Smokey Chicken Stew

This week's soup of the week is a smokey chicken stew. It is one I created using leftover chicken carcasses. Really! The flavor is outstanding and oh so satisfying.
A couple of times each month we smoke a whole chicken on the grill. That usually makes 2 meals and then I freeze the carcass for the soup. I usually wait until I have two and that gives the soup a lot more flavor and more meat. You can also use roasted chicken or turkey as well, but you won't have the smokey flavor.

Cover the carcases with water and bring to a boil. Let simmer covered an hour or so. Remove chickens and let cool. While the chickens cool add 1/2 large onion, chopped and 2 carrots, also chopped to the stock. You can vary the veggies to use what you have on hand, but I never use more than 3 or so. Today I had fresh crowder peas and butter peas from the garden, frozen corn and canned green beans (drained). I added these to the pot along with the bits of chicken picked from the bones. Simmer until carrots are tender and then toss in a couple of large handfuls of pasta. Continue to cook until pasta is done and .. enjoy!  

Homemade Granola

Every Sunday I make a batch of granola. I have a basic recipe that I use and change it up with the use of different nuts, fruits and sweeteners. This is a breakfast staple around our house when mixed with yogurt or milk but also makes a great afternoon snack when energy is lagging. Use any combination of nuts and dried fruit. I like to use walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds and pecans. I have used pistachios and Brazil nuts as well. Dried fruit additions might be raisins, currents or dried apples ~ the only limit is your imagination!
                                                     Basic Homemade Granola
                                                        4 1/2 cups oatmeal
                                                        2 tsp. cinnamon
                                                        1/3 cup organic canola oil
                                                        1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
                                                        1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
                                                        1/4 oat or wheat bran
                                                        1/4 cup sesame seeds
                                                        1 1/2 cups assorted nuts, chopped
                                                        1 cup dried fruit
Toss all ingredients except fruit together ans spread on baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool and add dried fruit.Store in air tight container.

Rich and Creamy Potato Soup

Our soup of the week is a rich and creamy potato soup. Most of the potatoes are in the basement but I have one boo-boo basket in the kitchen that I am using up first. These had small sprouts, green spots or a spot that wouldn't allow them to hold long. I also had some celery and a couple of onions that needed to be used up and together they all became soup!

                                               Rich & Creamy Potato Soup
Finely dice a medium onion, 1 or 2 celery ribs and a large carrot. Saute in butter until soft. Add 4-6 cups chicken stock and a large bowl of diced potatoes. No need to peel if not blemished. If stock does not cover potatoes add more stock or water. Cover and simmer until potates are tender. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk, stir and continue to simmer. Soften 2 tbsp. of butter and make a paste with flour. Stir into soup and continue to cook until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese if desired.

Chocolate Syrup

We all have our vices. Around here it happens to be dark chocolate. Years ago I searched for a syrup that didn't have a bunch of junk in it and of course found none. There were a few organic ones on the market but I found the taste to be bland. This is a wonderful dark chocolate syrup. It is perfect for making a large glass of chocolate milk, served on a bowl of homemade ice cream or drizzled over spring time strawberries.

                                                        Dark Chocolate Syrup
                                                            1 cup water
                                                            1/2 cup sugar
                                                            2/3 cup cocoa powder
                                                            1/4 tsp. salt
                                                            1 tsp. vanilla
Bring water and sugar to a boil. Whisk in cocoa powder and salt. Boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 1 cup.

White Chicken Chili

The second meal from the large pot of white beans I cooked earlier this week is a white chili. Once the beans are cooked this is a quick easy meal. If you raise rabbit, it is a great substitute for the chicken!

                                             WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
                                               4-6 cups of white beans
                                               1 quart chicken stock
                                               1 med. onion, chopped
                                               1 can chopped green chilis
                                               3 cloves garlic, minced
                                               2 cups chopped cooked chicken
                                               1 large palm full of cumin
                                               salt & pepper to taste
Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, pepper jack cheese and minced cilantro.

Tonight's Homestead Meal -Cube Steak

CUBE STEAK, FRIED OKRA, SLICED TOMATOES & CANTALOUPE

Eating from the homestead this time of year is easy and quick when the garden is producing. Fresh picked okra from the garden, sliced tomatoes and cantaloupe made a lovely plate beside the farm raised cube steak.
                                                   EASY FRIED OKRA:
Wash and slice okra and place in a large bowl. Toss with flour, salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil to high heat. Put okra into pan and toss to coat. Reduce heat, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue to cook until brown and crispy adding small amounts of oil as needed.
                                                  PAN FRIED CUBE STEAK:
Heat a small amount of oil in frying pan. Dredge steaks in flour, salt and pepper. Pan fry until brown and crispy on each side. Move to oven to keep warm while okra is cooking.

Serve with sliced tomatoes and chilled cantaloupe.

Crockpot Beans

I love using my crockpot for cooking dried beans. One reason being, that I tend to get distracted and forget about anything that cooks longer than an hour ;o) but the biggest reason is the convenience of having a meal ready at the end of a long day.
If I think about it the night before, I let the dried beans soak overnight in cold water. If not, the morning I plan to cook them, I bring them to a boil and let them sit an hour or so. I then drain off the liquid, cover them with either chicken or vegetable broth by a couple of inches and turn on high.You can always add other goodies to the pot, but we prefer plain. At the end of the day you will have a delicious, healthy meal waiting for you. Our favorite sides are either cooked cabbage, slaw or homemade sauerkraut. Leftovers are excellent for lunches or used to create another meal, soup or bean burritos.
Tonight, for example, we are having fajitas with farm raised beef and chicken, peppers and onions from the garden and refried beans made from the leftover cranberry beans cooked earlier this week. To make these I fried a couple of pieces of bacon, warmed the beans with a bit of extra water and mashed them then tossed them in the bacon fat to finish heating. Delish.