Recipe: Homemade Chicken Broth (Slow Cooker)

Once a month on the weekend is usually when I make my chicken broth.  I use quite a bit of it in my cooking, so it's worth my while to make-up a huge batch to freeze and store. 

We have roast chicken at least once a month, either from the grocery store already made, or for a Sunday dinner.  When we're done our feast, I throw the bones and whatever meat is left in our slow cooker, add some carrots, celery, onion (all sliced very big), add some Montreal Chicken spice, fill it with water, cover and turn it on low until the morning.

In the morning I put a huge pot in the sink, place our colander over top, then pour the whole slow cooker pot into this.  After it's strained I remove all the chicken meat from the colander and save it in ziploc bags, then place them in the freezer for chicken soup later and throw out the left over bones and veggies.  The broth in the pot is then saved and frozen as well.  Done!  Now I have enough broth for the month for all my cooking needs.

Enjoy!  Sarah

But of course, before I feel too accomplised I must remember this story ;o)

From "Classics to Grow On - Aesop's Fabels"
1964 Parents' Magazine Enterprises, Inc.

Frugal Friday: Free Printable Paper Dolls

I saw a link on Happy Hearts at Home for Free Printable Paper Dolls so I printed one for my daughter.  When I gave it to her she exclaimed, "What's a paper doll?".  What?  She doesn't know what a paper doll is?  I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but it's true.  With Barbie's, Polly Pockets and all the cheap dolls nowadays, girls don't really need to turn to paper dolls... or do they?  Of course every girl needs to know about paper dolls.

So, for Valentine cards for her class we selected a paper doll and made cards with them.  We did this instead of attaching a candy to the Valentine.  The doll we selected for the girls found here and boys found here.  Another place we checked was About.com: Family Crafts where there's links to all kinds of free paper doll printables.

After printing the dolls on card stock, my daughter cut out heart shapes from felt and sewed them on using a button.  For the boys, we selected a football paper doll and she cut-out and sewed a felt monster on the front with two buttons.  Aren't they darling?

Babalisme has some amazing printables on her blog that she's created.  Make sure to check out her Printables to Print section under labels and pepare to be amazed.

Christmas Dolls on Bablisme here

Bablisme links to Paper Doll Printables & Magnetic Doll Instructions here.

A friend of mine was looking for a Wonder Woman paper doll for her daughter.  I haven't found anything for her yet, but found more free printable paper doll links here.

Enjoy!  Sarah

See more Frugal Friday ideas over at Life As Mom.

Recipe: Slow-Roasted Chicken Pieces

This recipe comes from one of my favourite blogs, Hobble Creek Kitchen.  Her writing is hilarious.  You feel like you're right along side her cooking and laughing with her.  I also love her pictures and the scenic views in the backgrounds. 

I recently tried her Sunday Dinner Chicken recipie because I was looking for something that I could pop in the oven early, as it was going to be busy for us just before supper.  I prefer to get supper started early so I can spend time with our daughter when she gets home afterschool instead of in the kitchen. 

Oh boy was this good.  The skin on the chicken was nice and crunchy and the inside cooked to perfection.  I poured a little of the drippings from the bottom on top of the chicken as well.  My kids and husband loved it too.

SLOW-ROASTED CHICKEN PIECES
3-4lbs chicken pieces or whole cut-up chicken (I used thighs)
1 cup flour
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2-3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic crushed (I used minced garlic)
dried onion (I used minced onion)
2 teaspoons chicken base)
water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Coat chicken pieces in flour, then spinkle them with lots of salt and pepper.  Drizzle with oil all over the chicken.  Put them in 450 degree oven to brown (about 20 minutes.), uncovered.

Next, take them out of the oven, add basil leaves, garlic, dried onion, chicken base and just a little water then cover.  You can bake this very slow at 250 degrees for 4-5 hours or at 325 degrees for 1-2 hours (this is what I did).

I served mine with peas and homemade macaroni and cheese (recipe will be posted here soon).

Enjoy!  Sarah

Recipe: Lemon Ginger Scones

Image from "My Learn to Cook Book, A Children's Book for the Kitchen"

by Ursula Sedwick, Illustrated by Martin Mayhew

Golden Pleasure Books Limited 1967

I'm still enjoying exploring Scone Recipes to tempt my daughter's scone-loving tummy.  This is another great recipe from the Joy of Baking Website.  These were a bit expensive to make as 1/2 cup of crystallized ginger costs about $8.00 but the taste was worth it.  The lemon and ginger taste is dominant in these scones.  They are nice and crunchy on the outside and  have a soft chewy interior.

SCONES WITH LEMON AND GINGER

Scone Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces (I used my food processor to chop these)
Zest of 1 large lemon
2/3 cup buttermilk

Egg Mixture for Brushing Top of Scones
1 large egg, lightly beaton
1 tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives.  The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Stir in chopped crystallized ginger and lemon zest.  Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together.  Don not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and ten pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1-1/2 inches thick.  Cut this circl in half, then cut each half into 3 or 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).  Place the scones on the baking sheet.  Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mized with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and then turn you broiler on high.  Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler.  Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has meltd and turns golden brown.  Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 6 or 8 scones.

Enjoy!  Sarah

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I didn't want to lose my tooth so it's on the side table in the basket.

Love,

Recipe: Turkey with Dill (Slow Cooker)

I had a couple turkey thighs to use up in the freezer and wanted to find a recipe that was a little different from the usual turkey fare.  I came across a site with lots of good information on cooking with herbs and spices called A Pinch Of.  This site is a very good reference for all your spice and herb questions and is written by Sandra Bowens who's been everything from a spice sales person, newspaper columnist chronicalling her knowledge of herbs, and is a Master Gardner.  Who better to refer to when your looking for a unique recipe?

TURKEY WITH DILL (SLOW COOKER)
1 3lb boneless breast of turkey (I used 2 turkey thighs with bone)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dill weed (I used dried dill weed)
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dill weed (I used dried dill weed)

Spinkle both sides of the turkey with salt, pepper and 1 tespoon of dill and place in the slow cooker.  Add water and vinegar.  Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until tender.  Remove the meat.  Turn your slow cooker on high and dissolve the flour in a small amount of cold water then stir it into the meat drippings in the pot.  Add the second teaspoon of dill weed.  Cook on high until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes (mine took only 5).  Slice meat and serve with sauce.  I served mine on top of whole wheat egg noodles.

Enjoy!  Sarah

Recipe: French Breakfast Puffs

I love how fancy these muffins sound.  They remind me of a biscuit as they are moist, yet crumbly with a light sweet taste.  The buttery cinnamon sugar topping really adds to the flavour.  They were so easy to make that I made two batches but we still ate them all in one day (and sent a few to the neighbours).  It was a great way to start the weekend :)

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens "Our Best Recipes" page 218

FRENCH BREAKFAST PUFFS

Ribbon winners from state and country fairs across the country are some of the best recipes around.  In 1972, these marvelous muffins turned heads at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Vermont.  We were so dazzled, we included the recipe in our magazine.

1-1/2 cups all purpose-flour

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease twelve 2-1/2 inch muffin cups, set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  In a small bowl, beat egg with fork, stir in milk and the 1/2 cup melted butter.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stir just until moistened (the batter may be lumpy).

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.  Remove muffins from oven, remove from muffins cups (I let mine cool about a minute first so they wouldn't fall apart).  Immediately dip baked muffins into the 1/4 cup cup melted butter then into sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Serve warm.  Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!  Sarah

Recently Thrifted

In the spirit of this gorgeous site I found today doe-c-doe, I would like to showcase a couple of my recent favourite thrift finds.  I picked these up for 50 cents each, yes you heard me corretly :0)  Go check out her site and get inspired too!

Recipe: Coriander Seed Cookies

I know they sound a bit strange but, seriously, go to your spice cupboard now and take some Coriander Seed out and smell it.  Now, isn't that a pleasant smell? 

I'm still trying to clean out my pantry and got curious about what to do with some of my spices.  I had too much Coriander Seed so I used Swagbucks (since July I have $10 earned in Amazon gift cards), and searched for a recipe. 

I came across a great site called The Green Earth Institute where they have recipes listed based on spice or vegetable ingredients.  I made these Coriander Seed Cookies and they are delicious.  I was thinking of adding cinnamon as well but they don't need it as the coriander holds its own.  When they're baking the house is filled with the wonderful scent.  The cookies are moist and chewy with the spicey, almost lemony, taste.

I searched medicinal uses and found on Gardens Ablaze that is used for everything from help with digestion and flatulence, soothing stomachs.  Wow, who knew?

CORIANDER SEED COOKIES

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons ground coriander seeds

3/4 cups softened butter

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon milk

Mix together first 3 ingredients.  Stir in butter.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to the  first bowl.  Roll into 1/2 inch balls.  Place on cookie sheet (I used Silpat liner).  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes, being careful not to overbake.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!  Sarah

Recipe: Maple-Roasted Pork With Sweet Potatoes

Yes, it's as good as it looks and sounds :)

This recipe comes from Real Simple magazine, but is originally made with chicken pieces. I saw it once over at Life As Mom on a menu plan and had to try it as it sounded so good.

When I made this I only had boneless pork chops and decided to give it a try. While the chicken recipe bakes for over an hour, the pork only takes about 40 minutes. I also threw in some baby carrots but any root vegetable would go well added into this dish.

MAPLE-ROASTED CHICKEN (OR PORK) WITH SWEET POTATOES

1 3-1/2 pound chicken cut into 8 pieces

1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges (I used a white onion)

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chuncks

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons maple syrup

6 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Arrange the chicken, onion, and sweet potatoes in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Drizzle with the maple syrup and top with the sprigs of thyme.

Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: The maple glaze can also be used with a whole chicken or Cornish game hens.

Here are some links to some similar recipes to try:

~ Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes from Good Housekeeeping

~ Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Eating Well

~ Slow-Cookin' Mama's Maple-Dijon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes from Stephanie O'Dea

Enjoy!