Every so often I'm going to post about "Debunk the Junk." The idea of these posts will be to illustrate how I am replacing a particular modern food item with something much healthier and usually tastier.
This soup is really good and it's good for you. Of course, some of the stuff I did in prep for the soup is not necessary for the final product (making your own broth), but I think it makes it better (or at least more satisfying in the esteem sense, not the "I'm full" sense). This recipe isn't too hard to make. It takes a long time, but not much hands-on time. Not any more than many other meals.
Why?
Because canned soup has a ridiculous sodium content (and it's not even good salt), funky preservatives, most kinds have minimal veggies (and chicken for that matter), and the noodles are pasty slimy white things.
Overview
Make chicken stock from a small chicken (aka, a fryer). Mine was 3.5 lbs.
Chop a bunch of veggies; add a can of tomatoes and / or corn.
Add pasta and chicken last.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Ingredients
3.5 lbs fryer
15oz can of tomatoes and / or corn (I just used tomatoes)
4 or 5 carrots, 1 large onion, 6 celery stalks (could also add mushrooms)
salt & pepper
Directions
Make Stock
Boil whole fryer for an hour or two--until the meat is done.
Carefully remove fryer and pick all the meat off.
Chop up bones, cartilage, and skin and return to pot.
Add a couple tablespoons of vinegar.
Simmer overnight or all day (or both). The longer you simmer it the more nutrients and flavor you will get out of the bones.
Carefully strain shtuff out of broth (shtuff, not fat. keep the fat).
Putting it Together
Don't skimp on veggies! It gives so much rich flavor to the soup... yum (and it's good for you).
Pick vegetables that you like and chop to a size that you like. Celery, onions, carrots, and mushrooms are a pretty standard combo.
Give the veggies time to cook.
Salt & pepper to taste. I made about 5 quarts and I used about 1.5 tbsp of salt (I think). You can always add more so be careful.
Add the chicken the same time as the pasta. Overcooked chicken is nasty, so don't do it. Don't be that guy.
Let it cook till whenever.
It's really good with bread generously spread with butter.
Comments
I loved this soup! It's so comforting and filling and it tastes really good.
When simmering the bones, notice, "simmer," not "rolling boil." it should just barely be bubbling in the center of the pot. You don't want to wake up to a house fire.
When I took the fryer out of the pot, it completely disintegrated and splashed up all over the stove. I stuck a spoon into it's cavity and lifted up. I suggest getting a couple spatulas and going underneath the fryer and doing it that way.
Don't skimp on veggies! (I mean it).
For a fun twist, try making your own pasta, it's a blast and it tastes great.
You could also use rice or diced potatoes instead of pasta (or nothing).
You can feed the shtuff from straining the broth to cats, but be careful not to give it to dogs.
You can make the broth just from the bones and not the whole fryer, but you might need to save up bones from a few chickens or if you had a large chicken and not a fryer you would probably have enough.
This soup can be as brothy or hearty as you like. If you have the flu, a simple broth might be just the thing to settle your stomach. If you're craving some soup to get the chill off your bones, make a hearty, veggie filled soup with chunkier veggies / meat.
What do you think? Do think this recipe takes too long? What's your favorite soup recipe?
Showing posts with label Debunk the Junk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debunk the Junk. Show all posts
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Homemade Eggnog: This Will Change Your Life
Edit: I'm also tagging this as a "Debunk the Junk" post (which I haven't done one in forever) because I realized how much crap is in store-bought eggnog. Check out the higlights from the ingredients sometime (this is for Farmland Eggnog, others I'm sure are different): HFCS, corn starch, dried milk products, artificial flavors, annatto (to color it yellow)... I don't have anything wrong with drinking store-bought, but it's nice to know I can avoid some of the stuff I'm trying to avoid by making my own.
I've been wanting to make my own eggnog for ages. Ever since I learned you could make your own, I've wanted to. So yesterday at the grocery I made it a point to buy cream, also it was conveniently on sale (score!).
Tonight I found a recipe here and it was fantastic. It used raw eggs though, so be sure to use good quality eggs. If you're uncertain about the quality of your eggs, there are many comments to the instructions about how to "pasteurize" the eggs within their shells, still leaving a liquid egg (I think it's magic, personally), but some of the comments said it also damages some of the flavor / texture. I don't know, I used raw eggs and it worked fine for us.
The other thing I loved about this recipe is that it conveniently lists the ingredients for a big batch and a "single-serve" batch. hubby and I doubled the single batch and it was almost more than we could drink. It would have been enough for 3 people.
As far as homemade compared to store-bought, here are my thoughts:
It took less maybe ten minutes. It's actually faster to make than to go to the store and buy it.
It has a much richer and fluffier texture. You are essentially turning the egg whites into meringue and then folding it back in and it makes for a superb texture. It is so luxurious in the mouth.
It tastes pretty much the same. Granted, it's been a few weeks since I've had store-bought, but I feel like it's a creamy, rich, sweet, nutmeg taste that is comparable to each other. Maybe I'm mistaken tho. It is nice that you get to control the spices you want in it. We went just for the nutmeg, but you could easily add cinnamon or allspice or ginger... whatever floats your boat (or eggnog, in this case).
Here is the recipe, as we used it, which made enough for about 3 people
Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar for egg yolk (this was too much for our tasted, I would try 2-3 tbsps instead)
2 tbsps sugar for egg white (this seemed good because you don't want the fluff to be bland)
1/2 tsp of vanilla
a few good shakes of nutmeg (I didn't measure but I'm guessing 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Directions
Mix with a whisk egg yolks, sugar for yolks, vanilla, nutmeg, milk, and cream.
beat whites until soft peaks, add sugar, beat until stiff peaks.
fold whites into yolk mixture.
Comments
Remember, you can always add more nutmeg, never less. Add a little and then work your way up. Also people can sprinkle it into their individual cups and then each person can like the flavor.
Like I said in the ingredients list, we thought 1/4 cup sugar made the base a little too sweet, but obviously what tastes good to us will be different than what you like.
I love, love, love how easy this was to make. I was expecting some complicated series of double-boiler catastrophes ending in a burned sticky mess. I was so glad this recipe was so simple!
I've been wanting to make my own eggnog for ages. Ever since I learned you could make your own, I've wanted to. So yesterday at the grocery I made it a point to buy cream, also it was conveniently on sale (score!).
Tonight I found a recipe here and it was fantastic. It used raw eggs though, so be sure to use good quality eggs. If you're uncertain about the quality of your eggs, there are many comments to the instructions about how to "pasteurize" the eggs within their shells, still leaving a liquid egg (I think it's magic, personally), but some of the comments said it also damages some of the flavor / texture. I don't know, I used raw eggs and it worked fine for us.
The other thing I loved about this recipe is that it conveniently lists the ingredients for a big batch and a "single-serve" batch. hubby and I doubled the single batch and it was almost more than we could drink. It would have been enough for 3 people.
As far as homemade compared to store-bought, here are my thoughts:
It took less maybe ten minutes. It's actually faster to make than to go to the store and buy it.
It has a much richer and fluffier texture. You are essentially turning the egg whites into meringue and then folding it back in and it makes for a superb texture. It is so luxurious in the mouth.
It tastes pretty much the same. Granted, it's been a few weeks since I've had store-bought, but I feel like it's a creamy, rich, sweet, nutmeg taste that is comparable to each other. Maybe I'm mistaken tho. It is nice that you get to control the spices you want in it. We went just for the nutmeg, but you could easily add cinnamon or allspice or ginger... whatever floats your boat (or eggnog, in this case).
Here is the recipe, as we used it, which made enough for about 3 people
Ingredients
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar for egg yolk (this was too much for our tasted, I would try 2-3 tbsps instead)
2 tbsps sugar for egg white (this seemed good because you don't want the fluff to be bland)
1/2 tsp of vanilla
a few good shakes of nutmeg (I didn't measure but I'm guessing 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Directions
Mix with a whisk egg yolks, sugar for yolks, vanilla, nutmeg, milk, and cream.
beat whites until soft peaks, add sugar, beat until stiff peaks.
fold whites into yolk mixture.
Comments
Remember, you can always add more nutmeg, never less. Add a little and then work your way up. Also people can sprinkle it into their individual cups and then each person can like the flavor.
Like I said in the ingredients list, we thought 1/4 cup sugar made the base a little too sweet, but obviously what tastes good to us will be different than what you like.
I love, love, love how easy this was to make. I was expecting some complicated series of double-boiler catastrophes ending in a burned sticky mess. I was so glad this recipe was so simple!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Debunk the Junk: Home Bakes
Every so often I'm going to post about "Debunk the Junk." The idea of these posts will be to illustrate how I am replacing a particular modern food item with something much healthier and usually tastier.
For dinner tonight I made a real Home Bake. I didn't use a box kit, I made it from scratch. I now, truly appreciate why Home Bakes exist: convenience. I've been sick for a few days so I was moving slow. All told it took me a little over an hour to prep dinner, plus 25 minutes of cooking time. I think mostly that was because I was sick and not really thinking that clearly. I've outlined a more streamlined process below.
Even though I'm congested up to my eyeballs, it still tasted pretty good. My hubby also really enjoyed it. Plus it was a lot more filling than the store version, lower sodium content, and no preservatives. Usually, for an 8x8 pan of Home Bake, we eat 3/4 of the 8x8 pan. Tonight, we only ate about 1/3 of the 8x8 pan. I think partially it's because my version filled the pan all the way to the brim, but I think less processed food is just more filling.
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 a med/large onion
3-5 cups misc. veggies (I didn't measure, sorry!)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped, cooked chicken (leftovers or...)
1 to 1.5 cups chicken stock / broth
1.75 to 2 cups milk
1.25 cups flour (I use ww, but you can use whichever)
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
misc spices, according to your preference
Instructions
First, chop and put the potatoes on to boil. I left the skin on for a more homey feel (plus I like the skin), but you can peel it if you don't like it.
Then take 2 tbsp butter and melt in a pot. Once melted, add 2 tbsp flour stir constantly for 3 minutes.
Then, slowly add 1 cup of milk. Make sure not to add it too fast, it will turn lumpy if you do.
Once the milk is well combined, add the chicken broth (and some chicken fat if you want), garlic powder, pepper, a little salt, a little parsley, bay leaves, or oregano; add what you like. Cover and turn to low or simmer.
Preheat oven to 350.
begin chopping your veggies in order of longest cooking time to shortest: carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, peas, corn.
As you chop a veggie, add it to the white sauce.
Add the chicken last.
By the time you are done chopping veggies, the potatoes should be done.
Drain, dump into a bowl on top of 2 tbsp butter and let the butter melt.
At this time, make the biscuit topping: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup milk. Mix. Set aside. (It should be sticky, but not too liquidy)
Mash the potatoes, adding a bit of milk and any spices you want. I added garlic powder, a bit of salt, some parsley.
Spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the 8x8 pan. (I had about a 1 inch layer of potato)
Next, pour the veggie / sauce mix over the potatoes. (this almost filled the pan to the top)
Spread the biscuit dough over top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Total Prep Time was 50 minutes, plus Bake Time = 1 hr, 15 minutes.
Notes
Make sure you stir the butter & flour mixture at the beginning constantly and for the whole 3 minutes, otherwise it will taste like flour or char.
I made the mistake of not adding the veggies to the sauce as I chopped them so then had to spend time microwaving the veggies separately before mixing them into the sauce.
You can add just about any kind of veggie you want and I think it would be fine. I actually ran out of room before I added the corn, but I didn't miss it. I bet some kind of bean would be good in it, too.
It might be an easier meal to do once you have some leftovers built up: having some mashed potatoes on hand alone would reduce the time by 10 minutes.
I had a hard time telling if my biscuits were done or burning because I used ww flour, but it turned out great!
When it starts to bubble at the edges you know it's almost time to enjoy!
What do you think? Do you know a faster way to do it? Do you like this recipe? What would you put in it?
For dinner tonight I made a real Home Bake. I didn't use a box kit, I made it from scratch. I now, truly appreciate why Home Bakes exist: convenience. I've been sick for a few days so I was moving slow. All told it took me a little over an hour to prep dinner, plus 25 minutes of cooking time. I think mostly that was because I was sick and not really thinking that clearly. I've outlined a more streamlined process below.
Even though I'm congested up to my eyeballs, it still tasted pretty good. My hubby also really enjoyed it. Plus it was a lot more filling than the store version, lower sodium content, and no preservatives. Usually, for an 8x8 pan of Home Bake, we eat 3/4 of the 8x8 pan. Tonight, we only ate about 1/3 of the 8x8 pan. I think partially it's because my version filled the pan all the way to the brim, but I think less processed food is just more filling.
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 a med/large onion
3-5 cups misc. veggies (I didn't measure, sorry!)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped, cooked chicken (leftovers or...)
1 to 1.5 cups chicken stock / broth
1.75 to 2 cups milk
1.25 cups flour (I use ww, but you can use whichever)
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
misc spices, according to your preference
Instructions
First, chop and put the potatoes on to boil. I left the skin on for a more homey feel (plus I like the skin), but you can peel it if you don't like it.
Then take 2 tbsp butter and melt in a pot. Once melted, add 2 tbsp flour stir constantly for 3 minutes.
Then, slowly add 1 cup of milk. Make sure not to add it too fast, it will turn lumpy if you do.
Once the milk is well combined, add the chicken broth (and some chicken fat if you want), garlic powder, pepper, a little salt, a little parsley, bay leaves, or oregano; add what you like. Cover and turn to low or simmer.
Preheat oven to 350.
begin chopping your veggies in order of longest cooking time to shortest: carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, peas, corn.
As you chop a veggie, add it to the white sauce.
Add the chicken last.
By the time you are done chopping veggies, the potatoes should be done.
Drain, dump into a bowl on top of 2 tbsp butter and let the butter melt.
At this time, make the biscuit topping: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup milk. Mix. Set aside. (It should be sticky, but not too liquidy)
Mash the potatoes, adding a bit of milk and any spices you want. I added garlic powder, a bit of salt, some parsley.
Spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the 8x8 pan. (I had about a 1 inch layer of potato)
Next, pour the veggie / sauce mix over the potatoes. (this almost filled the pan to the top)
Spread the biscuit dough over top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Total Prep Time was 50 minutes, plus Bake Time = 1 hr, 15 minutes.
Notes
Make sure you stir the butter & flour mixture at the beginning constantly and for the whole 3 minutes, otherwise it will taste like flour or char.
I made the mistake of not adding the veggies to the sauce as I chopped them so then had to spend time microwaving the veggies separately before mixing them into the sauce.
You can add just about any kind of veggie you want and I think it would be fine. I actually ran out of room before I added the corn, but I didn't miss it. I bet some kind of bean would be good in it, too.
It might be an easier meal to do once you have some leftovers built up: having some mashed potatoes on hand alone would reduce the time by 10 minutes.
I had a hard time telling if my biscuits were done or burning because I used ww flour, but it turned out great!
When it starts to bubble at the edges you know it's almost time to enjoy!
What do you think? Do you know a faster way to do it? Do you like this recipe? What would you put in it?
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