It adds a nice touch!

I hope you're having an exciting weekend! Filled with friends, family and fun times. I am heading out of town again for work (leaving tomorrow), out to the middle of no where... so blogging may be somewhat intermittent, so please bear with me. :) Hope you enjoyed this post and are inspired to try out these little bits of heaven!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Carmelized Mango Buttercream

I tend to like to stick to recipes that are pretty easy - not too many steps, not too many ingredients and not too labour intensive. I'm impatient and fairly lazy, so easy recipes are definitely where its at for me. I did make an exception when I bought Bobby Flay's new cookbook "Bobby Flay's Throwdown". This is a cookbook full of labour intensive, all-out recipes! Bobby shares the Throwdown stories and really lets you get to know both himself and the competitors... The cookbook is really well done! And of the few recipes I've tried out of the cookbook, they've all been show stoppers.

When I started making these cupcakes, I didn't really realize how labour intensive they are. They are not a quick easy batch of cupcakes to whip up, but boy are they good! Definitely a great treat to sit down to after all that hard work!!! They're moist with an extra ginger zing added by infusing a simple syrup with fresh ginger. So yummy! The mango buttercream was really interesting. As you can see from the recipe below, they call it buttercream for a reason - it is chock full of butter. Perhaps a bit too buttery for my taste, but pretty neat with the carmelized mango added in. Try out this recipe when you want to pull out all the stops and really impress someone you care about. :)

On to the recipe!

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Carmelized Mango Buttercream

Recipe from Bobby Flay's Throwdown

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tbsp molasses

Carmelized Mango Buttercream Ingredients:

• 2 cups, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened, but still cool, cut into small pieces
• 2 ripe mangos, coarsely chopped
• 6 large egg yolks
• cooking spray
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup finely diced candied ginger, for garnish

Method:

1. To make the cupcakes, combine the granulated sugar, fresh ginger, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let infuse for 30 minutes. Then strain the ginger syrup before using.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and spray the liners with cooking spray.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves into a medium bowl.
4. Whisk the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and molasses together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth.
5. Fill each paper liner with 1/3 cup of the batter, to come about 1/4 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops liberally with the ginger syrup. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before removing. Let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
6. To make frosting, heat the 2 tbsp butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mangos and cook until carmelized and soft (watch them carefully - they will burn easily at this high temperature), about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Pass the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids.
7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed until creamy and pale yellow, about 5 minutes.
8. Spray a heatproof measuring cup with cooking spray. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in saucepan and bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 238F- 242F on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour into measuring cup to halt the cooking.
9. Add a small amount of the syrup to the beaten egg yolks, turn the mixer on to high speed, and beat for about 5 seconds. Continue stopping the mixer, adding syrup and beating in the same manner until all the syrup is incorporated. Beat the mixture until it is completely cool.
10. Add the remaining 2 cups butter, a few pieces at a time, beating until incorporated before adding the next pieces. When all the butter ha been blended in, add the vanilla and mango puree and beat until combined.
11. Frost the top of each cupcake liberally with the buttercream, and garnish with candied ginger.

Whew!!! What a load of work, but so delicious. Please don't eat the whole batch by yourself... I doubt you will feel very well if you do... and even if you're still able to walk, you probably won't be able to get dressed because your clothes won't fit you any more!

How is that for a weeknight post folks? Hope you enjoyed and it added some sweetness to your week! Woohoo for tomorrow being Friday! Hang in there!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Homemade Chicken Stock

Looks like a gross picture huh? Chicken bones? Well, all this yuckiness in that huge stock pot made the most delicious chicken stock. 10 times better than anything you can buy in the store and wayyyyy healthier. Far less sodium and no preservatives = a healthier, happier you (okay, maybe not happier, but hey, I felt pretty happy after I made this goodness!). Want another reason to try this recipe (as if the above isn't enough...) - its dirt cheap to make and you can feel virtuous for not wasting the chicken carcus! It really is a win win situation. :)

This recipe makes a lot of chicken stock, but thats no problem. You can freeze chicken stock for a couple months in the freezer. Freeze it in 4 cup portions for ease of use when you thaw it! And if you think you won't use lots of chicken stock, think again! Stock goes in everything and making your own soup can be a delicious adventure. Do try out this recipe, put your own twist on it and remember, this recipe is just a guideline! Be creative and enjoy the process and the amazing smell in your house as this stock simmers away!

Chicken Stock
Recipe from Anna Olson

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken carcus (some meat left on it is okay)
• 2 onions, cut in half, peel intact
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 1 sprig fresh parsley

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Slowly bring up to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat (no higher than medium). Once the fat and impurities start rising to the surfact, skim the sop of the stock with a spoon.
2. Keep the stock at a bare simmer, uncovered, for 2 1/2 hours from when it first starts to simmer. A vigorous boil would disturb the ingredients and the stock will come out cloudy. Strain the stock while its still hot. Discard the veggies, herbs and chicken bones.
3. Now that you have great stock, you can make amazing soups and sauces! Have at er!

So, thats it, pretty simple huh? Hope you get a chance to try this out at some point. You will be able to taste a difference - its that good!

Happy Cooking my Friends!