Roasted Chicken Vegetable Soup

When the temperature starts to dip it's time to warm up with some cozy homemade soup.

Ingredients:

3 lb whole chicken

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsps butter or olive oil

1 onion quartered, unpeeled (the peel is full of nutrients and colour)

1 celery stalk, cut in 4 pieces

1 carrot, cut in 4 pieces

1 garlic head with top cut or 6 garlic cloves smashed

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

2 tsps thyme

1 tsp sage

1 tsp parsley 

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, sliced or diced

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 cup turnip, diced 

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub with butter, salt and pepper. Place in a 5 quart dutch oven and into a 375°F oven with carrot and celery pieces. Roast 1 1/2 hours basting 1 or 2 times. Remove from oven. On stove top add broth and water along with the thyme, sage, parsley, oregano and rosemary. In a piece of cheesecloth or coffee filter (2) add the unpeeled onion, garlic head, 2 bay leaves and black peppercorns. Tie with kitchen string and add to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, for 3 hours. After that time carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the broth removing the overcooked vegetables and onion packets. Place the strained broth and shredded chicken (all or some of it, maybe keeping a leg or two for other uses) back in the pot along with the diced onion, carrots, celery, turnip, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Check to see if salt and pepper need to be adjusted. Serves 8

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Sourdough Discard Sweet Drop Biscuits

These are the fluffiest biscuits with no rolling, no cutting. Just drop and bake!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsps sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sourdough discard

1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup raisins or dry cranberries

Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. In a small bowl whisk the discard and buttermilk together then add the warm melted butter. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined so the biscuits stay tender. Fold in the raisins. Scoop 1/3 cups of batter and drop onto lined baking sheet about 2" apart. Bake at 450°F for 14 minutes. Makes 7 palm sized biscuits.

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Smashed Potato Crust Quiche

Got leftover cooked potatoes? Then you've got a head start on this mouthwatering quiche. Great for breakfast, brunch or a light dinner.

Ingredients:

6 oz baked or boiled Yukon gold potatoes, leftovers work great

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup cream cheese

3 tbsps shredded cheddar

1/4 cup chopped cooked sausage (I used mild Italian)

1 tbsp 10% cream

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp minced garlic

garlic scapes or chives to top 

Cook potatoes until tender. Drain if boiled, scoop out of skins if baked and toss with olive oil and salt. Oil a 3 cup (725ml) ramekin. Dump the potatoes in and smash with the bottom of a glass to form the crust. You may want to use a fork to help form it up the sides. Drizzle more olive oil and give it a sprinkle of salt. Bake the crust at 400°F for 20 minutes. Now reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Mix the eggs and cream cheese in a blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the filling ingredients. Pour into the crust, top with scapes or chives and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 2.

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Rust Remover

Have you got rusty wrenches or garden shears that barely open and close? Then you'll want to give this household hint a try! You'll just need one inexpensive ingredient.

Vinegar! Yep, just take your rusty tools, clean off any loose dirt and rust then soak in plain white vinegar.  These shears, pruners and saws were pretty far gone but after just a 12 hour soak they were considerably better. Some were too long to fit in my basin of vinegar so I soaked rags with vinegar and laid them over the parts of the tools that were not submerged. Look at how dirty the vinegar is in that basin!! 

Soak your tools from 12-48 hours then use a stiff wire brush or steel wool to scrub more rust off (yes there is a little elbow grease involved). When you are satisfied with how the tools look wash with soap and water then dry thoroughly.  Apply a light oil, like mineral oil, to keep them from re-rusting.

I might give these a re-soak to see just how much more rust can be removed.

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Ground Chicken Chop Suey

Chop suey literally means leftovers so whatever vegetables or protein you have in the fridge can go into this dish. That means a different meal everytime! It could have bell peppers, carrots, turnip, snow peas, cabbage, cooked beef, shrimp, peanuts... the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb ground chicken

salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

1 cup frozen Asian-style mixed vegetables with edamame

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

370g (3/4 lb) bean sprouts

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsps cornstarch

pinch of ground star anise (optional)

In a large skillet heat vegetable oil to medium and cook the chicken until no pink remains, add salt and pepper. Add the onion, celery and mixed veg and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, star anise if using and sprouts and cook 1 minute. Then make a well in the center of the skillet, mix the broth, soy sauce and cornstarch together and pour into the center. Stir and mix through on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Serves 4

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Baked Apple Rice Pudding

Well, apple season is upon us and this warm rice pudding hits the spot at breakfast time or for a simple, cozy dessert.

Ingredients:

1 cup leftover cooked brown rice

1 large egg

1 cup milk

2 tbsps maple syrup 

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange zest (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp turmeric (optional)

1/2 cup diced apple

cinnamon sugar to sprinkle (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F and butter an 8" pie plate. Add leftover cooked brown rice to the dish. You could use a white or arborio rice as is usually used in rice pudding but brown rice works too. In a blender combine the egg, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, zest, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric and pour over the rice. Top with diced apple and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. It's optional but gives the dish a nice finish. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4  

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One Pot Fresh Tomato Spaghettini

Fresh tomato taste is front and center in this one pot beauty!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp tomato paste

4 oz spaghettini

1 1/4 cups beef broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dry minced onion

1/2 tsp salt

10 fresh chopped basil leaves

Warm the olive oil in a large pot to medium low then add the tomatoes. Cover and stir or shake the pot occasionally for 6-8 minutes. Then add garlic 1-2 minutes. Mash the tomatoes gently with the back of a spoon then stir in the tomato paste and seasonings, cooking for 1 minute. Add the uncooked spaghettini then pour in the broth and wine, and after a couple of minutes press the pasta into the liquid. Cover and cook on medium low 7-9 minutes stirring a couple of times to ensure the pasta is not sticking. Add the spinach and fresh chopped basil, stir 1 minute and it's ready to serve. Serves 2

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