From Faux to Fabulous

The past few weeks have been interwoven with eliminating faux foods (ok, really reducing faux foods, I haven’t found a replacement for ketchup yet) and cooking from scratch with fabulous, fresh, 100% biology foods. I am feeling lighter in my body and no longer feeling dazed in the middle of the afternoon. I’ve been spending more time reading labels, in the produce section, and in front of a cutting board. Not only am I rearranging my cupboards, but my Daytimer is getting an overhaul too.  I’m remembering that I like cooking. Years of creating a menu for a family of diverse appetites narrowed my options and I guess I fell into a menu rut.  

I am surprised how excited I am about making soup! I made my first homemade chicken stock and the delicious difference has me excited to make a roasted vegetable stock.  

 I spent an hour making the chicken stock (from prep to clean up) and a couple hours making Winter Soup (sooo good, recipe to follow with important tips on pureeing hot foods). I have decided that one day a weekend, preferably Sunday, will once again be my Sabbath and, now also, my hearth day.

Adding zest to my life includes creating more creative moments. I have fallen away from several nurturing activities and, as I plant my garden of herbs this spring, I will also plant a garden of nurturing activities to spice up my days. My meals are becoming creative moments. Martha Stewart and Oprah would be proud.

Chicken Stock Recipe

Time to the table: at least 3 hours    Makes 2 quarts

You’ll need:

Bones from 1 baked chicken

3 quarts water

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups chopped onions

2 teaspoons salt

3 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, smashed

5 sage leaves or 2 teaspoons rubbed sage

Several turns of the pepper grinder, to taste

Directions

Pick majority of meat off the chicken and cut the bones into 2 inch pieces.

In a 4-quart stockpot

                Add chicken bones with the water and bring to a boil. Once foam comes to the top, skim it away and add all the other ingredients. Let it simmer away uncovered for half the day ( about 4 hours), until it cooks down by about a third.

                Strain the stock, let it cook and store in a tight lidded container in the refrigerator for up a week. Otherwise freeze it for up to 3 months.