Recipe of the Day

Store bought Rotisserie Chicken has become a go-to food in our house. On nights that I cant bring myself to stand in the kitchen I will run to the store and get an MSG-free chicken. We usually eat the 1st half of the chicken with a veggie side and starch of some sort. The 2nd half is usually turned into Chicken Quesadillas; Chicken Noodle Soup; Chicken, Granny Smith Apple, Cheddar Cheese Grilled Paninis and the like.

Once we have scraped the meat off the bone I put the chicken carcass in a large bag (usually recycled bread bags) and freeze it to make chicken stock. When I have a couple chicken carcasses and have gathered enough of my mirepoix discards (leftover celery, carrot and onion pieces from salads or other cooking) in a large plastic bag in the freezer, I will start my day by making chicken stock. The fragrance fills our house and calms my spirit.

Recipe - Home Made Chicken Stock

Ingredients -
2-3 Chicken Carcasses
Bunch of leftover celery pieces (leaves, tips and ends)
Bunch of leftover carrot pieces (root, skins and other pieces)
Bunch of leftover onion (root, skins - add nice color to the stock)
1-2 cloves garlic (smashed slightly)
Bunch of herbs (whatever you have leftover in the refrigerator; sage and rosemary are nice)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste.

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. (Warm water will make your stock murky.) Cover pot with heavy lid and heat on medium-high heat. Once water is at slow boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer as long as desired. (I usually simmer it all day and allow it to cool in the refrigerator over night before straining.) When cooled, strain stock and freeze in containers for up to 6 months. Enjoy!

Should your butt hang over like a shelf when you sit in your computer chair? I think not. Tae Bo here I come again. God have mercy.

Book Review - The Penny Pinchers Club

As I wandered through the library looking for anything that caught my eye I came upon a Sarah Strohmeyer book titled, "The Penny Pinchers Club". I often joke about my addiction to the self-help genre and am always looking for a book to carry my imagination to another place now and then. So, having nothing "fiction" on my bed stand (except Tolstoy but we all know that doesn't count as real fiction!) I decided to check out the book.

"TPPC" was entertaining and an easy read while playing to my current obsession with freegan living. The main character is struggling to save money and resorts to penny pinching as her means to accomplish said goal. Dumpster diving only makes the story more interesting.

Ground breaking fiction? No. Enjoyable? Yes.

Tuesday

Woke up. No coffee. Walked viewing God's amazing creation. Cried tears of intimacy as I spoke to Him about my struggles. Stepped in dog poop. Was met by Animal Control at our house after Solomon escaped. Dog got hit on the nose by a very authoritative officer for bad behavior. Humiliated. Willy Wonka found lurking behind my A.V. rack. Costco lady told me I was a liar. Befuddled by my nudist children. It's only 2pm.