Chicken Broth

I did end up making broth from the chicken bones on Saturday. It was so easy! I took the whole carcass and put it in a great big pot, along with the drippings from the roast.

See what I meant about all that meat?

You cover the carcass with water and boil it.

This is the carcass after just having added water

Some websites say 1.5 hours, others say 3 hours. I decided to go with 3.5 hours of boiling, and I'm telling you it was the easiest thing to clean the meat off the bones. They didn't say either way, the sites that I referenced, but I covered my broth as it boiled.

You know it's ready when it's a milky color

I used a slatted spoon to pull the bones out of the pot. I placed all the meat on one dish (really sift through it - there are some very small bones), and the bones/cartilage/skin in another. When I got to the point where there was stuff floating around, I placed a mesh strainer over another large pot and strained the rest of the broth. Done! I ended up with about two cups of meat, it was crazy!

That's a lot of broth & a lot of meat

I divided the broth into one pot for dinner with the remaining chicken, and the second half, I placed in a container to freeze. You will want to season the broth with whatever you'd like, whenever you use it, but it's all so easy! I tossed some things from my fridge, a celery heart & leaves, some kale, shiitake mushrooms, chives, carrots, cayenne & fresh cracked pepper and a dash or two of finely ground sea salt. Done.

I'm sorry to say I don't have any vegan cookie recipes. I haven't baked in ages. I don't trust myself around sugar - unless it's as an exfoliant. Just thinking about it makes me want a cookie, though. Yum!! I'm such a suggestible person when it comes to food. That's why we don't have anything deliciously naughty in our home. Veggies, meats, nuts and cheese get old very quickly. Can't really binge on those things :)

My favorite part of making chicken broth.....

I'll never tell what I wished for...

Roasted Chicken Recipe

I've been nesting these past few days, cooking up a storm and ferociously cleaning. It's no surprise, really, the sun has been poking out lately and the sun is rising at 6:00 am - for me, the amount of sunlight during the day is directly related to energy levels :) The good thing about Seattle, is that we see the sun and immediately get to doing something. The sun is like an 'on' button. It's also driving me crazy, causing a deep itch to plant my dahlia tubers - I won't, I know it's waaaay too soon, but man, this is a serious challenge in patience.

I have another fun recipe, it's my take on a roasted chicken. It's crazy easy, too. Only five ingredients.

I need to mention, although I don't state it each time (although I probably should) we only purchase grass fed free range organic meat (everything - beef, chicken, lamb, etc.), buying from farms/butchers that we know of and trust. We can't control every piece of meat that we put in our mouths, like eating at a friend's house or something, but as for our household, I figure the price is worth the value. Animals are naturally supposed to eat grass, not corn. Animals that eat grass are much higher in omega-3 fats instead of the corn fed which are high in omega-6. It's just a personal preference, not only for the nutritional properties, but also for humane reasons. I've mentioned this before, but I want to eat happy, healthy animals that have had fun in the fields before they came to my kitchen. Maybe it's morbid, but I like to think that it's supportive to their lifestyle. As far as livestock, those guys are the lucky ones. I guess I didn't really need to mention the whole thing, but if it makes even one person consider a switch, I'd be pretty excited. :)

So, onto the recipe......

Jess's Lemon Garlic Pesto Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 large lemon
3 tbsp fresh ground dried garlic (pure is best - no salt)
2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
4 tbsp pesto

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the innards of the chicken. (Some people cook them up for their dog. I didn't. I didn't want to risk any 'accidents' if you know what I mean.) Rinse the whole chicken, and cut any loose hanging skin around the hole (I don't know what to call that area). Cut the lemon in half. Mix the garlic powder and ground pepper in a small dish.

2. Place the two halves of the lemon inside the, um, 'cavity'? I wanted to say bum, but cavity is probably more appropriate ;)

3. Take a tablespoon of pesto and spread it under the skin of one breast, then do the same thing to the other breast. Use the remaining two tablespoons of pesto and spread it all over the chicken (top, and legs - don't get too low on the sides or it will just drip off while cooking).

4. Shake/sprinkle/spread the garlic and pepper seasoning all over the chicken. Cover the chicken with aluminum, making a tent so that the two don't touch. I move the oven rack down one wrung, so it's just below the middle, then place the little bird into the heated oven. Cook it covered in the 375 degree heat for 80 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil and put the chicken back in the oven for 20 more minutes - that makes the skin crunchy.

5. Eat. Yummy!!!

I'm not great at cleaning the meat off of bones, but for the first time I don't have to feel bad about it because I'm making my own broth with the bones and drippings. We'll see how it goes :) I'm excited to have a homemade broth to keep in the freezer for an easy dinner in a pinch - just toss in some veggies at the last minute. My own broth? Who am I turning into? An adult? Jeez.

One more thing. You might notice that I didn't include any butter, olive oil, or salt. I promise, you won't even notice. If you have fresh ground garlic (We're lucky because we have a huge organic bulk section at PCC.), the flavor is so delicious and flavorful, you won't miss the salt.