RECIPE: Tender Roast Poultry

With Mother's and Father's Day approaching, nothing says "I love and appreciate you!" like a home cooked meal! Here's our favorite recipe for juicy, flavorful chicken and turkey!

INGREDIENTS

1 Chicken OR Turkey

Unsalted Butter*

Celery, cut in half horizontally**

2 Tbsp Poultry Seasoning***

Salt and Pepper to taste

*1/2 stick for chicken, whole stick for turkey

**Use 2 stalks celery for chicken, 4 for turkey

***Seasoning of your choice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap bird, place breast up in a roasting pan, and remove giblets/neck from body cavity, Fill cavity with butter and celery. Thoroughly rub seasoning into the bird's skin, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place uncovered roasting pan in oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound plus an additional 20 minutes (A 3lb chicken would take about 1 hr 20 mins), or until an internal temperature of 180 degrees is reached. (Store bought turkey generally has a small plug indicator that pops up when the appropriate temp is achieved.) Baste bird with pan juices every 30 minutes during cooking.

Let roasted bird stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Having a spring event? Here are some great side dish selections:

Dill Deviled Eggs

Pizza Pasta Salad

RECIPE: Home Canned Bone Broth (AKA Stock)

Coincidentally, I started on this large batch of broth on the eve of Earth Day, a time when there is quite a lot of discussion about food waste and sustainable agriculture. Here's a great way to cut down on waste, and get delicious soup stock in the process!

Let me start by saying there are exact recipes to follow out there on the internet for bone broth. This is not one of those! Over the winter, I collected up scraps from roasted birds and chopped veggies in gallon freezer bags and threw them in the chest freezer until I got enough to fill a 23 qt pot...

There is quite a bit of information out there online concerning the health benefits of bone broth. It makes an excellent medicinal base for soups during cold and flu season, and it's delicious! Making your own is definitely worth the effort!

Ingredients

3 gallon freezer bags of misc. poultry or beef bones
1 gallon freezer bag carrot, celery and onion scraps *

8 cloves Garlic

1 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Rosemary

1 tsp. Basil

1/8 tsp. Cayenne

Salt and Pepper to taste

* I used carrot peelings and tops, celery leaves and root ends, onion tops and bottoms. Onion portion should be equal to no more than one medium onion.

Put bones, veggies and garlic in a large stock pot. Pour enough water into the stock pot to just cover the bones and vegetable scraps. Bring bones to a boil. Turn heat down til the pot is just at a simmer, and continue to simmer for 12 hours. Add herbs and spices and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Let the broth cool til able to be safely handled and strain broth using a fine mesh strainer or colander to remove bones and vegetable scraps. Some tiny bits of meat and herbs may not be strained out, that's fine. You may want to let it cool enough to remove solidified fats from the surface if you are using beef bones.

Reheat the broth just to a boil, and fill sterilized canning jars leaving 1" head space. Process the jars of broth at 11 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes for pints, and 25 minutes for quarts. A 3/4 full 23 qt stock pot of bones and veggie scraps made 9 quarts of broth.

DEHYDRATING: Celery

About a month ago, I took advantage of a 10/$10 sale on celery. I found the pic on my phone and realized I'd forgotten to post the instructions for dehydration! It really couldn't get any easier, no blanching or other special preparation!

No blanching is required, but be sure to thoroughly rinse each rib. You'll then slice the celery. Nice thin, uniform thickness slices work best, about 1/8" or so.  (I use a food processor with a slicing blade to prepare the celery.)

Once you have a bowl full of thin slices, spread them out on your dehydrator trays in a single layer. You'll want to use screens or fruit roll inserts, a little overlapping of slices is OK. There is no need to meticulously arrange each individual slice!

Process the celery at 135 degrees for about 6-8 hours, depending on the wattage of your dehydrator. You may wish to rearrange slices about halfway through processing time to ensure even drying.The finished product will be crisp, and easy to crush, and slightly brighter green than the fresh celery.

Store your dehydrated celery in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid in a dark, cool, dry place. Add an oxygen absorber for long term storage. 2 bags of celery will fill a pint sized jar.

Dehydrated celery is especially convenient for throwing in homemade soups, and embellishing box mix stuffing (along with dehydrated mushrooms!). It's also important to have for homemade dry mixes.

RECIPE: Carrie's Homemade Chicken Soup

This savory soup is a favorite around Lil Raisin Acres, Brittney even requested it for her birthday dinner! It's especially popular during the dark, cold winter cold and flu season. 

INGREDIENTS:

10 c. Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup*
1 can Cream of Celery Soup*
2 Carrots, chopped
3 Stalks Celery, chopped
1/4 c Onion, chopped
2 Chicken Breasts, diced
2 c. Egg Noodles
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Rosemary
1/4 tsp. Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Substitute store-bought condensed soups with THIS recipe to avoid sodium and preservatives.

PREPARATION:

Combine broth and cream soups in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add carrots, celery, onion and herbs, and boil for an 15 minutes. Add noodles and diced chicken. Return to a boil, and cook for and additional 10-12 minutes or until noodles reach desired consistency. Makes 12 servings.

RECIPE: Spicy Venison Chili

As harvest season begins to draw to a close the days grow shorter and cooler, bringing in both deer hunting season and tailgating season. Here's a great way to utilize those home canned tomatoes and harvested meat and please guests at the same time. This chili can be made ahead in large batches and frozen.

Chili has been frozen and thawed after 6 months. 

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. Ground Venison

1 Large Yellow Onion, chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, minced**

2 Cans Chili Beans

2 Cans Chili Beans in Spicy Sauce*

2 Qt. Home Canned Tomatoes with Juice, diced

1 6 oz. Can Tomato Paste

3 Stalks Celery, chopped

2 Green Peppers, seeded and diced

1/2 Bottle of Beer (We use Miller Genuine Draft)

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp. Tabasco Sauce**

4 tsp. Beef Bouillon Granules

1/4 c. Chili Powder

1 Tbsp. Cayenne**

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1 Tbsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

* Use plain chili beans for mild chili

**Adjust amounts by half for mild chili

+You may substitute venison for any ground meat- beef, turkey, chicken etc.

PREPARATION:

In a large pot, brown venison together with onion and garlic. Drain any excess grease. Add all other ingredients to the pot, mix well and cover. Simmer chili for about 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. May be served topped with shredded cheese, if desired. 

To freeze, simply fill freezer safe containers with cooled chili, leaving about 1/2" head space. Stores well for about 6 months.

RECIPE: Cream of... Soup Base

I think perhaps it'd be impossible to calculate the number of recipes calling for "Cream of (insert chicken, mushroom, celery, etc. here) Soup". But, what if you don't have any on hand, or wish to avoid the high levels of sodium and food preservatives in store-bought canned soups? By simply using the main ingredient of your choice, the applications for this simple recipe are endless! 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Small Onion, Diced
1/2 c. *Main Ingredient, Diced
1/4 c. Unsalted Butter
1/4 c. White Flour
1 c. Whole Milk
3/4 c. *Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

*Main Ingredient Suggestions: Mushrooms, Celery, Chicken, Asparagus, Broccoli, Potato
*Chicken Broth may be substituted with Vegetable Broth for Vegetarian/Vegan diet.


PREPARATION:

Sautee garlic, onion, and main ingredient in olive oil, set aside. Melt butter in pan over medium heat, whisk in flour until smooth, and cook for 2 minutes. Add broth, milk, and sauteed main ingredient. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*This recipe makes an amount equivalent to one 11.25 oz can of unprepared condensed national brand soup for substitution in recipes. Add an additional 1 1/3 c. milk to prepare soup as a stand-alone meal. May be frozen for later use.

RECIPE: Carrie's Stinky Cauliflower

A spicy and tangy experimental conglomeration of several recipes inspired by Vlasic Hot Cauliflower and Giardiniera. My brother and I referred to these items as "Stinky Cauliflower" as kids!

INGREDIENTS: 

VEGGIES:

Cauliflower

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

Red Bell Pepper

SEASONINGS:

1 Jar Green Olives with Pimento, drained

6 Tbsp. Minced Onion

12 Cloves Garlic

6 Sprigs Oregano

6 Jalapeno Peppers, Sliced (OR 6 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper)

6 Bay Leaves

3 tsp. Black Peppercorn

6 Tbsp. Olive Oil

BRINE:

5 Cups Water

5 Cups White Vinegar

1/2 Cup Pickling Salt

Prepare 6 sterile quart jars with fresh sterile lids and rings.Chop/slice Veggies coarsely, set aside. Divide Seasonings equally among the 6 jars (1/6th jar olives, 1 Tbsp. onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 sprig oregano, 1 jalapeno, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. peppercorn, 1 Tbsp. olive oil each). Pack Veggies into jars after seasonings, as equally as possible, leaving 1/2" head space.

Begin heating water to appx 140 degrees in your hot bath canner while combining Brine ingredients in a non-reactive pan. Bring Brine to a boil, then pour brine into jars leaving 1/2" head space. Place sterile lids and rings tightened to touch on jars and place them into hot canner using canning tongs. 

Place lid on hot bath canner and bring water to a rolling boil and place lid on canner (see directions to your individual model if using a pressure canner as a hot bath canner. Some parts may need to be removed first!). After the water begins to boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. Continue boiling vigorously.

After 10 minutes, carefully lift the canner lid away from you (to avoid steam burns) and let jars sit in hot canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner with tongs and place jars on a towel where they will not be disturbed for roughly 24 hours. You should hear occasional "pings" as cooling jars seal.

Store for at least 2 weeks before serving. Will last about 1 year under desirable storage conditions. Makes appx. 6 quarts.

RECIPE: Grilled Potatoes

Potatoes are easy to grow,  and inexpensive to buy. They compliment practically any type of meat. Here's a quick and easy,  tried and true recipe we use often,  especially during the summer months as it's easily prepared on a grill as well as in the oven!

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 Potatoes, cubed (We use Red, but any will do!)

2-3 Green Onions, sliced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced (or 1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder)

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Herbs to Taste: Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley (Fresh or Dried)

Chopped Veggies: Mushrooms, Celery, Carrots

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 400, or set grill to Med-Low heat.

Lay one end of an appx. 2' length of Aluminum Foil on a cookie sheet. Place potatoes and veggies in the middle of the foil. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and season with herbs, salt and pepper. Toss lightly.

Cover the potatoes with the loose end of the foil, and gently roll up the edges, forming a sealed packet around them. Place foil packet directly on grill grates, or on a cookie sheet in the oven.

Bake for appx. 45 minutes or until tender, OR Grill for about 20 minutes and flip the packet over. Grill an additional 25 minutes or until tender. The steam escaping the packet will be HOT! Use caution when opening it!

Serve with Sour Cream, Ketchup, or BBQ Sauce. Serves 4 as a side dish. ENJOY!