One Chicken, Three Meals

Whew- it's after midnight and I'm only now getting a break to post!

A whole chicken can be stretched over three meals for two adults and one child:

• a roasted chicken (crockpot chicken in the summer) 
• chicken soup (also done in a crockpot is the summer)
• chicken pot pie or chicken salad

With our schedule, our big meal of the day is lunch.  Early this morning (1/20/11), I roasted a chicken for lunch.  I reserved the organs and neck for later, and rinsed and pat dry the chicken. The next step was to loosen the skin over the breasts, and I stuffed garlic cloves under the skin.  I sliced a lemon and stuffed the two halves into the cavity of the chicken with a few more garlic cloves.  The chicken went on a rack (I use the one from my toaster oven- perfect size for a chicken) breast side up, and then I sprinkled salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano onto the bird. Carrots, potatoes, and onions went into the roasting pan surrounding the bird.  375 degrees and two hours later, this is the delicious result:

After we ate our fill of the bird and the roasted veggies, then I removed all the remaining meat off of the bones.  The carcass, skin, the organs and neck that were reserved earlier, and pan drippings went into the stock pot with a tablespoon of vinegar to help extract the minerals from the bones, and then I filled the pot with filtered water.  It was set on the stove to simmer all day to make chicken stock.  It has been strained into containers and put into the refrigerator.  Tomorrow, I'll skim the fat off, reheat the stock, reserve two cups of stock for a pot pie, and add more a few more ingredients to make chicken soup.  The fat that rises to the top and is skimmed off the stock

Now, if you can raise your own chickens and grow your own vegetables and herbs, all the better. However, if you don't live somewhere that allows you to raise chickens, the next best option is to get them from someone local.  After that, the next best option that I've seen is to get chickens raised without hormones or antibiotics from a wholesale club (please avoid paying retail whenever possible- your just wasting money you do not have to spend).  Our wholesale club sells a two-pack of hormone and antibiotic free chickens for approximately $8.  If you can grow your own veggies and herbs, than the only cost for the roasted chicken dinner would be the chicken for $4 (half of the two-pack). 

Now, with two chickens, I can feed my husband, son, and myself six meals each week for an average of $5/meal- and that's if I buy everything from the store and had nothing in my pantry.  Otherwise, it works out to closer to $3 per meal for all three of us.  Now that is frugality at it's finest.

Forgotten Foods- Linden

During our recent trip to Maine, our friend and local guru, Leif, pointed out that we have a linden tree behind our cabin.  And... that the linden produced edible fruits that have a flavor somewhat akin to chocolate.  Chocolate?  I say, let's move into the cabin right now! 

Ok, we can't relocate just yet.  When we got home, however, you bet I went on line to learn more about this chocolate-like linden fruit.  As it turns out, it's not just the fruits, but also the flowers and leaves that are edible as well.  Cooking with linden is part of older, traditional recipes in places like England, Germany, and France where the linden is abundant.  Thankfully, it grows well in New England.

The young fruits contain a nut-like seed that when ground tastes similar to cocoa powder.  However, older fruits produce seed that taste more like coffee.  Yes, that's right, coffee!  Actually, the description is a coffee-like flavor with a hint of chocolate.  Yum!  Hot mocha in the morning!  That's when my husband said, "Ok, so where do we buy more of these linden trees?"  Since I don't drink coffee, I was happy to learn that the blossoms can be used for tea, and that the blossoms would have a gentle, calming effect.

Of course, the trick is to be able to collect enough of the linden seeds to make either the cocoa powder or coffee grind substitutes.  You need a lot, so unless you have a lot of linden trees, you may only get a few bites of chocolate or a few cups of mocha.  And yes, we have already sourced out a local supplier of linden trees. 

Store the seeds as seeds, not ground up.  Once ground, it doesn't hold its flavor well.  Once blended with the blossoms and grape seed oil to make linden chocolate, it does not store well.  It will last only a few days in the freezer.  Thankfully, the nut-like seeds store well and they can be ground as needed. 

Perhaps the most practical use of linden, however, is using the leaves to make flour.  Linden leaf flour can be used in combination with other flours and grains to bake breads, cakes, and porridge, or be used as a thickener for soups.  I found a few web sites with information on using linden in cooking, but this one had the most, and it's just a cool site overall.  Check out Celtnet Recipes.  Click here to go directly to their linden recipe page.

Live better, a little every day.

Recipe- Karl's Favorite Oatmeal

Karl may only be two years old, but he knows how he likes his oatmeal.  Forget the instant stuff.  He can't be fooled into thinking that microwavable, artificially flavored mush is acceptable.  It's either old fashion or quick-cooking for our little man.  Also, that better be real maple syrup.  It must be genetic, but the fake stuff drives us both over the edge into the realm of "how dare you!"

Karl's Favorite Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Real maple syrup to taste

In a small pot, combine oats, water, salt, and vanilla extract.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  As the oatmeal simmers, it will thicken.  Add the ground cinnamon and stir to mix well into the oatmeal.  Stir frequently as it should only take a minute or two longer to cook.  When you have just about reached the desired consistency.  Pour into bowl and allow to cool.  Oatmeal will continue to thicken as it cools.  Add maple syrup to taste.

Consistency may not be a major issue for most folks.  When you're teaching a toddler to feed himself, however, the more that the food sticks to the spoon instead of sliding off the spoon the better!

Live better, a little every day.

Easiest Homemade Chicken Soup

This post was supposed to be published yesterday, but we had kind of a crazy day.  My husband and our 2 year old were rear-ended in a hit and run (luckily, the police caught the offender).  The little one wasn't phased at all, but the 40 year old dad is a little worse for wear.  He's got a bit of whiplash, and the muscle relaxers are not helping.  On the bright side, he has a chiropractic treatment this morning, so healing is on the way! 

Back to chicken soup... if you check the labels on most store bought chicken soup or chicken broth or stock, you'll be startled by the amount of sodium.  Even the low-sodium varieties are a cause for concern.  Labelling can be misleading.  For istance, "reduced-sodium" doesn't mean "low-sodium".  It just means that version has less sodium than the company's standard product.  To make matters worse, many companies substitute MSG which works on brain cells to trick the brain into thinking the food item has more flavor. 

Normally, I make my own chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass and drippings.  Being pregnant, I cannot handle extra heat- even in winter- and haven't wanted to get the oven going until late in the evening when the brownie cravings outweigh the heat aversion.  This weekend, we had a defrosted chicken in the fridge slated to satisfy a chicken salad craving, so I put the bird, breast-side-down, in the crockpot on low for 7 hours.

When I took the chicken out of the slow cooker, there was a substantial amount of juice at the bottom of the crockpot.  I added 6 cups of water, one quartered onion, a chopped celery stalk, a sprinkle of pepper, a pinch of dried sage, and the picked clean chicken bones to the chicken juice, and cooked in the crockpot overnight (about 6 hours for me these days). 

The next morning, I strained the contents into a plastic container, let it cool on the counter, and then put it in the refrigerator.  When the fat rose to the top, it was removed, and the broth put on the stove top to simmer for about 30 minutes with garlic powder, onion powder, carrots, celery, green beans, peas, and left-over chicken.   I added a handful of rotini, and cooked until al dente.

The soup made about 5 servings.  It wasn't fast, but it was mostly slow-cooking-and-walk-away prepping.  The only thing that could have made this better would have been some warm, buttered, crusty bread.  But, then we're getting back to the whole hot oven vs. pregnant woman thing.

Live better, a little every day.

Three Budget Friendly Recipies

One of the best foods to stock up on is the bean.  Any bean- kidney, chick peas, black, cannellini, pinto, whatever your pleasure.  Beans are cheap, easy to store, and have tons of fiber and protein.  Plus, they are easy to grow.  All this makes them a great addition to your pantry.  Here are three great, cheap, tasty, bean-based recipes.

Note: Using canned beans is convenient, and relatively inexpensive.  However, there is a lot of unnecessary sodium in commercially prepared canned beans.  Dry beans are even cheaper and are easy to prepare, but they do require some time.  Dry beans need to be soaked overnight before using.

Black Bean Soup (serves 4)

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger root, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 bag (appox 15 oz) of black beans, previously soaked overnight
• 6 cups of water
• 3 large sweet potatoes, pealed and cubed
• 1 teaspoon  salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I use Stoneyfield Farms full fat, cream on top, french vanilla) or sour cream with each serving (optional)
• fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

In a large pot, saute the onion in the oil until translucent.  Add peppers, garlic, ginger, and allspice and saute until the peppers are soft.  Add water sweet potatoes, and beans and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.  Add the salt and black pepper.  Take 1-2 cups of the soup and blend in a blender, then replace to the pot.  Add yogurt and cilantro leaves to each individual bowl.

White Bean and Carrot Soup

• 6 garlic cloves, minced*
• 1 Tablesoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 scallions/green onions chopped
• 1 quart broth (veggie or chicken)
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch sections
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 2 bags (approx 30 ounces) cannellini beans (or any white bean), soaked overnight
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent.  Add the garlic, scallions, and saute 3-4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the broth, carrots, oregano, thyme, sage, pre-soaked cannellini beans, salt, and pepper.  Simmer 30-45 minutes.  In batches, run the soup through a blender.

*To add another level of flavor, try roasting the garlic first.  Roast the entire garlic bulb and use the extra garlic in other recipes, flavor bread, etc.  Preheat the oven to 400*.  Leaving the garlic in its paper, cut the top off the bulb, and brush the top of the bulb with olive oil.  Roast in the oven  for 20 minutes, or until soft.  Squeeze out the garlic cloves.  They will be soft, sweet, and take the soup to a whole new level.

Refried Beans

• 1 bag (appox. 15 oz) pinto beans, soaked overnight
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 5-6 garlic cloves (you could use the left-over roasted cloves from the above recipe)
• 2 teaspons cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight.  In the morning, drain the water and rinse beans. Add beans to a large pot and add fresh water (enough water to cover the beans with at least two inches of water over the beans).  Cook beans for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until soft.  Drain beans.  In a skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cumin and cook for another 4 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.  Using a potato masher, mash the beans in a large bowl.  Stir in the onion mixture.  Stir in the cayenne or hot sauce, salt, and pepper.  Serve as a side dish, with rice (complete protein combo), in burritos, with guacamole and sour cream, and so on.

Next blog entry: Extra Income Ideas

Live better, a little every day

Recipe- Hamburger Stroganoff

Since my blog entry yesterday was about canning, today I thought I'd post a recipe that can be easily doubled, and the extra servings canned for later using a pressure canner. It freezes well too. The recipe comes from one of the most useful books I have on my shelf, Stocking Up III, by Carol Hupping of the Rodale Food Center.

The book covers a wide range of food storage options. There are recipes, instructions to make your own butter and yogurt, and walks you through the specific steps of canning, freezing, and dehydrating just about anything. (It does not cover smoking or salt curing.) In my opinion, it is the best bang for your buck in food preservation books.

This recipe is simple, uses inexpensive ingredients, stores well, tastes great, and is a perfect cold-weather meal. If you do not have a pressure canner, this freezes well too. Just remember that your freezer is vulnerable to power outages.


Hamburger Stroganoff

1 and 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce (more if desired)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 and 1/2 cups sour cream

In a medium skillet, cook beef for 10 minutes, or until done. Drain off fat. Add garlic, onions, pepper, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and cook until onions are tender. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce and, if serving now and not canning or freezing, the sour cream. Let sauce just heat through, 5-7 minutes.

Can or freeze. To can, pack hot into hot, scalded pint or quart jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust seals and process in a pressure canner, 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts. Remember to add sour cream to canned or frozen stroganoff when heating.

Live better, a little everyday.

Recipe- Egg Salad

Over the past year of saving for and planning our homestead, we have a good idea of what kind of food we will be able to produce for ourselves. We have been adjusting our current eating habits to match what we will have available. One of the first animals we plan to raise are chickens, both for meat and for eggs.

Egg salad is easy and cheap to make, and can feed a lot of people without much effort. This recipe feeds 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• dash of salt
• dash of pepper
• 3 teaspoons prepared mustard (your choice, dijon, spicy, etc.)
• 4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons green onions, chopped

Preparation

1. Hard boil the eggs. Put eggs in a pan and cover with water. Bring the water up to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the eggs. Drain eggs into a colander and run under cool water. When cool to touch, peel the eggs.
2. Place the eggs in a bowl with the salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, mash the eggs into small pieces.
3. Stir in the mustard and mayonnaise. Add mayonnaise one tablespoon at a time and stir. Stop when you like the consistency.
4. Add the celery and green onions and stir.

Serve on fresh bread, toast, crackers, in pita pockets, or any other way you prefer. Enjoy!

Live better, a little every day.