Chicken Stock

There's nothing like a warm bowl of soup when you have the flu. 

What's better, you ask? 

A bowl of mom's homemade chicken soup with homemade chicken stock! 

What's even better than that? 

Having mom make it for you. 

I guess I can settle for 2 out of 3.



Chicken Stock (in the crockpot)

5-6 chicken legs
~6 C water
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced (we used minced)
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
seasonings (we like oregano and basil)

Place the chicken legs in the crockpot with ~ 1 C water, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, basil and oregano.  Cook on high for about 3 hours, or until meat is tender.  Remove from the crockpot, and allow chicken legs to cool.  Then, remove the meat from the bones (reserve for soup).



Add additional water (to yield a total of 6 C) to your crockpot along with celery and carrots.  Add additional seasoning at this point, if you wish.

Return the bones to the crockpot and cover, cooking on high for 6 hours, or on low for ~10 hours.



Strain broth and remove bones.   Allow to cool.



Freeze/refrigerate until you're ready to make Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup!

Tidying the Kitchen

In recent news....

Remember my absent-mindedness that led to this highly burned pan?



Let me share with you... that after nearly 1 month of soaking... and trying a variety of tips and suggestions you left to help me out..., it is now clean!!

I tried the Bounce dryer sheet suggestion, which didn't seem to do much but make my kitchen smell like laundry.

I tried boiling dish soap.

I tried boiling baking soda... repeatedly. Almost daily for 2 weeks.

Then, I got annoyed and just let it sit in baking soda water.

My fabulous hubby even gave it a try... rubbing ever so gently, he managed to get a few more burned pieces off.

We scrubbed and scrubbed, and finally managed to have a usable pan again!



Lesson learned: don't get distracted by blogging when you're cooking. It's hazardous.

In other news... while I was sick in bed with the flu... a fun little package arrived for me in the mail!



My dehydrator! You guys convinced me to go with the dehydrator over the yogurt maker... so, that's what I did.

I'm in love with it already and cannot wait to try it out this weekend... provided this flu thing cooperates! I'm definitely making some dried apples, and apple fruit leather, but Taryn has enticed me to also try some croutons!

Thanks for such a great giveaway to Cookware.com, Sarah! I still can't believe I won!

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream - Update!

 Many of you have commented on my pumpkin spice recipe posted today saying that you don't have an ice cream maker.  In light of these comments, I wanted to point you to some resources that might allow you to make ice cream without a maker.

First, to make the pumpkin spice ice cream I posted, simply add the seasoned pumpkin puree and optional cookies to a softened quart of vanilla ice cream!  Then, re-freeze.  It's as simple as that.  I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for it, but, I can't imagine it would be bad... since I pretty much took seasoned pumpkin puree and added it to my homemade vanilla ice cream. 

Otherwise, check out Lara's great way to make ice cream with kiddos -- in a bag!

For easy access, here's the recipe again:




Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream - SnoWhite

1 C pumpkin puree* (or sweet potato puree)
2 C Half and Half
1 C Cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
(and, a little nutmeg if so desired)

Mix together puree, spices and vanilla. Allow these to sit together for an hour or so to let the flavors blend.



Then, dissolve the sugar in the cream and half and half.

Add all the ingredients together in the ice cream maker and make according to manufacturers directions.

Scoop into freezer containers and allow the ice cream to hard set... or, if you're too impatient... eat it right away.



But... hard set is better :)



I think this ice cream would be fabulous made into ice cream sandwiches between yummy Molasses Crinkles! Or, break apart little pieces of these cookies and add them to the ice cream maker about 5 minutes before you stop making ice cream.

*Really puree the heck out of the puree... unless you want chunks in your ice cream ;)

This post is linked to Fall into Flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Have you seen Edy's/Dryer's Pumpkin ice cream? Or, have you had Cold Stone's creamy deliciousness? With allergies, these ice creams are off-limits... so I decided to create my own. We made ours with sweet potatoes... but don't hesitate to make it with actual pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 C pumpkin puree* (or sweet potato puree)
2 C Half and Half
1 C Cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
(and, a little nutmeg if so desired)

Mix together puree, spices and vanilla. Allow these to sit together for an hour or so to let the flavors blend.

Then, dissolve the sugar in the cream and half and half.

Add all the ingredients together in the ice cream maker and make according to manufacturers directions.

Scoop into freezer containers and allow the ice cream to hard set... or, if you're too impatient... eat it right away.

But... hard set is better :)

I think this ice cream would be fabulous made into ice cream sandwiches between yummy Molasses Crinkles! Or, break apart little pieces of these cookies and add them to the ice cream maker about 5 minutes before you stop making ice cream.

*Really puree the heck out of the puree... unless you want chunks in your ice cream ;)

Looking for to make this without an ice cream maker?  Click here for two easy ways to do so!

This post is linked to October Carnival of Super Foods - Healthy Fats Edition,The Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap, In-Season Recipe Swap: Sweet Potatoes, Friday Feasts, and Pumpkin-Link Up at the Newlyweds.

Sausage and Pepper Scramble

click the image to see the challenge!

It's been kind of a low-key week here at our place... as I'm feeling a bit under the weather.  Thus, we opted for an "easier" recipe from the Food Network chef, Cat Cora.  Apparently, she was the first female Iron Chef.  Cool.



Sausage and Pepper Scramble - Adapted from Cat Cora

5-6 turkey breakfast sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium red pepper (we used yellow)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, diced (we omitted, since we didn't want to make a trip to the store)
2-4 eggs (we used 2, Cat recommends 4)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C Monterery Jack cheese :)  (our addition)

Begin by cooking the sausage bites until browned.



Then, add in the diced pepper and chopped onion.


{we used minced onion}

Saute until veggies are crisp/tender.  Then, add in the lightly beaten eggs, along with the salt and pepper, to taste.



Lightly scramble as the eggs cook.

Add in the cheese :)



Serve warm!



We served ours with grilled hash brown potatoes -- they were especially yummy mixed all together.

Crockpot Chicken with Roasted Veggies

A few weeks ago, I found a great new recipe from Myra who blogs at Happy Housewife Living Life. We're always looking for yummy, quick, healthy recipes, and this one caught my attention. Chicken in the crockpot? Healthy mix of veggies? How could we pass this up?!



Crockpot Chicken and Roasted Veggies - Adapted from Myra

5-6 chicken tenders
1-2 tsp. Mesquite Chicken seasoning (McCormick's)

1 medium sweet potato, sliced and quartered
8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 large zucchini, quartered
~ 1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt

Place the chicken breasts with just a little bit of water and seasoning in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for ~6-8 hours. (ours were done in about 4 because we used chicken tenders)



About 30 minutes before you want to each, prepare the veggies. Place them in a glass baking dish and toss in olive oil, garlic and salt.



Cover, and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.



Then, remove the tinfoil and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, until veggies reach the desired tenderness. Enjoy!



Thanks, Myra, for a great recipe.


This post is linked to:

• In-Season Recipe Swap: Sweet Potatoes

Penne with Spinach and Chicken

Cheesy. Yummy. Goodness.



And, it goes together in a pinch. You can even make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.

Penne with Spinach and Chicken - Adapted from Ashley at The Happy Little Home

1 box (1 lb) whole wheat pasta of your choosing (we used penne)
2 boxes, frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 lb. chicken breast, shredded
2 eggs
1/4 C minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
~1 C spaghetti sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions. Dump into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish.



Then, preheat the oven to 375.

Meanwhile combine spinach, onion, eggs and 1/4 C of each of the cheeses in a bowl. Mix well.



Add in chicken and stir well.



Then, stir the pasta and cheesy chicken spinach mix together in the glass baking pan. Top with additional cheeses.

Cover your dish and bake for ~ 30 minutes.



Then, remove the tinfoil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese on the top is browned.

Serve warm, with your favorite spaghetti sauce!



The original recipe used white pasta and more cheese... I always find that putting the cheese on the top where you really want the flavor allows me to cut down on the cheese! And, we really like whole wheat pasta too.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays and, Tasty Tuesday. 

Menu Plan - Oct. 25

Halloween week....! Not so exciting around here. With a pumpkin allergy, my love spent every Halloween in the emergency room -- needless to say, Halloween is not our favorite holiday. Although, this year, I made a special Halloween cake, that may just make Halloween fun again for us :)



Doesn't it look yummy? Chocolate cake... orange frosting for the pumpkin, green for the stem?



Wait... what's that inside?



Can you see it?



Why, there's a candle in my Jack-o-Lantern cake!

We greatly enjoyed this new Jack-o-Lantern Halloween Cake! Thanks, Amanda, for a way to make Halloween fun again for us :)

In addition to this fun cake, last week we also enjoyed:

Spanish Tortilla

Apple Honey Tea

(made from leftover apple peels!!)

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pretzels

Apple Blueberry Dump Cake

Meatball Tortellini Soup

Penne with Spinach and Chicken

Crockpot Chicken and Roasted Veggies

(recipe will be posted on Tuesday)

Breakfasts
Apple Granola
Yogurt
Dried pineapple, apples
Oatmeal
Bagels
Orange Cranberry Muffins

Lunches
Sausage/Pepper/Egg Scramble (new)
Chicken Noodle Soup (leftover)
Sandwiches (on wheat bread)
Leftovers
Cheese and crackers
Applesauce
Carrots

Dinners
Su - David Crowder Concert!!! (we're having a bigger lunch before the concert)
M - Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup (with homemade broth and noodles), artisan bread
Tu - Chicken Stew
W - Sopa Seca (new), corn and black beans (new)
Th - leftovers
F - Crockpot Mushroom Pork Roast with carrots and potatoes
S - Lucy's AMAZING chili, cornbread

Sweet Treats
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream (new)