Back in the Big M...Mississippi that is

Since having the twins, I have dreamed of the day that I was back in Mississippi and surrounded by family.  That day has come and gone (a week ago), and while I miss my friends, MOPS group and church - there is nothing like being near your gigantic crazy family.

And have I mentioned the home grown veggies!  My sister works for a local hearing-aid company and the wonderful older adults bring in bags of veggies almost daily.  She, in turn, has gifted us with a part of the goods - okra, bell peppers, purple hull peas, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.  Another local company came and brought a bucket load of corn to my family's business and, after hearing from my Mamaw we wanted some, my Uncle Wallace brought by some of the largest zucchini squash I have ever seen.  The fridge is packed full.

Since it's summer and hotter than a daycare van, we spend time almost every day in my mom's swimming pool.  It's been raining off and on for the past week which means random things show up in the pool.  Usually its the occasional cricket, frog and lots of leaves, but earlier this week my mom discovered a baby black snake!  Needless to say, my dad convinced her to release it back into the woods instead of killing it - they eat things we don't want in the yard.  So after fishing out the leaves and bugs, we enjoy time splashing and floating around.  Jack is a natural and can swim around in his ring float by himself.  Tedder would rather shoot us with water guns.  I'm enjoying how it sucks the life out of the kiddos which makes nap time AMAZING!!

While 90% of what we own in packed in a storage unit and living with your parents is not ideal but we are managing.  As far as work goes, we are waiting to hear back from a few online teaching jobs, and are in limbo as to where we will be living...but we know that God will place us right where He wants us. 

Home Made Chicken Broth

For years I was deceived by the simplicity of prepacked chicken broth.  It was so easy just to pick it up off the grocery store shelves and add it to my recipes.  It's what I remember my mom doing and now forehead slap myself every time I think about the money I was throwing away when creating my own homemade chicken broth was so easy and cheap economical.

Not any more. This momma has decided that homemade chicken broth is the only way to go.  I've tried different combinations of spices, containers for storage, etc. and have finally found what works for me.  I do keep chicken boullion in the pantry for some of the homemade dry/seasoning mixes I've started making and will use in a pinch if I've run out of frozen broth.

Now let me start off by saying that this may not work for everyone. If you don't have a large enough freezer, time or money to put into making the broth - I hold no grudges - that was me a few years ago when I was working as a full-time teacher with 9 month old twins in tow.  But anywho, back to the recipe.

Cooking Utensils:

• One large stock pot, 8 quarts or larger (I use this one - wedding gift) 
• One large heat resistant bowl (these are my favorite) to hold broth.
• One medium heat resistant bowl to hold chicken.
• One strainer (mine fits inside the bowl for easy draining)
• 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup (these are my favorite)
• A pair of tongs
• 6-10 2-cup plastic storage containers (I like these because they allow room for expansion during freezing, hold up well to multiple uses, and stack nicely in the freezer.)

 Ingreidents for Broth:

• One large pack chicken thighs (skin-on and bone-in is best - but if that's not available bone-out is ok too)
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped (if you don't have fresh/frozen then celery salt will work - 2 Tbs)
• 2 Tbs kosher salt
• 1 Tbs white or black pepper
• 1 pinch sage (if you don't have it that's okay)
• 1 Tbs rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme

Step One: Add chicken and veggies to the pot. Fill with enough cool water to cover everything plus about an inch more because some evaporation will occur.  Next add in the seasonings.
Step Two: Bring everything to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes. Then set to medium for about 45 minutes. 

Once the chicken is cooked through, using the tongs, remove it from the water - may need to shake gently to allow some broth to drip off - and place in medium bowl.  Once cool, use chicken in your favorite recipes. (Here are some of my favorites.)

This is the hot and messy part.  Place the large heat resistant bowl in the sink, place strainer inside, and pour the broth in.  I usually have to pour everything in and lift out the strainer to allow all the liquid to go through.  Depending on what you have planned to cook, keep some of the veggies to use in your recipes.  I like to add some of the onions and garlic to my Chicken Rotel or Poppy Seed Chicken.

Allow the broth to cool for about 20 minutes.  Pouring hot broth into the plastic storage containers could cause them to leak or melt and there's always a chance of burning yourself.

Use your measuring cup of choice to divide up the cooled broth into the smaller containers.  If potato soup is on my menu I like to freeze a larger container (4-5 cups) of broth.

With the lids off, allow them to cool for another 20-30 minutes.  Putting them into the freezer too warm will cause it to work harder (cost more money) to try and keep the temp inside cold.  And you may inadvertently thaw out some frozen food nearby.

Use a 1-to-1 ratio with water to boost the flavor of rice, stuffing and soups.

Bon Appetit Y'all