Waste Not, Want Not: Making a Beautiful Chicken Broth

Look at what I just made...from GARBAGE!! I hate to waste food, which is why soups and broths are pretty much my favourite thing to cook. I never throw away a chicken carcass, especially one from a deliciously flavoured roasted chicken. Mmmmmm. I made up this bone broth last night after I carved our chicken chicken dinner. I quite literally threw the carcass (garbage) into my slowcooker with the drippings from the meat...I was in a rush, I had no time for gravy. Rush or not, I had time for a chicken broth. 

To the slow cooker, I added this bag of garbage...

I kid you not, garbage. I keep all of my veggie ends in a bag in the fridge. If you look closely you'll see, lots of carrot shrapnel, zucchini ends, bits of mushroom, broccoli, tomato stems and partial onions. I make soup a few times a week, so I've never worried about these vegetable bits going bad, I simply throw them back into the fridge instead of into the garbage. There is still so much nutrition in these veggies, they can't help it if they didn't make the dinner cut! They sure can be showcased in a delicious broth. 

After all of my garbage is loaded into my slow cooker, I top it up with water, I add garlic, ginger, a couple of seaweed sheets, about two table spooons of apple cider vinegar and an onion.   I can never resist a few bay leaves, a bit of sea salt and some delicious tarragon or some herbs de provence. I turn the slow cooker onto low and leave it happily cooking all night. When we awake, the house smells heavenly. I leave it cooking for the rest of the day or turn it warm. As I prepare dinner that evening, I strain off the broth. 

 

Now those veggies are actually garbage. If I'm making a soup right away, I'll pick some of the meat off of the carcass. If not, I toss it, most of the flavour has been absorbed into the broth. Tonight I'm tossing it! I'm on a cleanse, no chicken soup for me!!  My beautiful broth is going to cool at room temperature and find its way into the freezer. I'll use it later in recipes, soup, rice dishes, you name it! 

Can we just admire the colour of this beautiful broth? 

 

Thanks for reading!!  If you have any questions or you just liked this Big Idea, please feel free to comment below!!

Valentine Success

 

So...Valentine Sucess. Is this what it feels like? Most Valentine's Days around my house look like this....

 

My son whines and complains about Valentine's Day...always has, maybe always will. This year was different. He came home with a plan. He wanted to hand out Valentines with hearts on them. Real hearts. Surprise!!!  They don't sell those. Luckily, I'm not the kind of mom that gives up easily.  We pulled out my sketching pens, did some quick googling and began drawing. 

 

Gross right? He loved it!!  I'm no artiste, but my son appreciated the effort. I scanned this inaccurate image of an actual heart and made up a template for bookmarks. Four bookmarks on a landscaped page. 

 

I photocopied the images onto white cardstock, trimmed them, inked the edges with black ink, backed them in red and added eyelets and handmade tassels. Tah Dah!!  Bookmarks. Better still, my son, took his time, without a single complaint as he wrote his Valentine wishes to his friends on the backs of the bookmarks. 

 

I'm calling this Valentine's Day Success!!  First ever!  He came home happy and pleased to have given each of his classmates his unorthodox but handmade cards. ❤

 

If you have questions or concerns or just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below!  Thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day! 

Valentine's Day Printer's Tray

 

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Time to  heart-ify my house! I made this Printer's Tray, years ago!!!  I change it seasonally. Right now it hangs on my wall with lots of smoochy pictures!!

I love having the ability to change out my decor for holidays and seasons. My undecorated printer's tray was an investment and it sat, undecorated for quite some time. I had a hard time committing to a theme, to something I wanted on my wall, year-round. That's when I considered the possibility of using temporary glue dots, Velcro and tightly fitting pictures in the small compartments of this Tray. 

A Printer's Tray was traditionally used to hold moveable type and keep the Printer organized. Today, we see them on walls in Shabby Decor, filled with memories, mementos and pictures. A nod to the past. 

Today, I'm switching from a Halloween themed tray to a Valentine's Tray. 

 

The only fixed detail on my Tray is the lace, which I hotglued because, let's face it, lace goes with everything! (That may or may not be a matter of personal opinion). 

When attaching ribbons, I use small pieces of Velcro, or adhesive ribbons. 

 

 I keep all of my elements in a box, in my scrapbooking room, waiting to be changed out for holidays and seasons. 

 

The divided compartments in a Printer's Tray leave a great opportunity for tiny scrapbooking layouts. All layouts are measured and cut to size, each layout includes a tab for easy removal. The tabs are made from washi tape or ribbon. 

 

Each layout features a photo, an on-theme paper, stickers and demonstrate a number of scrapbooking techniques, from inking, to sanding and stamping. When completing a project like this, one also has the opportunity to include 3 Dimensional objects. Like the bottle feature in this layout...

 

As my project hangs on the wall, close to a high traffic area, a small, removable glue dot is used to keep the bottle in place. 

A handle is not only the means by which you hang your project on the wall, it holds great potential for decoration!!  When filled with my Valentines layouts, my handle is decorated with beautiful ribbons and bows. Other seasons and holidays feature decorative toothpicks and beads. Your options are limited only by your imagination. 

 

Next it's time to pull out my heart shaped candles and tea towels!!  I'm ready for Valentine's Day. I just love switching out of spooky elements to these loving memories. I can't think anything better than kisses and memories to adorn the walls of my home. 

If you have any questions or you just liked this Big Idea, please feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading!!

The Couldn'ts

 

"The Couldn'ts." This is an expression my husband uses from time to time.  Growing up in Newfoundland, Canada, he has been known to have colourful language. "The Couldn'ts" are the leftovers from your meal, the night before. They can easily be repurposed to make the most wonderfully delicious recipes.

Yesterday's dinner was Prime Rib, with oven roast potatoes, steamed carrots and broccoli and Yorkshire Pudding. Today, I need an appetizer for a Super Bowl Party. Stuffed Mini Yorkies seems perfect!!  And while I'm at it, a healthy bone broth to be turned into a beef and barley soup. I have a head cold. I need to build my immune system!

 

STUFFED MINI YORKIES

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of oil

2 eggs

1 cup of flour

1 cup of milk

1 tsp of salt

For Stuffing:

Approximately 1 cup of cooked beef, chopped. 

1/4 cup of sautéed mushrooms, chopped. 

1 tbsp of garlic butter 

1 tsp of horseradish, optional. 

Finely chop leftover beef and leftover fried mushrooms. Melt down a tablespoon your favourite garlic butter and if you love it, add a tsp of horseradish. 

 

Add the chopped mushroom and beef mixture to your melted butter. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese. 

 

Stir the cheese into the mixture and set aside. 

 

Preheat the oven to 400 F. 

Add approximately 1tsp of oil to each muffin tin. If you have leftover beef drippings, add to the tins. Once the oven is preheated, place the muffin tin into the oven for 3-4 minutes. You'll hear the sizzle of the oil. 

While heating the oil, prep the batter. 

Beat two eggs and cup of milk with salt and flour. 

 

Remove the tin from the oven. Fill to 3/4, with the batter. Add approximately a teaspoon of the beef and mushroom mixture to the top of each muffin cup. 

 

Return the muffin tin to the oven, which is still preheated to 400 F. Cook for 16 minutes. 

After removing from the oven, allow 2 minutes to cool in the pan and then transfer with a spoon to a platter. 

 

As my mini muffin tin is rather small, I had extra batter and meat mixture, so I threw together a small casserole dish, with 1/4 cup of oil. Increased the oven temperature to 425 F. I heated the oil in the oven. 

When heated, I removed it from the oven, added the additional batter to the heated oil and topped with the remainder of the beef and mushroom mixture. I baked this larger Beefy Yorkshire Pudding for 18-20 minutes. 

 

This can all be completed as you build a healthy Beef Bone Broth!!!  Check out my recipe here:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/02/bone-broth-benefits-least-of-which-beef.html?m=0

If you have any questions or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!!  

Bone Broth: Benefits. Least of which: Beef and Barley Soup

 

 

I must heal!!  I have a dreadful head cold.  A bone broth soup should do the trick!!  I had some delicious leftover prime rib, so I'm using the rib bones to make a bone broth. 

There are many benefits to consuming bone broth. For me, it was just how I learned to make soup. I honestly, didn't even consider dumping a container of store bought broth into a pot! Thanks Mom for teaching me such a healthy way to make soup!! I had no idea I was building my immune system with each delicious slurp. A bone broth is loaded with minerals. In fact, it's now considered a super food, because it's so loaded with healing compounds. A bone broth contains collagen, which heals your gut lining and reduces intestinal inflammation. It has high levels of glycine, which promotes a restful sleep. It is filled with phosphorus and magnesium; minerals which seep out of the bones into the broth. These compounds are fantastic for your bones and joints. Basically if you are sick, a bone broth soup will build you back up!

The trick to a good bone broth is time. The longer you leave it, the more nutrients and minerals it will possess. I have left a chicken carcass in the slow cooker for up to 24 hours. Just boiling away with some veggies!!! Today my rib bones are stewing on the stove for 6 hours. That's pretty much a minimum for a bone broth, but I want soup for dinner!

 

When prepping a broth, fry up some veggies and bones in some olive oil, along with your favourite seasonings. Pepper, basil, garlic, bay leaves, salt, thyme. Really go crazy...if you love it, add it to the broth. 

 

Add water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue boiling for a minimum of 6 hours. Watch your water level and top off, if need be. 

When you're ready to take your bone broth off of the stove, you've got options!! You can cool it and keep it in the fridge; up to 5 days or freeze it for a later date. Today, I'm making beef and barley soup. 

 

 

The trick to a good soup is adding the ingredients, according to their cooking time and chopping the individual ingredients in an uniform manner. 

Barley first!!!  Be sure to rinse your barley. I'm adding half a cup! I put my thyme in on the first addition. Often, it cooks off of the stocks of the plant. The stocks can be removed later. 

I had to top up my soup stock with water so I added 1/2 tsp of knorr powdered beef broth. Add this sparingly, this stuff goes a long way!!  Also, I shook in 1/2 a tsp of of tarragon, I love this flavour with beef. 

After the barley has simmered for 15 minutes, add potatoes and carrots. Leave the pot simmering with the lid on for an additional 15 minutes.   Take this opportunity to pick the meat from the cooled bones. Soup is truly an economical food. Made from ingredients that you have on hand and some that you might otherwise throw away. Add the meat to your pot. Though this meat is a little less flavourful than your reserved protein; it will increase the heartiness of your soup. After 15 minutes have passed, check your veggies and barley for doneness. Mine were perfect and the thyme had floated off of its stocks; which I removed from the soup. 

Add your zucchini and beef, simmer for 5 more minutes. When this step is complete, remove from the burner, add 1/2 a cup of frozen peas, stir and serve yourself a bowl. I'm adding sriracha to my bowl tonight!!  I have some congestion to clear!  Also, I'm enjoying my soup with a slice of Beefy Yorkshire Pudding. 

Thanks for reading!!  If you have any questions or you just liked this Big Idea feel free to comment below!

Limeonade

 

Its hot in Calgary this week. So hot!!  I kid you not, as I wrote that sentence a bead of sweat rolled down my back. While I'm sitting in my backyard enjoying my morning coffee, the kids are enjoying one of their favourite treats. Homemade Limeonade.

We have all been trying our best to stay cool and hydrated over the last couple of weeks but I have to be honest, I'm tired of water. So are they. We've had glasses of water filled with fruit, ice cubes and even carbonated with the soda stream. We're over water. 

Luckily we know how to whip up a quick Limeonade, served in a Mason Jar. Everything tastes better out of a Mason Jar. (This may or may not be a matter of opinion). Our family tip...add a bit of sea salt to that pitcher and serve it with ice. Salt may sound odd, but it changes the flavour of your drink in the best way possible. I add a bit salt to lots of sweet treats. Icing, cookies, hot chocolate. A little goes a long way. Salt carries the flavour. Salt makes your sweetness or tartness more pronounced. It deepens your chocolate or your vanilla flavour.  I'm going to go out on a limb here, and quote Martha Stewart, "It's a good thing."

HOMEMADE LIMEONADE 

3 limes

1.5 lemons

3/4 cup - 1 cup of sugar 

1/4 tsp of sea salt

2 L of water

If its me making the Limeonade, I add 3/4 of a cup of sugar, I like to cut back where I can. If its my daughter throwing the pitcher together she will swear that extra quarter of a cup is not optional. Regardless, add the  sugar, salt, lime and lemon juice to the bottom of the pitcher. Top up with 2L of water and stir. Call your friends!!!  For an adult option, add some vodka to your glass and rim it the way my little brother does, with a mix of sugar and pepper. Mmmm. 

Thanks for reading!! If you have any questions or concerns, or you just really liked this Big Idea, please feel free to comment below!!!  

Lunch Box Mac N' Cheese

 

I'm making lunch snacks for the kiddos today! These are quick, easy and generally, a crowd pleaser. They freeze amazingly well and your kids can eat them at any temperature. 

LUNCHBOX MAC N' CHEESE

 

You can add any amount of cheese to these mini casseroles.  The more cubed cheese, the cheesier!  I always use a strong cheese for a bolder flavour but honestly, use whatever you prefer. You'll be baking inside mammoth muffin tins, which I find, make a perfect size tiny casserole. They fit wonderfully inside a lunchbox. 

Preheat the oven to 325 F. 

 

Grease the mammoth muffin tins and begin adding uncooked noodles and cubes of cheese to the tins, in layers.  To increase the ease of clean up, you could always try making these inside muffin cups. 

 

Fill the tins, leaving about a centimetre of head space. 

 

Top each tin off with milk. Fill until most of the noodles are covered. 

 

Add salt and pepper to the tops of the casseroles. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 325 F. If you're like me and enjoy the top of your casserole browned; turn the oven on broil for 1 minute.  I always salt one last time after I remove from the oven. 

 

Allow the casseroles a few minutes to cool in the pan.  Use a knife to loosen the Mac N' Cheese and remove with a small spatula. 

 

Freeze, once the casseroles are cooled. Thaw the night before, in the fridge to place in a lunchbox. My kids are happy to eat these at room temperature. However, if they prefer them heated, place boiling water in a thermos with a lid; allow to sit for 10 minutes. Empty the thermos and dry. Heat one casserole in the microwave for 50 seconds and place in the warmed thermos. 

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or concerns, or you just liked this big idea!!  Thanks for reading!

Lunchbox Snacks: Faux Bocconcini Salads

 

Quick thought for today!!!  I was buying some groceries for my kid's lunches. They totally love these bocconcini hors d'oeuvres and what a simple protein based snack to energize and fill them up!!  Ideal for a lunch box!

They found the bocconcini to be a tiny bit "plain." That's my daughter's word for..."it needs salt."  Next time I'll have to add some Serrano Ham.  For today, I gave in and salt and peppered. They didn't love them with basil but were pleased with spinach. 

Pat on the back...this mom is pleased to send a new option in the lunchbox!!

Thanks for reading!!  Comment below if you have any questions, or you just liked this big idea!!

Making Sourdough Bread: Practicing Patience

 Today is a bread making day. It's not quite ready yet. It's harder to make Sourdough in the winter, it's not quite warm enough to get a really good rise. Typically I whip my ingredients together in the evening and then bake in the morning. My dough didn't get quite high enough over night.  So I'm cheating. I turned my oven on to 350F and left my rising dough on the cooktop for 20 minutes. I'll begin the process of baking in half an hour or so. 

Though I cheat today, it's just because my day is fully scheduled. I need to bake now, or I run out of time. The nicest part of sourdough is sometimes you do run out of time and you really can just leave it lying on a counter to rise a little more. The bread will wait and you should too. Making a beautiful loaf is an exercise in patience.  This exercise will be rewarded with the most wonderful gift, a slice of fresh, warm bread. 

I make sourdough bread a few times a week. There are very few ingredients in sourdough and it's extremely good for your stomach. Sourdough has no manufactured yeast.  You trap yeast from the air in a sourdough starter. Making a sourdough starter is actually a super fun experiment. I made mine last spring with my son as a kitchen science experiment. Follow the link below, if you're interested in making your own starter here. 

https://homesteading.com/diy-recipe-sourdough-starter/amp/

I found that my starter actually took a bit longer to become active than the article expresses.  That may be related to climate or time of year. My recommendation is to be patient. Continue feeding and don't waste your time baking until your starter passes the "Float Test."  The float test brought me a serious amount of joy. You can check daily, as you are feeding your starter to see if your starter is ready to leven your bread. If it's ready to leven, a teaspoon of starter will float on the top of a glass of water. If it's not ready, it sinks to the bottom. 

 

 

If you happen to know someone that has a starter, ask them for a cup of it!  You can feed it at home and start baking your own bread.  Anyone that has a starter, will be happy to share. 

So...I just said you need to feed your starter. Freaky right?  Having a starter is like having a pet. A really giving, delicious pet. Mine is called Ramona. Isn't she beautiful? 

 

 

She pretty much looks like a bubbly pancake batter and she smells kind of sour. Not overwhelmingly sour but if you lean in close and take a whiff, you can't miss her familiar stench. She needs to be fed daily. Equal parts of Unbleached flour and filtered water. I typically do 1/2 cup of each but if I'm planning on doing a lot of baking, I increase to a full cup of filtered water and flour. This may sound like a lot of work but it's not, honestly and if you do find you don't have enough time to maintain your starter, put it in the fridge. Take it out, warm it up, scoop off the separated top and feed it once a week. After it's fed, put it back in the fridge if you don't have time to bake. It's a good pet. 

If you do have time, make this recipe. It makes two beautiful loaves.  Which you can eat fresh as soon as they're cooled, or toasted with breakfast, or thinly sliced on a charcuterie board.  You can also freeze the loaves in a large bread bag tied off with a twist tie and save them for later!

Sourdough Loaves

In the evening or first thing in the morning, combine these following ingredients in a glass bowl. (Sourdough hates stainless steel. A glass bowl is important). 

2 cups of Sourdough Starter

7 cups of Unbleached Flour

2 and 1/3 cups of Filtered Water (Brita is fine)

3 tsps of Granulated Sea Salt

1 tsp of Granulated Sugar (totally optional but my kids like the bread better if it's present). 

In a Glass Bowl, mix all ingredients by hand. They should come together quite quickly. I use my bare hands to fully blend ingredients. Once combined, set a timer for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, knead the dough inside the bowl for 1-2 minutes. Cover with Saran Wrap and leave it in a warm place for 8-12 hours. 

8-12 hours later, typically when I wake up for the day, your dough should look something like this...

 

Remove from your bowl to a floured surface, to begin processing. Remove gently, you want to keep as much air as possible inside your dough. It should look something like this...

 

Next, you need to stretch the dough out into a rectangle. Then, fold one side into the centre and repeat the process on the other side. 

 

After your dough has been folded, cut into two separate loaves. Shape, gently with your hands. 

 

 

Place inside parchment paper lined casserole dishes or Dutch Ovens.  Allow 30 minutes to rise. 

Before placing in a 450 F preheated oven, score the top of your bread. I love this snowflake pattern. Next, wet the inside of the lids and cover for the first portion of baking. 

 

 

The loaves need to bake for 30 minutes, covered in the 450 F oven.

 

After 30 minutes, remove the lids and continue baking for 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 425 F, for the final portion of baking. 

 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour on a wire rack. The cooling process is very important. Your bread is going to smell great.  Resist the temptation to cut into it! The 30 minutes of cooling is actually part of the baking process. It is going to guarantee you a chewy inside and a crispy crust. 

 

If you enjoyed this article, have any questions or you just liked this big idea, please comment below!  Thanks for reading!