Category: MISC

Rotisserie Chicken Stock – Make your own and save BIG and your food will taste better too

Before Rachael Ray and even before Alton Brown… But after Julia Child… And somewhere around the time of Graham Kerr (But I am digressing with the foodie timeline), there was JEFF SMITH… THE Frugal Gourmet.


His catch phrase, “Frugal doesn’t mean cheap. Frugal means that you don’t waste anything.” is becoming a way of life for me.  I love the Virgin Isles, but it is not cheap.  So, frugal to eat  better is my new catch phrase. I don’t mind paying for a premium ingredient, but I will use it all.  And by stretching the food I do buy, I can fit more in my food budget.


Chicken stock is now a weekly project.  In reality, it takes all of 10 minutes total out of my day to make.  Is virtually free, as you are using ingredients many of us toss in the garbage.  It has the added benefit of being noticeably better quality than the store bought.


Back on my site, I have been extolling the virtues of the store bought rotisserie chicken.  Here on the island, a raw whole chicken starts at $10.  But I can buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for only $6.  Makes no sense to me, and I have not heard a viable explanation yet.  I have gotten pretty good at making dishes from teh pre=cooked chicken other than a sandwich.   I even started a sidebar link for What to do with a Rotisserie Chicken.  Since landing, I have made a dozen batches of stock from my beloved cheap rotisserie birds.  It lasts in the fridge for a week, and saves big…


One more example and then on to the technique… A big can of chicken broth is $4.79.  The stores I regularly shop at do not even keep cans of chicken stock on their shelves to compare prices.  I get at least the same amount of stock from one bird as is in the can.  Making my chicken cost a buck and a quarter.

“Frugal doesn’t mean cheap. Frugal means that you don’t waste anything.”



Can not be easier… Buy a rotisserie chicken.  Sam’s Club, Costco, Wal-Mart, and many neighborhood stores make and sell them same day fresh.  Eat everything you can from the bones of the bird.  BUT, save the bones.  If you do not eat the skin from the bird… Save the skin.  Make one final hack at the bird (I can always get enough to make a chicken omelet for breakfast).


Then, drop the carcass in a large pot.  You can use a crock pot if you have one.  I add one gallon of water.  Get the water to simmer.  Not a fast boil, just a gentle simmer.  Then, I add whatever vegetables are close to going south.  I never add fresh veggies, just the ones that are on the down side of fresh.  I eat carrot sticks, so I always have a few carrots to toss in.  An onion, even a potato or bell pepper will help to flavor the stock.  Celery, I have even plopped a lemon or lime into the mix.  Why not???


This is a great excuse to cull out the veggie drawer once a week.  I am not saying to use veggies that are already bad (you know), but if they are a little soft, fine… Chop a bit and toss in.


When you use a rotisserie bird, no need to add any seasonings (especially if you do not eat the skin).  there is plenty of salt and pepper on the bird as it is.


Total time for all this… 10 minutes.


The rest of the day, go about your business.  Eat some bon-bons, catch up with what’s happening on All My Children, change some diapers or read a book.  the simmering pot does all the work.  Simmer uncovered, as you are reducing the stock to 1/2 gallon.  It has the benefit of making your kitchen smell AMAZING! Some days I make stock and bake bread on the same day.  That is a day to just stand at your stove and breath as deep as you can!


About 4 or 5 hours later, run the broth through a metal strainer, now, salute your bird and toss the veggies and chicken bones.  Their job is done.  The stock is easily stored (once cooled) in a ziplock freezer bag.  You could store in 1 cup quantities in smaller bags).  I have even heard of people making stock ice cubes in ice cube trays.  Me, I always seem to use my 1/2 gallon in a week, so I just store in the fridge waiting for next week’s batch.



Last night, I made some cashew chicken using a fresh batch of stock.  I also made some Chinese noodles that I boiled in a 50/50 mix of water and a cup of last week’s stock (finished that bag off, made room in the fridge for the fresh batch).  The stock added quite a bit of extra taste to the noodles.


I could have used water in both recipes. It is amazing what you will and can do with stock when you have a free batch sitting in the fridge.  And just wait to see the difference it makes in your meals.


Be a cook.


Make your own stock, stretch a dollar, add more flavor to your food.


Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  10 minutes hands on effort, you get to clean out your fridge of questionable veggies without wasting them.  And the results will show the rest of the week.  You will be a noticeably better cook.


 … I CAN COOK THAT!

…Anyone can!!! And anyone can make this winner…

Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Please visit me at My Sweet and Savory and at Comfy Cook.
May as Muffin Month, means delicious blueberry muffins, compliments of Nick Malgieri with a few minor adjustments, on my part.  These are delicious as are all Nick’s recipes which I have tried.  I joined a new baking group, The Modern Baker which is one of Nick Malgieri’s baking books.  We are baking through the book, starting with quick breads. 
Blueberry Crumb Muffins
Ingredients:
 
Crumb Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/cinnamon (I used almost one teaspoon)
3/4 stick margarine
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Cake Batter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour  (actually, I made this gluten free, using a brown rice flour mix and two teaspoons xanthan gum).
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Rice Dream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pint blueberries  (I used frozen.)
One 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners
Method:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Topping:
Combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Mix well.
Melt margarine in a small saucepan.
\Remove from heat and add brown sugar and mix with rubber spatula.
Scrape above mixture into flour mixture.
Mix together until consistently moist.
Set aside.
Muffin Batter:
Stir together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, mixing well.
Combine margarine and sugars with an electric beater.
Beat on medium speed for one minute.
 One at a time, beat in the eggs, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in almond extract.
Beat in one half of dry ingredients, then the milk and again the rest of the dry ingredients.
Add blueberries and beat in, at lowest speed, for no more than 3 seconds to slightly crush blueberries.
Use a rubber spatula to mix, one more time.
Divide equally in the muffin cups.
Break crumb mixture into crumbs and top each muffin.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.

Cool on wire rack.

These are wonderful muffins.  Everyone loved them and I got requests to bake them again, immediately.

ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSELF? OTHERS ARE.

I thought I’d stray from the food issues this week a little bit and bring up another subject – etiquette and manners, values and beliefs as well as demeanor.

At the risk of sounding “old fashioned” I have to ask, do you care how you present yourself to the world?  Personally I prefer NOT to look like an idiot to the masses. Of course this is just my opinion, but I believe the world can be a kinder, better place.  I’m a huge believer in positive attitude and that the positive attitude you have will create a happy life, if only you allow it to.

All families have words and issues sometimes.  These are some of my favorite TV families that had issues at times, but presented a cohesive family unit without profanity, sexual innuendo every other word and action or cattiness.  They were wholesome and taught their children the value of manners, etiquette, kindness, fairness, right from wrong, respect for their elders and how to live by setting an example.

One of the things that irks me most is that kids today, girls in particular, don’t seem to care how they present themselves to the world.  Just a couple of examples would be how they dress.  Now, I’m not a prude by any means, but if I were even 5-10 pounds over weight I would not be wearing a skin tight tank top in public allowing the rolls of fat the “hang” out with my bra straps and thong showing.  I also know that tattoos are “IN”, but  think about it girls, where it is now isn’t where it will be after a kid or two or gravity catches up with you in 20 years. Are you someday going to want to wear that strapless wedding dress?  Do you really want that skull and cross bones in your wedding pictures?  As for the boys, no one wants to see your boxer shorts, really we don’t.  I find nothing funnier than watching you walk down the street constantly pulling your pants up so you don’t trip.  They invented belts and buying correct sizes for just for that reason.
Next would be their speech.  Hey even I cuss sometimes, we all do in certain instances, usually anger.  But, using the “F” word in their everyday conversations in loud voices is just plain vulgar.  It doesn’t make them tough, smart or cool looking.  Using it in print on social networks is just stupid!  Do they not realize what the permanency of looking like an idiot, a gossiper or back stabber on social networking sites can do to them, their families or their futures.  
I recently read about a girl who was whining about how she hated her job on facebook.  Her superiors read about it too.  Then they fired her.  Now before you say they didn’t have the right, think about it.  What she did was bad PR for her employer in a public forum. Then there are the job candidates who are never even hired because HR researched them on social networks and just didn’t think they would be good representatives of their company based on how they carry themselves in public.  I also read a “friends” rants and raves on facebook about a customer and it didn’t take much of an imagination to know who she was “hypothetically” talking about.  I remember reading a story about an insurance agent who was fired after discussing a case in an elevator.  She didn’t use names, but she did happen to describe the exact symptoms of another passenger on the elevator.  That passenger filed a complaint with the insurance company and the agent was let go.  There is a sense of privacy that no longer exists in today’s world.  We all need to be responsible for our words and expressions, freedom or not to say them or express them.
I’ve also read about potential college candidates whose college applications were declined because of their “my space” pages or “facebook” entries.  You can talk about freedom of speech or freedom of expression, but have we as a society taken it a bit too far?  I do believe you can get your opinion across without using obscenities every other word.  I just did.
I’m all for teaching kids right from wrong, good from bad, how to be independent and think for themselves, but I’m also all about teaching them when they should be kind, thoughtful, generous, helpful and when to hold back a bit and show compassion and understanding. 

It’s not always all about us as individuals.  In fact, most of the time it isn’t, but much of today’s generation truly seems to be a “ME” group with an inflated sense of entitlement, a serious lack of manners or a sense of etiquette and a lack of compassion.  Being conservative in our thoughts and actions is a way to protect what’s right about our families, our life and our communities.

My nephew asked me the other day if I thought I was June Cleaver or something.  Now being called June Cleaver does not offend me, I just say thank you and politely walk away. And you know what?  My nephew thanked me for that home cooked meal, clean laundry and knowing just how to help him.  You know, the “June Cleaver” kind of stuff. LOL

This concludes my soapbox and brings me to my fun news. 

MAITAKE MUSHROOM LACED CASHEW CHICKEN

This is a recipe I am revamping to include the awesome mushrooms that I received from Justin at Marx Foods.

I was NOT disappointed and you won’t be either.  They have some great quality bulk online wholesale foods available.  These mushrooms added a rich nutty flavor that complimented the cashews excellent.

4 chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1 ounce dehydrated Maitake mushrooms, re-hydrated and then chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons oil
2 cup hot chicken broth
2 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup cashews
cooked rice
  • Heat canola oil over medium high heat until JUST sizzling.
  • Saute’ green onions and mushrooms until tender. Using a slotted spoon remove onions and Maitake mushrooms to drain on paper towels.
  • Stir fry chicken in hot oil in frying pan or wok until chicken is lightly brown and tender, about 8 minutes. 
  • Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from the pan. 
  • Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and  the  Worcestershire sauce. 
  • Blend well, then add chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. 
  • Add lemon juice; add chicken pieces, onions and mushrooms and reheat. Do not boil. 
  • Taste to correct seasonings. 
  • Add cashews. 
  • Serve over hot rice.

He all but licked his plate!

Fun on Mother’s Day weekend

Hubby saw this in a local magazine a couple weeks ago and we thought it sounded fun.  Then we started seeing all the cars about town and knew it would be interesting.  I think they had one of everything.  And it was all free, well except the food.  It was nice to see many generations of families attending.  Grandpas were explaining cars and their intricacies to the grand kids, people were picnicking, together! and the music was great! The community really came together on this one.

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Ooey Gooey Double Chocolate Butter Cake – Save Room for Desert

Hello again, all you dessert-loving people!
This week, we’re back to the gluttonous, chocolately, fiendish fare I am so in love with.  Now, when I think fiendish and gluttonous, a few different cooks come to mind.  But none so quickly as Miss Butter herself: Paula Deen.
I have been wanting to try a Paula Deen dessert for ages now.  And there was one in particular that struck my fancy.
Butter cake.  But not just any butter cake.  The kind that involves chocolate.
Twice.
Here’s how it happened.  So easy it should be a sin and probably is:

Mix 1 box of chocolate cake mix, 1 egg and…sigh…one stick of melted butter (this is the part where, if we were on “Paula’s Party”, the audience would go “ooooooooh!”).  Stir very well to incorporate and moisten all of the mix.  Then pat this lovely mixture into a greased 13×9 inch pan.
Mama needs a manicure. 
Now it’s time for your topping, aka the “ooey gooey” part.
Beat 8 oz of softened cream cheese until it is smooth in consistency.  Add to that 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder.  Mix this together.  Then, with the mixer on a low setting so as to lessen the chances of disaster, add 16 oz of powdered sugar.
Side note: I cannot tell you how how many times I forget to use a low setting when incorporating powdered sugar or flour into a mixer bowl.  It’s kind of a mess.
Anyway, once the powdered sugar is all mixed in, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and…gulp…yet another entire stick of melted butter.
Yeah.  I said it.

Spread this sinful mixture over the bottom layer of chocolate sin and pop your pan in the 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes.  MAKE SURE you do not over-bake this.  I left it in for 40 minutes and it was jiggly on top when I took it out, but it’s supposed to be.
I have to say that when I cut into this, it did not look like Paula’s does.  I think I may have over-beaten the cream cheese mixture.

But does that matter when you’re eating it? Um…NO! I served this to my husband, father-in-law, brother-in-law and his fiancee, and the verdict was unanimous:
YUM!
Oh, and Paula Deen is a crazy woman.  But you knew that already.
1 box chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
2 sticks melted butter, divided
1 8 oz package softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
Combine cake mix, one egg and one stick of melted butter, mixing well to fully incorporate.  Pat this mixture on to bottom of cake pan.
Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add two eggs and cocoa powder and blend.  Lowering speed on mixer, incorporate powdered sugar in stages.  Add second stick of melted butter and vanilla.  Mix well.  Pour mixture on top of bottom layer in pan, spreading evenly.
Bake for 40 – 50 minutes.  Cake should be jiggly on top – hence the gooey part!
Serve with a glass of milk.  Or two. You’ll need it!
Like what you see here? Visit my blog for even more crazy food love! I’d be so happy to see you there!

Food for Thought…

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. 
~Herm Albright (1876 – 1944) 
Apparently Herm Albright was a painter and lithographer, born on January 29, 1876 in Mannheim, Germany.  He emmigrated to the United States and settled in San Francisco in 1905.  He held a job with the Paul Elder Book Company for 25 years  He died on September 21, 1944.

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Aw Shucks, we’re blushing…again…

Julie over at Mommie Cooks has honored us with this award.  Can’t you see us blushing?  Well, we are.  We are also extremely grateful for our loyal followers, commenters and our wonderful creative cooking crew here at OUR KrAzY KiTcHeN and pass this award along to all of you!  There are “rules” for this award, but since we are a co-op so to speak we are bending those a bit.
The Rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award. Which we do profusely.
2. Share 7 things about yourself. How about 10?  We’ll give you the 10 people who make up this blog and their home sites.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! That’s all of you.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large bunch green onions, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken cooked pieces*
8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
  • In a small skillet saute onion and garlic lightly.
  • In a large bowl combine soup, sour cream, milk, butter, , onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Fold in the cheese and chicken pieces. 
  • Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
  • 6 servings
*I lightly saute’ the chicken.

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CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large bunch green onions, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken pieces
8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
  • In a small skillet saute onion and garlic lightly.
  • In a large bowl combine soup, sour cream, milk, butter, , onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Fold in the cheese and chicken pieces. 
  • Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
  • 6 servings

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