Homemade Chicken Stock

I love soups, especially in the winter. They are so rewarding, delicious, and are way better the second and third day. My mom's soups are REALLY GOOD. Her secret is that she often makes her own chicken broth. At first this really intimidated me. How in the world do you do this? Is it hard? Time consuming? Once I learned some tips and ideas from my mom and Joy the Baker, it's a breeze and totally worth it! It does take a while, but you walk away for 2 hours. Then come back to magic. I would highly recommend trying it. It's a soup changer!

**Plan to make this after you've cooked a whole roasted chicken or after you eaten a rotisserie chicken.

Makes about 12-16 cups of broth, depending on how large a pot you use and how much water you add.

INGREDIENTS:
1 chicken carcass
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 large onion, cut once
1 whole carrot cut in thirds, no need to peel, just give it a good rinse
1 celery stalk (including the leafy ends) rinsed well and cut in thirds
salt
pepper

1. In your largest stock pot (mine is an 8 qt. pot) place chicken carcass and all ingredients. Salt and pepper everything generously. Add water and fill the pot about 2/3's of the way full. Bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer on low heat for at least 1.5-2 hours. Remove the carcass and discard. Also discard the vegetables and garlic leaving only liquid. Allow to cool. Store half of the batch in a large bowl in the fridge for 2-3 days to be used in a soup. Place the rest in a freezer ziplock bag, label it, stick it in the freezer, and use it for another meal.

Wheat-Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I spent some time on vacation thumbing through magazines in search for delicious recipes. I found a few that are keepers! Here's one from Eating Well magazine. What I really like about this recipe is the flavor that comes from soaking the oats in milk for 8-12 hours. It gives the muffins a sweet flavor that is unique. They aren't sugary at all, but served warm with vanilla ice cream will delight your guests or family.
I do have to say, this is a recipe that you have to plan when you are going to make it because the oats soak for at least 8 hours. BUT, the assembly is very quick.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 TBSP vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. Combine oats and milk in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator until much of the liquid is absorbed at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Line a full muffin pan and half of another one with papers. Take oats and milk out of the refrigerator. Remove lid and add egg, syrup, oil, cinnamon, baking powder, and vanilla. Stir well with a rubber spatula until well combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

3. Fill muff tins about 2/3's full. Bake 25-30 minutes or until oatmeal muffins spring back when touched. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack or serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Otherwise, store in airtight container and enjoy as a snack or part of breakfast.

Red Cabbage Salad with Maple-glazed Walnuts

I'll tell you right now this recipe is straight from the March/April 2014 issue of Eating Well magazine. The only change I made was using goat cheese instead of blue cheese. You of course, can choose which you like better!

INGREDIENTS:

VINAIGRETTE:
1 TBSP crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TBSP red-wine vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

SALAD:
1 TBSP butter
1 cup walnuts
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp pure maple syrup (don't substitute the fake stuff)
1 head red cabbage sliced thin
3 scallions sliced thin
1/3 cup goat cheese or blue cheese

1. To prepare vinaigrette, whisk together 1 TBSP cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper in a small bowl.

2. For the salad, make the walnuts first so they have time to cool. Place a fairly large (maybe 9x13 size) piece of parchment paper or wax paper on the counter near the stove. (If you don't have either, a clean cutting board will due.) Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add walnuts and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add salt and drizzle maple syrup. Cook, stirring until the nuts are well coated and began to caramelize, 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat, and transfer nuts to parchment paper. It's important to separate the nuts while they are cooling so they don't all stay stuck together. Let stand 5 minutes to cool.

3. Meanwhile slice cabbage and scallions. Place in a large serving bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Stir in walnuts and 1/3 cup goat cheese. Serve room temperature.