Homemade Chicken Stock

Hello Friends!  You know what?  Living in the city is noisy.  Sirens are blaring at all times of the day and night.  The roar of traffic is incessant.  It can be hard to find those little pockets of silence that keeps you sane and your brain from exploding.  When I first started thinking about living a more intentional life, I felt stymied and frustrated.  But what I have discovered is that it is possible by making the space for those seemingly small inconsequential actions.  You don't have to have a big garden or live on an acreage in the country to live a simple, intentional life.   Take chicken stock for example.  It can be made in any sized kitchen.  I am so embarrassed just thinking of the many, many chicken carcasses that I threw away as a carefree, single girl.  The great thing about homemade chicken stock or broth is that you don't have to worry about presentation or making it look pretty.  It is stock, after all.  I don't have a set recipe, I just use whatever I have on hand.  The main thing is that you are extending the use of the chicken as much as you possibly can and helping the household budget.  The mainstays for me are a small handful of whole peppercorns, a roughly chopped up carrot, a couple of celery stalks (I use the celery leaves as well) and whatever herbs I have on hand like parsley, thyme and oregano. Everything gets thrown into a stock pot and allowed to simmer away for at least an hour.

I used a whole chicken here because we were making a Thai dish but, after stripping the meat off the bones, I am going to save the carcass and make more stock.

A good tip that I have heard is to save the vegetable peelings in a freezer bag.  When you have accumulated enough, use them to make vegetable broth.  How genius is that?  Full disclosure, when I don't have any homemade stock on hand, I do buy it.  I don't beat myself up about it as I think it is important to be kind to myself and just do the best I can.  Here I have decanted the stock into a vintage mason jar.  Another good tip that I have come across is to pour the stock into an ice cube tray.  Then you will have frozen bouillon cubes ready for flavouring sauces and gravies.
  

The most important thing is the sense of accomplishment you feel when you look at the finished product.   It is these little wins that give you the confidence to try something else.  Do you have any other easy cooking tips to share?

I am linking up with Have A Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, A Stroll Thru Life.