Homemade Chicken Stock

Bones and carcass from one whole roasted chicken
2 Carrots roughly chopped
3-4 Celery stalks chopped
1 Onion quartered
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
Water

Put carcass, carrots, celery and quarters onion in large stockpot.  Fill pot with water to about 2 inches from the top.  Place over medium low heat to bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for at least 10-12 hours.  Add more water if necessary during the day.  Strain and put into air tight containers.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Creamy Lemon-Basil Sauce

Recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients
½ lb (or 8 oz) fettuccine
1 medium zucchini
2 tsp olive oil, divided
10 ounces grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)
kosher salt
black pepper
3-4 cloves finely minced garlic
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 ounces fat-free cream cheese
1 cup very loosely packed basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, more if desired

Instructions
Prepare a pot of water and cook pasta according to package instructions.  Cut ends off zucchini and slice along the long direction, cutting the zucchini into about ⅛ inch slices.  Cut each of those slices into long pieces, about the same size as the fettuccine (see photos above for explanation).  Set zucchini aside.

Heat a medium size skillet to medium heat.  When hot, add 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Add tomatoes and give them a little sprinkle of kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-4 minutes. Just until they start to burst and look blistered.  Remove tomatoes from pan and place in a small dish, covered, and set aside.

Add another 1 teaspoon olive oil to the empty pan and add garlic.  Stir constantly on medium-low heat for about 30-60 seconds.  Add chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes and then reduce heat to low.

Place cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and soften for 20-30 seconds, until it can be easily stirred smooth.  Ladle in a couple spoonfuls of the chicken broth mixture into the cream cheese and stir to combine.  Once the mixture is smooth, add it to the pan with the remaining broth mixture and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add chopped basil and lemon juice and stir to combine.  Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  (Lemon lovers can also squeeze in extra lemon juice at this point.)

When pasta is just about done, add zucchini strips to pot (so they’re cooking with the pasta).  Boil for about 2 minutes, or until tender.  Drain zucchini and pasta and combine with sauce.  Gently toss in tomatoes, or simply add them on top of each serving. Garnish with additional basil if desired.

Serves 4 generous main dish servings, or 8 sides.
Nutrition Facts (for main dish, ¼ of recipe): 286 calories, 5 grams fat.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Marinade

1/3 cup cilantro

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

5 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp dark brown sugar

2 garlic cloves minced

Combine in a large ziplock bag with three to four chicken breasts.  Let marinade for at least 30 minutes.  Heat grill and cook until done.  Once chicken is off the grill wrap with foil and let rest. 

Veggies

yellow onion sliced

green bell pepper sliced

red bell pepper sliced

Saute with two to three tablespoons olive oil, add pepper and garlic salt to taste.

Serve with warm tortillas, avocado, sour cream, cilantro and favorite hot sauce.

Fall Apple Crisp

6-7 medium Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples
1 cup oats
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks butter at room temperature

Core, peel and dice or slice apples.  Either put apples into a greased 9x13 dish or 6-8 individual ramekins.

In a bowl combine oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon.  Add room temperature butter and mix until topping is coarse.   Pour over apples and bake 375 for 20-35 minutes

Thick, Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

  
I love all things pumpkin and have been craving oatmeal raisin cookies. These cookies hit the spot.

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, or 115 grams) butter, softened
2/3 cup (125 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin
1 1/2 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon table salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 3/4 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins
1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Note:

This is a half recipe. It makes a couple dozen standard-size cookies. I always feel like I’m swimming in cookies when I make the full volume, but if you’re feeding a crowd, go ahead and double it.

My trick to getting a really thick, chewy cookie is to chill the dough before you bake it. You can scoop it and then chill it, or, if you’re like us, scoop it, freeze them and store them in a freezer bag so you can bake them as you wish. I find they’re always thicker when baked from the cold — only a couple extra minutes baking is needed.

Stawberry Shortcake Cake

Shortcake
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup organic whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Strawberries and Cream 2 pints organic strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round
cake pan, line it with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan
lightly with flour.
Whisk the flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a
medium bowl. Lightly whisk in the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla, just until
smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick
inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a
rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan, flip upright, and cool completely
on the rack.

For the strawberries and cream: Set aside 1 pint of the best-looking whole
berries for topping the cake. Cut off stems & thinly slice the rest of the
berries. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to soft peaks [using an electric mixer] Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
Place the bottom layer cut side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Fold a couple tablespoons of the whipped cream into the sliced berries and spread over the bottom layer. Top with the other piece of cake, cut side down. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake and top the cake with the whole berries.

Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

Lemon Cake Mix
1/3 c. butter softened
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese
1 c powder sugar
2 T lemon juice
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 lemon grated

Mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg.  Press into 9x13 pan.  Beat cream cheese until smooth add powder sugar, stir in lemon rind and juice.  Beat eggs with vanilla, add into lemon mixture.  Spread over cake.  Bake 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Cool, top with powder sugar and refrigerate.