Easy Paleo Bone Broth Chicken and Rice Soup

I had a moment recently (let's call it an extended moment) when I panicked because I thought I'd lost my crock pot. Now, I'm not a worshiper of the slow cooker and I don't use it very often. But when I went to get it off the top shelf of my kitchen where it usually lives and it wasn't there...I was so baffled how I could lose such a big appliance. I mean, it's big, and red, and heavy. I was so pleased when I found it while packing up Jarrod's apartment last week. How did it get to his apartment? I don't know. But thank goodness it was clean (clearly I didn't put it away) and in good shape.

So I brought old crocky (cute?) home and set about making my first batch of bone broth.

Crock Pot Chicken Bone Broth

Ingredients

1-2 cooked chicken carcasses stripped of as much meat as you can remove (I used a rotisserie chicken carcass)

Enough distilled water to cover your chicken and veggies in the crock pot

1 Medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters

3 Carrots

3-4 Celery stalks

Italian seasoning and salt to taste

Procedure

Chop vegetables and put into crock pot with chicken and spices. Poor water over until covering the chicken. Turn crock pot on high for the first two hours, then reduce temperature to low. Let broth cook on low for 18-24 hours. Allow broth to cool and strain.

**Bone broth can be kept in the fridge for 7-10 days or frozen for later use.

** When refrigerated your bone broth should gel. When you heat it up to cook with it will go back to liquid.

Easy Paleo Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients

1 TBSP Bacon fat (or oil of your choosing)

1 Small Yellow Onion Chopped

3 Ribs of Celery Chopped

3 Carrots Chopped

2 TSP of Garlic

6 C Bone Broth (or regular broth in a pinch)

1/2 TSP Smoked Paprika

1.5 C Uncooked Rice

2 C Chopped Cooked Chicken (use a rotisserie chicken...make more bone broth)

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic in bacon fat. Add bone broth and paprika. Add in uncooked rice and allow soup to simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add chicken around the 30 minute mark. Check to see that your rice is cooked. Serve.

**If using bone broth the soup may gel in your fridge. Heating it up will cause it to liquefy again.

Foods that freeze well

I've been cooking fresh a lot more often recently thanks to Fresh 20 meal planning. The only problem is, even with the gift of meals for one (or two when I'm feeding Jarrod) and meals that use the same ingredients over several recipes, I end up with fresh ingredients that if left in the fridge will go bad. So, I've been freezing a lot. Please note, I cook with all of my frozen veggies. MMV on thawing out and expecting a grocery store fresh result. This is going to sounds dumb, but, been there done that. Cut up your fruit/vegetable/food item BEFORE you freeze. I once froze a bunch of apples and was very disappointed that I had frozen rock apples that I couldn't do anything with.

Meat:

If you're a single lady like me, a great way to save money is to buy the family sized meat packs (think 5 lb. ground turkey) and cut into individual sized servings BEFORE you freeze. I like cut into commonly used portion sizes. For instance, a 5 lb. log of ground meat I'd cut up into 1 lb. serving sizes, package them in freezer bags and throw all the small freezer bags into a gallon size freezer bag.

Fruits:

Bananas - learned this from mom. Frozen bananas are great for use in breads and muffins. I imagine they'd also be good for smoothies, though I'm not really an at home smoothie girl.

Veggies:

Kale - cooked with some frozen kale the other day and it turned out awesome.

Carrots

Onions - I always buy the big bag and chop up as much as I can and freeze. It sure beats having to chop onion every night.

Garlic

Dairy:

All sorts of shredded cheeses

Add to the list! What do you like to freeze?

Solicitation and other Girl Scout cookie crimes

As I was leaving my doctor's office today, I saw something surprising. My doctor's office is in a multipurpose business building and there on the first floor is an insurance office. Taped to that door was the form to order Girl Scout cookies.

When I first saw it I laughed. I mean, really? I guess that's one way to do it. You can't sell the cookies if people don't know you've got them. And everyone love Girl Scout cookies, right?

As the day has gone by, though, my thoughts have returned to the form taped to the door. For one, I'm not a very private person, but even I would be uncomfortable having my name, address and phone number taped somewhere out in public.

I just imagine, 'Well, you know, Janie Smith, she's a fat ass. She ordered six boxes of thin mints. Thin mints, more like fat thigh mints, am I right?'

I mean come on. Isn't this supposed to be a private interaction between me and my dealer? If not that, isn't this supposed to be a private interaction between me and a sweet child. That sounds off. But stay with me.

Girl Scout cookies are supposed to be a fundraiser for the scouts by the scouts. I was a Girl Scout, so was my sister. And every year, Dad carted our butts around the neighborhood, door-to-door, ringing door bells, meeting the neighbors and selling those darn cookies. It's cute. It's homey. It's American, for the love of God.

The image would be much less cute if my dad dressed in that darling child's outfit and rang my neighbors' doorbells. That's the thing. It's the scouts, not the parents that are supposed to pushing the Caramel Delights.

I understand that nowadays with cookies being sold at $4 a box and a vegan cookie option that times have changed. In 2014, we have stranger danger. In 1994, we had spanking danger from Mom or Dad if we didn't stop our fussing and get our shoes on to pedal cookies to the neighbors.

I don't care if your kid is selling cookies, nuts, popcorn, wrapping paper, home pregnancy tests, whatever. The point of a fundraiser is not to get the parents to take the form to work and guilt clients or coworkers into buying something.

Kristen's amazing party fruit dip

Happy New Year! Okay, so I know it's been a few days, but what the hey. I finally dug out of my purse a hand written recipe my kind friend Kristen Garner gave me at her New Year's Eve party. She gave me the recipe because I was the fat kid sitting by the bowl of dip eating eating all of the fruit. Dip-eat-dip-eat. That was my New Year's Eve. This dip is a-ma-zing.

Kristen’s cream cheese fruit dip

Ingredients

8 oz package of cream cheese

8 oz sour cream or 6 oz plain yogurt (Kristen uses yogurt)

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp milk

Instructions

Beat CC till smooth. Gradually beat in yogurt. Beat in brown sugar and vanilla until blended. Stir in enough milk to make dipping consistency. Cover and chill for an hour.

Serve with slices of banana, apple, pear, grapes or other sweet fruit.

Because there's too much junk in my trunk

I am a frugal (read: cheap) person. So cheap that I sometimes skip over items at the Goodwill because I deem them to pricey.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have been known to spot a furniture item in or near the trashcan, remove it, and place it in my home.

A favorite example is the wooden bookshelf I picked out of a dumpster in college. The previous owners for some unknown reason had thrown eggs at the poor bookshelf and the left it in the summer heat. I felt a deep, strange pain for the piece of furniture. So, I hauled it up to my apartment, Clorox wiped it all down and now, five years later, it sits in my living room.

Furniture has soul. People buy furniture to make life better. If it’s good quality it’s passed down. My sister, Sarah, has a trunk from the early days of mom and dad’s marriage that she uses as a coffee table. I think I hold on to furniture because I see stories within it.

I think it all started when I was just a young girl and Mom would take me thrifting. Back in those days, the Goodwill had an awesome selection of furniture. If feel like you don’t see as much these days. I remember looking at this radically vibrant upholstered couch and thinking, ‘wow, someday when I’m a grown up I want to decorate my house in this cool stuff.’ I thought that would be the dream.

All of this is to say, I occasionally am a hoarder. I work hard to remind myself that things are just things, but I really struggle here. When I moved into my most recent apartment I went down a whole room. Well, more than that if you count the loss of overall square footage and closet space.

I’d like to think that I jigsawed everything into my apartment nicely. I will admit, however, that the day I moved I sat crying in my new home in a red vinyl wheeled chair that I’d pulled out of the dumpster at my old apartment as Jarrod tried to convince me that it “just won’t fit.”

(I tell you what, I can’t wait till the day I get to tell him that his 8 foot stuffed black bear “just won’t fit.”)

(For the record, that chair has since been described as the best part of my apartment. Thank you very much.)

The lesson that is working on my heart right now in the early days of 2014 is that just because something is cheap/free/a great deal/antique/will otherwise fill a landfill, doesn’t mean I need it in my home.

As a former poor college kid that’s still convinced that Santa Clause will come along one day and reclaim my adulthood, I’m finding it difficult to really take to heart that being an adult means sometimes leaving that really expensive Shark vacuum cleaner my neighbor left out for another dumpster diver.

So, I was really proud of myself this morning as I left for work and saw that a neighbor had put a very cute shelf out by the dumpster in the universal free-stuff-here spot. After I did a mental scan of my apartment, I realized I have no more space. And I walked on.

Here’s something that my friend Chelsea understands in a way that I hope to someday: If I don’t fill my home with garbage, I can be very intentional about my purchases and decorate with quality items that I will want to have in my home for years to come.

I’m still getting there. But working on it.

Nanni's Vegetable Soup

Ingredients 3 pounds stew meat 3 quarts water 2.5 tablespoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Celery leaves 1 large onion chopped 2 bay leaves chopped 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1.5 cups diced potato 1 cup diced carrot 1/2 pound green beans 4 cups shredded cabbage 1 large onion chopped 2 cans of dicedtomato 1 teaspoon sugar 1 can whole kernel corn 1 package frozen green peas 1 package frozen lima beans

Directions

Place the beef in a soup kettle with 2.5 quarts water. A 1 tbsp of salt, pepper, celery leaves and one chopped onion. Combine bay leaves, oregano, and thyme; tie in a cheese cloth bag and drop into kettle with meat. Cover and simmer for at least three hours. Remove celery leaves. Then add potatoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage and one chopped onion and 1 tbsp salt. Simmer for an hour. Add two cups of water, tomatoes, corn, sugar, peas and lima beans and 1/2 tbsp salt. Cook for an hour longer. Remove cheesecloth sack of spices.

Best part of a hairdresser brother? Free haircuts.

We're right in the middle of the Christmas season, so I figured it was time for a family update. After leaving San Antonio on Friday, Mom and Dad traveled to Baton Rouge to see Todd and Nick. On Christmas eve they went to a posh wine bar called WINO (Wine Institute of New Orleans).

I'm just going to say that Todd looks like he's not so happy in this picture.

Christmas morning dad got up early and made his famous cinnamon rolls. Nick's mom came over and enjoyed Christmas morning with the family.

For Christmas, Dad surprised Mom with a new iPad. We're not sure what we'll call this new addition to the family yet. iPad3? iPad junior? No worries. Mom's old iPad is going to Dad. Hopefully he won't break this one. Beware elder iPad.

Some day later, Mom and Dad went to Regis where Todd cut their hair. True Macrander fact. Todd cuts all of our hair. Every single one of us. I can't remember the last time I paid to get my hair cut or highlighted. That is wonderful. It also helps that Todd is giving of his time and very good at what he does.

Here's a picture of Alaska Mom getting her "Northern Lights" touched up.

Anyway, this evening, Mom and Dad are headed to Birmingham to see Mom's parents. I'm (Emily) already here. I got here last night and had the grandparents to myself for a whole evening.

Before coming to Alabama, I spent the holiday with Underwood clan. Let's see. Christmas eve for me was spent in the afternoon with Jarrod's dad's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tappmeyer. Then we went to church. Then we chilled and napped. Then church again for the midnight service at Jarrod and I's church Canvas in Montrose. That was special because we usually meet in an elementary school and for this occasion we were in First Christian. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus with my wonderful church family.

Christmas morning we headed over to the Jarrod's mother's parents home for a brunch and then it was back to the Underwood home. I was surprised with a beautiful red KitchenAid mixer from mother and father Underwood and an ice cream maker from Dylan and Kaitlyn. I guess they know I like to cook, right?

The night came to an end with a visit from the Wiesendangers, Mollie and Layne.

Okay, I'm a person that stresses to the max over Christmas. I'm still waiting for the holy grail no-cry Christmas (maybe Christmas 2014??). But all said and done, I am blessed. I have wonderful family spread all over the country and my brother has a loving partner. I have Jarrod and his family is very gracious to me. And I have a little dog.

Nanni's / Michael's rolls

One of those recipes that should not get lost is this great family standard.  Just remember, in Alabama these are officially Nanni's rolls.  In TX, AK, etc. they are Michael's rolls.  I will give the real recipe.  For most family occasions, I usually do a double recipe. This is easiest done with a stand mixer, but many rolls have been made with a bowl, a spoon, and elbow grease

Ingredients

1 package yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

3 1/2 cups self-rising flour  (this is approximate.  use enough flour to bring the dough together)

Butter or margarine

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for a couple of minutes.   Add sugar and oil.  Let stand another couple of minutes, so that the yeast can start working on the sugar.  Add the buttermilk and sitr until well blended.  Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together and forms a ball away from the bowl.  Turn the dough onto a floured pastry cloth and knead until it is not sticky.

Roll out to a thickness of 3/4 - 1 inch.  Cut into rolls about 2 inches across.   Using a knife, cut each roll through partially, place a small pat of butter in the middle and fold over.  Place each roll on a greased baking sheet.  Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour.

Bake at 400 until browned on the top.

Beer Macaroni and Cheese and Dr Pepper Chicken

Emily here. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Jarrod was in town and I wanted to make his dream meal. Also, I wanted to use up the leftover shredded cheddar cheese in the fridge from the last farm trip.

So after a little thought I came up with beer mac and cheese. Then, I thought, what would make Jarrod sing? Well, he loves all things Dr Pepper. I googled. The results were a hit. Best part? I didn't have to go to the grocery because I had everything in my pantry.

Forgive my food photography. It needs some work.

Dr Pepper Chicken

Original recipe comes from 30 Days of Homemade. I have modified for my tastes.

Ingredients

• 4 -6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ c. Dr. Pepper
• ½ c. barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Chipotle BBQ)
• ½ c. ketchup
• A few squirts of Siracha
• ½ Onion sauted till translucent
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper chicken and arrange in a 13 x 9 baking dish.
2. Mix together wet ingredients and onion into a marinade.
3. Pour it over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 1 hour.

Beer Mac and Cheese

1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter

2 garlic cloves, minced (I used dehydrated garlic flakes)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

2-1/2 cups 2% milk

3/4 cup Shiner (duh)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I cut this, but might be nice for a creamier sauce)

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

About 2 cups Bread crumbs (I used an herb blend mixed with parmesan I had in the freezer)

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in the milk, beer and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
3. Reduce heat. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese.
4. Drain macaroni; stir into sauce. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. End with a good broil.