Good Friends

A wonderful night out with some of my dearest friends

This to celibate 'L' and My own birthdays (mine belated)

The four(sometimes 5) of us meet several times a year for birthday times together.

This is so fun check it out.

Two of the girls gave me the set of perfection.
Every thing needed to have a pampering.

Now on the left 'T' got the foot care and a clipper with three polishes.

On the right 'L' got for me a foot file, nail file and toe spacers. 

Also gift card to get some magazines.

Now look at the colors of the polish.

Both of the light pinks are glitter transparent

NEITHER ONE KNEW WHAT THE OTHER WAS GETTING!

How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Isaiah 52:7

Now in three weeks when I have to sit for 6 hours getting the next infusion I can read a new magazine and tend my hands and feet.

We are all so connected to each other with those cords that can not be broken.

My sweet 'M' gave movie tickets and we had had a date the two of us (Steve and I) 

She is such a gift as are all of you.

Thank you Girls that was so very refreshing to be with you and get out of my self!

Meal Plan Monday Spices/Herbs

   click image to enlarge

This is the BIG BOARD 

My brain on the wall.

Tomorrow I have to have an unexpected oral surgery and will not be able to eat solid food for a week.

It will be protein shakes for meals.

My sweet boy had a hard day of terra nova testing

The freezer being shut of by accident this week end left me baking a ham yesterday and a turkey first thing this morning

Morning harvest

NOTHING like a home grown carrot!

The kids left Makotoo and Bear at home with grandma. (me)

This is the sweetest thing innocence yet lingers and I love it.

Turkey carcass for soup this week.

Herb/Spice of the Week

Bay Leaves

This herb comes from the European laurel, whose dark green, shiny leaves are dried before use as an almost indispensable seasoning. Some color is lost in the drying process, but the greenest leaves are best. Bay leaves grown in California have the most powerful flavor and should not be used in excess. 

When a recipe calls for a bouquet garni, a bay leaf will always be a part of the flavor blend. This is a combination of herbs tied together with a string or put into a cotton bag and used to flavor many soups, sauces, meat or fish dishes. This gets discarded before the dish is served. 

Some herbs, such as bay leaves, are used as a decoration for properly served dishes. Try one on top of meatloaf!

Another great use that is an old favorite of this organic woman 

Place bay leave in the pantry and under the kitchen sink, bathroom sinks and behind the washer to repel roaches and silver fish they hate it! Remember once a year to replace them.

This is a ham shank for ham and beans

Sliced lunch meat for the week.

The thick slices (in another container to be used to make meals.
Yes I am tired but content.
A little scared about tomorrow.

We saved the roasts

That 40 pounds to grind turned into 7 medium roasts and 1 very large one in the oven now. No burger ground but the meat was not a loss. Steve and I worked together and I cut them down and he did the foot work back and forth.
ya!
I just almost felt like crying this morning to let that all go to naught.

Tackle it Tuesday (chicken part 2)

See Putting up chicken part one here

Hello, Today is part two.

Now the stock sat a day...
It is now in this image congealed.
This stock is its own dose of 'glucoseamine conjointant'.
Do not even have to go to the drug store :)
Skim of the fat of the top and set aside.

This is now warmed a bit to be able to handle it.
Not hot just below room temperature.

The work station set up
(again do this before hand)
Time is important for nothing should ever be over 40* for more that 2 hours.

This is and antique ricer.
Go to thrift stores or antique outlets and if your fortunate grab up those good old tools.
They can now be hard to come by.

First remove the broth and strain it.

Setting solids aside.

I recycled (the now popular thing to do :) a cleaned juice container.
Once frozen the paper can just be torn away when your going to use it.
It will be a large cube to melt in a stew pot.
This a way of life many a year now for me.
Use what you have.

As with the lemon juice, I also freeze the chicken broth in cubes.
This is very handi for daily meal preparations.

Tip here.
Remember tho stagger your pot/bowls etc over the crack between stove and counter so you never have to move your stove out after a messy accident.
All of the root veggies were separated into the ricer.
No bones in here.

After an hour I had the bones out of all of the meat.
This is a patient woman's task. It is a task of love.

In the large bowl is only meat and broth.
This is the meat off the bones that were boiled down into the stock.
They were boiled with onions halved and garlic whole, celery root ends and cabbage heals. All the things that "modern"woman throw out in the trash.
As A girl it would have apaouled my elders if ever they saw me do such a thing.

With the veggies in the ricer...

All the flavors so intense and wonderful are pulled out and the solids tossed out.
These can NOT BE COMPOSTED, for there is meat in it.
It must just be tossed in the trash.

With a cleaned strainer I pressed out the broth and had meat seperated ...
This is used in three ways.
One...enchalada meat
Two...the soup to follow
Three...the gravy base to follow

soup jar
enchalada jar
gravey jar
and the liver pate' made before in part one.

Again all within an hour and a half.
Now lets get those tempratures back up or chilled fast.
The enchaladas to be made later.

For now the soup and the chicken giblet gravey
Welcome back in time folks...
This is how my elders would of done this.

The seperated fats earlier that were set aside...well very carfully tack a tablespoon or two of each and place in a hot pan.
HOT PAN COLD OIL
Heat

For gavey
Be ready by having made a slurry of flour and water.
The liver pate' and a slauted spatula

sprinkle dry flour into the oils and broum it.
This happens fast, be ready...

now add some slurry

cook the slurry it will thicken fast...be ready...

add water or broth. I added water for I have the stock
well prepaired and it is a bit concentrated of flavor.

The old school trick to the best gravy.
Add some of the liver pate now and distill it into the liquid by pressing it down into the mix with the sloughtd spatula.
This is the flavor!
I know ,, i know it is gross and yuck and all...
Just trust me
The moto was
Waste not want not.
Also the American Indian had the character of respect for all things living and would not think to toss out something that another had given its life for.

In the soup pot...

While the gravy cooks and you are standing at the stove.
Time to be spent wisely...
In the hot oil add the veggies of root.
cellery onion, and carrot.
When the have sweated out and are ah dente'
Add your slurry (half water and half flour)

Watch the thickening will occure quickly and as it does keep an eye on the gravy
once thickened..

Be ready!
At paste...add the jar of broth and meat.
Stir well...

This is at paste

added are the herbs de France.

Gravy is nice and thick.
I cook with two hands. My time matters to me.
When it pulls away at a stir, add more water a little at a time.
This is gravey for two large family meals.

Soup had more mixed vegies, and noodles, sea salts.
It simmered another good hour or so.
Two meals for home and a meal too take to the Grand parents last Sunday.

While the broth warmed to room temprature the meats that were now
par frozen had to be bagged.

With the plastic wrap they lifted and were easily seperated. See that they do not touch each other on th sheets. Well get all the bags labeled (I used a wax pencle). I used a bag for each of the parts.

These are the tenders made from the breasts. These alone can be us to $9. a pound.
Remember these 4 birds were only $ .57 a pound whole.

Many , many meals represented here.
Two hours time for part two I get paid the big bucks to do this folks...or should I say I refuse (as long as I am able) to pay anyone else our hard earned bucks to do it "half hearted" for me.

Sunday brunch for the family at home.
We had old fasioned fried chicken with the tenders.
The gravy made was simply heated up.
Potatoes were mached and corn served along side.
OH THE SMILES!!!!!

1/3 c flour
paperika
salt and fresh ground peper...

HOT PAN COLD OIL

All the dry ingredients in a baggie.
Shake it baby shake it.

Once chicken is cooked drain on toweling
Now after supper the toweling goes into the pan.
Dish washing is made simple, just wipe out and toss the towel into the trash and run under very rot water.
done.

Well I hope that someone out there has gained a grain of knowledge shared.

Enchaladas...

After I rest a few days!
:)

Tackle It Tuesday

Hello, this weeks tackle was food preparation on whole chickens.
Purchased on a lead in add for $ .57 per pound

Prepping the counter tops.
cut bags for absorbency and ease of clean up.
Chicken butchering must be done with great care of sanitation.
We use the little bag bottoms for small parts during auto/appliance repair or art projects.

It is imperative to have everything set up and ready.
soup pot 1/3 full of r.o. water and fine herbs.
Sheets covered in plastic
Toweling set under cutting boards to absorb all moisture.
Bowls at the ready.
knives sharp.
Chicken must be kept very cold.
These birds are semi frozen.
Buy the largest birds, more meat per bone.

This is the job.
Carving, Boning and par-freezing the parts.

knives at the ready must be sharp
This is very important for your own safety and ease of work.

This is the knife used so far.
I de-skin and de-fat my chicken.
It I were to set it on the grill it is marinaded with a sauce containing olive or canola oils.

switch knives

use butcher knife for the weight and heft to easily cut off the back.

All breast are still ice icy cold.

use gravity ...hold the breast up by the skin as you stroke the center and the skin will remove quickly.

The cookie sheets were readied with a layer of plastic wrap.
All of this to be set before a package is ever opened
After these are frozen they will then be put in larger freezer baggies or containers.

cover trays and freeze.

Boning the split breast.
stroke the knife blade down and then inward along bone and cartilage.

It will look like this

In the pot, all backs , ribs, wing tips and wish bones.

Switch knives
Now chicken tenders
The wish bone in the pot.

chicken tenders are in a double layer with wrap in between.
Gizzards and livers to boil.
stock pot to boil for 3-4 hours then cool.

Remove all knives set in sink with hot running water.
Set anything that is contaminated with the chicken juices to hot soapy bath.

Slide towels and bags together and roll up to toss out.

Bleach all surfaces even it the look perfectly dry.
NO CHANCES!!!!!!!!

knives cleaned under VERY hot water, making sure to do the joints and handles.

2 pounds of skin and fat.

liver and gizzards
Ya I know gross
not so fast.
This is your flavor for gravey!

smash and chop
Then add two or three ladles of stock and mash against side of pan to make a patae'

This is so strong a flavor.
This is the gold for some dishes will shine with this added.
just don't tell them until after they rave about it.
A little goes a long way.
So freeze in ice cube size tray if you will use it slowly.

Add to stock pot
(strained later)
Butts of a celery stock or cabbage heal
garlic bulb a whole one just cut the end off and too it in after you break it up a bit.
onions skinned and cut in half.
These things are just for flavor.

Later when we separate the solids,
bone the meat and clarify the broth the garlic and onion skin will not matter.
Boil for 4 hours or so.
Let cool overnight.
next day is broth making time.
The perfect day to make a chicken noodle soup

This broth will be concentrated.
use for rice
boil pasta in water with some added.

freeze or can for future use.

A DAY!

apx 23 pounds

scrap....
2 pounds skin/fat
1 pound bone

20 pounds eating meat.
1-2 gallons broth.

all at 57 cents a pound.
2-3 hours labor