Basics - How to bone a chicken and make Stock!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Easter weekend! This post is all about the basics. I am going to give you  few tips on a some great items I always like to have around the house. First up is the most basic ingredient that we all use Chicken Stock. I know that these days you can pick up chicken stock at any local grocery store, but if you find yourself with some free time on one Saturday morning you should try to make your own! Stock is basically flavored water and most stocks are made with bones other than vegetable and seafood. Stock is also the base of almost all soups and sauces and that is why it is so important to always have around. I have even made my own stock and given it away in a goody bag to family and friends. There are 3 parts to a basic chicken stock bones, vegetables or mirepoix if you want to be fancy, and seasoning. First off you want to start with a whole chicken and bone it down. Don't know how to debone a chicken? Well here is a quick video on how to do it yourself.....

Once you have cut down your chicken, place the bones in a large stock pot. Add your vegetables which should consist of onions, carrots, and celery. The ratio should be around 50% onions, 25% carrots and celery.

Fill your stock pot with cold water 3/4 of the way full add in some bay leaves and peppercorns. You can also add fresh thyme and parsley tied together by kitchen twine. Bring your stock to a boil then reduce to a low simmer for about 3 hours. While simmering your stock skim the top of any foam and fat. Once your stock has been simmering for 3 hours take off the heat and strain. I always strain my stock into a bowl then wash out my stock pot and put the strained stock back in the pot. You want to cool your stock right away so I always put my pot in my kitchen sink and fill the sink with cold water. You can even add ice to the water around the pot to keep it cool. Once your stock is cooled put in freezer safe containers. Stock can keep refrigerated for up to a week and you can also freeze it for several months!
   Okay on to one of my favorite things to keep around the house and it always impresses my guests! Homemade garlic bread! Well kind of homemade, I got this amazing tip from a cookbook I read a while back and I have used it ever since. You can make the bread any way you prefer. First go to your local bakery and buy a couple of loaves of fresh bread. I always like to buy ciabatta, but you can get whatever you prefer. All you need for this recipe is the bread, unsalted butter, garlic, fresh herbs of your choice, and some Parmesan cheese.
Here is the recipe for 1 loaf of bread:
  5Tbls softened butter
  3oz fresh herbs (I used basil)
  1 clove fresh garlic
   Parmesan cheese

Slice your bread into 1 inch slices and only cut about 3/4 of the way down keeping the whole loaf intact like so..

Take your softened butter, basil, and garlic and place in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Spoon your butter mixture all over the top and in between the slices of bread. Once you have finished grate your parmesan cheese all over the top of the bread. Wrap you bread tightly in foil. Label and freeze.

 Bake at 375 for about 20-25 min in the foil. I usually open my foil after 20 min to check it then I leave it open to make it a little crisp on the edges!!! YUM!
   Last but not least a little something healthy! Flavored water! It's all the craze these days you can find it in almost every hotel lobby. I like to keep a nice pitcher around my house and I change up the flavors every week. This week I made citrus water. All I did was slice up 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 orange and placed them in my pitcher. Fill with water and some ice if you are going to keep out on the counter. Thats it. I refill it as needed and change the flavors to what I feel like. For example you could use berries, just slice up some strawberries and add some whole blueberries and raspberries. You could also use cucumbers. Not only is it good for you, it tastes great, and it looks great sitting out on your kitchen counter.

  Hope all of you enjoy these great basics for around the house!!

Happy Eatings Everyone,
Krystal