Chicken bullion cubes

I make a lot of food that calls for chicken bullion or chicken broth. I used to buy the powdered kind from the store but in my quest to become more self sufficient, save money, and make healthier foods I now make my own. It's a very simple process. I make a large batch because I use the shredded chicken in other recipes and like the convenience of having the shredded chicken on hand. Feel free to reduce it to meet your family's needs. I have been known to make 8 chickens at a time in my big canner. So adjust as you see fit.

Ingredients

4 whole chickens
5 large carrots  cut in half
2 onions cut in half
1 head of garlic cut in half
1 head of celery cut in half
3 or 4 Bay leaves
1 tbs. pepper
1 tbs. cumin
1 tbs. parsley
1 1/3 tbs. oregano
2 tbs. salt

Place all the vegetables and spices on the bottom of a large pot.

 Clean chickens and place them in a large pot. Fill it with water and put to boil. Boil for about 3 hrs. or until chickens are fully cooked and the meat easily comes off of the bone. Turn off the heat and let the chickens cool.

When cool shred  the chicken and place into a separate bowl (freeze and use in a meal of your choice). Strain all the remaining solids off from the liquids. Reserve the liquid (this is going to be your broth) and put it in the fridge over night. In the morning skim any fats that have become solid on the top of the pot and then put your broth to boil again, if your broth is gelatin like, that is great you want that. The gelatin is from the bones boiling and breaking down of the collagen, It's good for you. When it has reduces to about 1/3 of what it was to begin with turn it off and let it cool. Pour into ice trays and freeze. When the broth cubes are frozen, Pop them out and put them into a zip lock bag. When a recipe calls for broth....use your homemade bullion cubes.



Recipe idea's for the shredded chicken,

Chicken salad
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken noodle soup
Chicken taco's
Chicken pot pie
Taquitos


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Simple Chicken Salad

I regularly boil chickens to make my chicken broth and that leaves me with yummy well seasoned shredded chicken in my freezer for quick meals. One of my husbands favorite lunches is chicken salad sandwiches. I make it a lot more often now that we no longer eat processed meats.

Here is how I make it,

In a large bowl I put
1/2 medium onion diced
3 c. shredded, cooked chicken
3 c. shredded lettuce
1 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 large tomato diced
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbs. mustard (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Give it all a good stir and serve on your favorite bread.

Old Fashioned Biscuits, Like Grandma used to make.

Most all of our breakfasts include biscuits, I usually set them on the table with some home made jam and real butter or some sausage gravy. They are quick, easy, and make your family feel cared for.


Here's how easy it is:
Turn you oven on to 350 degrees. Take to cast iron skillets and put 1 tbs. of butter in each one.
Put them in the oven and let the butter melt.
In the mean time here is your ingredient list.

4 c. All purpose four
2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. sugar
2 tbs. baking powder
1/4 Lard or Butter (not margarine) really cold, mine if frozen, cut into pieces
1 3/4 c. milk

In a large bowl put everything but the milk and mix with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Then with a fork start adding the milk. the trick here is that you don't want to over mix the dough. Mix it until it just starts coming together. Put it on a lightly floured counter and roll it out to 1/2 inch in thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or if your like me the ring of a canning jar. Pull your cast iron pans out of the oven and put the biscuits in. bake for 20 min. or until golden brown.

Mock Carl's Jr. Bacon Western Cheese burger recipe

We have not been eating fast foods or processed food  for awhile now,  So when that urge for a fat juicy burger hits I need a way to meet that craving in a homemade healthier way.  So I did my best to recreate my husbands favorite fast food burger.

For a really juicy burger don't over cook it. Use very cold ground beef with an 80/20 fat ratio. Form your burgers and put them back in the fridge to get them really cold again. Cook your burgers in a cast iron grill indoors or out on the grill outdoors. Get your grill hot and cook until you reach your desired doneness. Add salt and pepper just before your burgers are done so that the salt doesn't draw the moister out of the meat during cooking. Don't over season your burger we want to taste the burger. 

On to the recipe

• 2 onion rings per burger (homemade onion ring recipe) or frozen
• 1/4 pd. ground beef per burger
• 3 slices of bacon  (try and buy nitrate free bacon or use local farm raised bacon)
•  1 slice American cheese 
• 1 sesame seed hamburger bun (homemade hamburger bun recipe)
• your favorite hickory smoke flavored  B-B-Q sauce (Homemade B-B-Q sauce recipe)

Make your onion ring and buns in advance or put your pre-made onion rings in the oven according to package directions. Form and grill your burgers following the tips above. Add a spoon full of B-B-Q sauce on your bottom bun and place finished burger on top. Place you slice of cheese on burger and top with bacon and onion rings. Add another spoon full of B-B-Q sauce and place the top bun on the top. Enjoy  

PMS CAKE..... NUFF SAID

Here is is, the cure for P.M.S. Share it with your girlfriends.
Find your comfiest P.J's, slide your feet into some furry slippers and fluff up your pillows on the couch or your bed. Grab the remote or a good book and send everyone, somewhere else. Plug in your heating pad, you know where to put it. Pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and a slice if this peanut chocolaty cake. OH P.M.S. can be WONDERFUL!!!!

Ingredients

1/2 c. creamy peanut better ( I used an all natural peanut butter)
1 c. water
1 stick butter (not margarine)
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract (optional)

Frosting 

1 1/2 stick butter (not margarine)
10 tbs.  milk
1/c c. creamy peanut butter
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1/2 halved peanuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan combine peanut butter, water, and butter. Heat over medium heat until melted. In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients  and set aside. When the peanut butter mixture is melted but not hot add the milk, eggs and extracts (I recommend you do it in that order, the milk will help cool the peanut butter so you don't cook the eggs). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Pour into pan and bake for 20-30 min. or until an inserted  toothpick comes out clean.

While your cake is baking start your frosting. In a small saucepan melt the butter, the peanut butter and the milk. take the pan off the heat and add the vanilla. With a mixer on medium start adding the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar. It should be smooth and somewhat runny. When the cake is done and still warm pour the frosting over the cake and sprinkle with the peanuts. This cake is best eaten warm...but it's good at any temp. 

Authentic Mexican Chorizo

 If I can make it my self  for less then it cost to buy it, then I make it. It really doesn't take that much time. I find you have to budget your time like you budget your money. I have 1 day every month that I do my major cooking  and freezing and I do my baking about once a week.Chorizo (Mexican sausage) is a regular part of my monthly food preparation

First of all see the big thing of ground beef........see the yellow tag....those yellow tags are like Christmas for me, when I see the discount tag I stock up. So that is a $10.00, 5lb. chub of ground meat for $6.30. In this recipe I used only 4 lbs of ground meat and froze the rest for spaghetti later in the week. TIP: my family also likes to use this chorizo in our spaghetti, it's like spicy Italian sausage..well kinda.
 4 lbs. Ground beef, pork, turkey ,lamb (whatever you choose...but if your budgeting choose the beef or pork)
 2 tbs. salt
1 c. ground chili powder.
8 crushed hot dried chili's (or if you get crushed peppers when you order pizza, save those packets for your chorizo, use about 4 pkt.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion finely diced
1/4 cup dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon  sugar
3/4 c. vinegar
 put the meat in a large bowl.
Add all the other ingredients and mix it by hand like you would meatloaf. (if you aren't used to working with chili, I suggest using rubber gloves or your hands will burn. My hands are used to it now so I just dig in.) After it is well mixed cover and put in the fridge for 24 hrs. separate into freezer bags and freeze. Remember freeze it in portions that are suitable for your family's needs. I get about 4 meals out of this recipe. When you cook it you can brown it up and add it to scrambled eggs, into your fried potatoes, or in other recipes. Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your tastes.

Healthy Homemade Pancake/waffle mix

This is a pantry staple at my house. I make it about once a month. On mornings when my family wants pancakes its ready to go. It's convenient, healthy, and most importantly homemade so I know whats in it...no funky chemicals, preservatives or colorings.  I make a huge amount but I will post a smaller recipe and then you can double as needed.


Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups All purpose flour
1 cups powdered milk or powdered butter milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

mix all ingredients in a large bowl and then transfer to a seal-able container. Store in your pantry. 
To make pancakes
mix 2 c. pancake mix , 1 1/2 cup water,  1 egg and,  2 tbsp. oil or melted butter.  for waffles reduce the amount of water to 1 c.