11/16/08

Roasted Stock has 10 Times the Flavor! (& Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Do you find that sometimes your homemade stock tastes like tasteless, greasy water? (Even though we all know that homemade is superior to canned broth!)

Well, I was so happy when my friend Lisa M., who moved to the high desert a little over a year ago, reminded me of the rich flavor in “Roasted Chicken Stock!” She shared with me her absolute favorite cooking tip, and I have to agree that this method of roasting the vegetables first, is superior to making ordinary boiled chicken stock!

The flavor is so robust – it really puts “boiled” chicken stock to shame!

Last night, not only did I save time and money, I made the richest-flavored soup! And I attribute it to how I made my stock.

Now, the night before, I had little time to make dinner, and knowing I had a Costco Rotisserie Chicken in the fridge, I knew I could get two meals out of it – equaling $3.00 per meal (cost of the meat). I made my Easy Chicken Potpie the first night.


Then the next night I roasted the leftover carcass with veggies. Per Lisa, leave the skins on the vegetables, add whole garlic cloves, peppers, and toss in the onion – basically, clean out your veggie drawer! Lisa adds about a pound of inexpensive meat – but I added the Costco chicken carcass!


How did I start the roasting process, and make the most delicious Chicken and Rice Soup?

Fill a large, ovenproof pot with any combination of vegetables (good for roasting) and add either inexpensive thighs (with skins on) or a chicken carcass.


Add salt and pepper and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the mixture. Toss and roast at 450 for 45-55 minutes!


Strain off the juices


Get your rice cooker started (yummy Trader Joe’s brown jasmine rice)


Separate the meat from the veggies & cut up the veggies


Add cooked rice, meat, and veggies together in broth, and season with your favorite spices!


Serve with fresh parmesan cheese on top – Mmm, Mmm Good!

(Remember if you don’t make soup – pour off the broth into containers and freeze! Works perfectly for the next time your recipe calls for broth or stock!)

And what tastes the BEST with homemade soup?

Home-baked chocolate chip cookies!

Taking my former roommate Kelly B’s recipe from our single days (Kelly always made the best tasting cookies!), I changed the recipe around by adding granola!


Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soften one cup of butter in microwave. Add to the butter: 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder.

Mix well, and then slowly add 3 cups of flour, 2 cups of granola, 2 cups of chocolate chips!


Scoop and bake cookies at 350 for 11 minutes.


Perfect cookies!


Time around the table
One of my greatest memories as a child was sitting around our family dinner table. Last night, as we enjoyed the Chicken Rice soup and delicious cookies, I couldn’t help but notice how fast my kids are growing and how one seat was empty, as our oldest son has a job now.

It felt odd. It felt different. And it made me think how short this season of “parenting” really is.

As Paul and I were trying to explain some truths to our kids last night, my husband ended up drawing a diagram to explain it further to the kids.

Sometimes drawing what you are trying to say can help them understand and get the message across.

Maybe you'd like to try and guess what we were conveying to our children last night?

43 comments:

Emily Dykstra said...

HI, Sandy- Oh my... roasted stock sounds AMAZING. Thanks for the tip!

And those cookies are making me drool already.

Okay... I'll take a guess... I think your husband was illustrating truth. Just a guess.

Anonymous said...

We just finished reading "Chicken Soup with Rice" and this would be great to make with my 5 1/2 year old! Thanks for the recipe!

I agree with Emily... illustrating truth.

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks chicken soup and chocolate chip cookies are great comfort food when eaten at the same time. :)

A few years ago I had a cold and felt horrible when one of my best friends told me to go to the grocery store and get a rotisserie chicken to make homemade chicken soup in about an hour.

I wasn't so sure about this but when I tried it (also simmered with onion and celery), it made the BEST chicken soup I'd ever made. Who knew?

RosyRose said...

thanks for the good tip! This would go great with my "chicken in the crockpot".
And the yummy cookies..oh my!
By the way I think your husbands diagram was "if you make this choice it leads to this one, and then in the end you end up down at this place where you never thought you'd go. Am I close????:)

Kim said...

I'm so "mad". I just read your post and less than an hour ago, I threw out a Costco Chicken carcass...I decided to make my own chicken salad using the flavored rotisserie chicken, rather than pay the high Costco price for the same thing. Next time I know I can stretch my dollar even further!

Melanie said...

This soup looks fabulous. 'Looking forward to the end of our next rotisserie chicken so I can try the recipe.
BTW, I don't know if you have Boston Market in your area but from now until Jan. 1, '09, when you buy a Family Meal for $19.99 you can get a 2nd rotisserie chicken for $1.99.

Wendy said...

Wow. This whole post is making me drool. I love frugal and easy...and well, my achilles heel is chocolate chip cookies! There better be CC cookies and milk in heaven, dats all I'm sayin'...

:-)

I'm new to your blog, and it looks like I'm going to have a lovely time looking all through everything you've posted here. Thanks for sharing all your ideas.

Linda Lou said...

I love a good chicken soup!!! For those cold San Diego nights...NOT.
And I think I might have to make those yummy cookies-always looking for new ways to jazz up the original version. Not sure what the illustration means but I am sure it is a good lesso for your kids.

Leslie said...

Yum! I am new to your blog and wanted to tell you that I made your crockpot breakfast recipe this morning. I put it all in before church and when we came home we had it for lunch. My whole family (6 of us) thought it was fabulous!!!! It will become a regular in our home.

Granola in cookies! What a great idea!

Andrea@Sgt and Mrs Hub said...

Those cookies sound SO SO good!

I love the idea of roasting vegetables before making broth!

-Andrea

Tammy said...

Yum, I will have to try roasted stock!

AND the choc. chip granola cookies!!!
Truly, both of these recipes sound wonderful- thank you!

Nadine said...

Boy did that rice w/chicken and veggies look good. I love roasting vegetables. You're right they taste so good. I never thought to use them as a stock.

The Summer Kitchen Girls said...

Hey Sandy....you hit that right on the head - anytime we make chicken stock....it is tasteless - we will stick this tip in the recipe box!

As far as your diagram goes....no clue...and we don't think it is about kite making....although it looks like a kite! So, we'll patiently wait for you to tell us!

Karla & Karrie

sherry said...

Roasted stock is SO much better than the boiled type. :o)

Funny you should post this, the past 2 nights we've enjoyed a rich soup made from Costco Rotisserie Chicken.

sherry said...

also...

I keep Trader Joe's organic chicken stock in the cupboard. In a pinch I can put together a very quick chicken soup that my family can benefit from. :o)

The other stocks are anemic, in my humble opinion.

with love, r said...

The Cookies look amazing. I have a huge sweet tooth.
Just wanted to tell you that I used your apple pie in a jar recipe today to can some apples! Thanks! I'm going to give them as Christmas gifts!

RefreshMom said...

awww man! I just got rid of my Costco chicken carcass a couple days ago. I even told DH as he scooped it into the trash that "I always feel like I should keep it to make stock or something." And I was thinking today that a chicken/rice soup sounds good for tomorrow! So, this week my soup might have to be with fancier Trader Joe's broth and the frozen chicken and veggies I have on hand, but now I know what to do the next time I buy one of those yummy chickens!

Anonymous said...

The roasted chicken stock sounds wonderful Sandy! I always keep my broth when I boil a chicken, but add the veggies to it for flavoring while boiling the chicken. As much as my family loves to eat rice, we will have to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing.

I have looked at the diagram and have several ideas of what your hubby was trying to show....could it be how family looks out for family?

Have a wonderful Monday!
Jen

Jacque said...

mMM, that looks fantastic. Thanks for the tips about roasting the veggies, don't they keep more vitamins that way?

Anyway, you have a lovely blog!

Jen said...

It all looks so good...I'm doing soup tonight as well....its that time of year.

Ms. Tee said...

I havent' had breakfast yet & now I'm starving. :)

I'm definitely going to try the chicken stock your way - it sounds great!

And my guess on the diagram is that you were trying to illustrate truth, too. Can't wait to hear that conversation. ;)

Glitter & Bliss said...

The roasted stock looks and sounds wonderful!!! I loved visiting your blog and meeting you.
Leslie

Betts said...

I can't wait to make roasted stock. I've never been happy with boiled stock.

We're big diagram drawers, too. I swear we should keep a pad of paper at the dinner table. I'm stumped with your husbands diagram though.

Jules from "The Roost" said...

What a fabulous meal! You are so smart to make your meal time together a priority. There are so many wonderful truths we can casually share during that time. That is something I miss being empty nest...I would love to know the discussion.....

Becky Dellar said...

I am so hungry! Looking at those roasted vegis just gave me some ideas for Thanksgiving! :) and those cookies, I want one right now with some warm tea!!
I would love to know what you were discussing with your kids - Upon first look I was thinking that our choices effect others, whether we think it does or not. Then the "T" perhaps being "a Truth"...would love to know though!

Grace said...

Oh, that soup looks sooo yummy! I will have to try that recipe. :) Thank you for sharing it!

Our family has been experiencing great change as well; my oldest sister left for college last year, and it still feels awkward setting a table for 5 instead of 6. Things never slow down, but the beauty of spending precious moments together as a family is enhanced after separation.

Hope that this week is a lovely one for you!

grace said...

i'm intrigued by your diagram and haven't the slightest idea what it might mean. hurry up and spill!
meanwhile, chocolate chip cookies pair well with everything, but you're right--soup is a fabulous mate. :)

Aggie said...

I'm eyeing those cookies! They sound great, I love granola anything!!

First time here, great blog!

Amy Leachman said...

T is for teenager and your actions effect other people?????
But why does it say reason on the bottom and what is the circled R for????

Lucy..♥ said...

Roasted stock makes for a wonderful flavor and those cookies look mighty good!!

~j~ said...

hmm just got back from working out and this blog post just has me drooling all over my keyboard, are there any cookies left Sandy :)!
xo
j

Kristen Andrews said...

those cookies look so yummy!

Shell in your Pocket said...

How to pass food???? The cookies look very good!!
-sandy toes

Carissa(GoodnCrazy) said...

I've just scrolled down like every post on your home page. The photos are AWESOME!

And I am all about not using Costco...since we just moved and there ISN'T one! ha!

And daughter is having a bday party in a week.

Thanks.

Do you twitter? I so need your advice on a daily basis!

@carissarogers

Scary Mommy said...

I love that tip about the stock. Mine was so bland last time and this looks delish.

And I'm a total sucker for chocolate chip cookies. What a meal!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I already ate dinner before I came here! I think it's high time I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch here!!
Have a wonderful week Sandy!

Jessica6903 said...

I'm going to say a Football diagram? Tight ends and receivers??

Kirstin said...

Oh yum! I'm going to try that. I don't think I have an oven proof pot though...might need to buy one. The cookies sound yummy too. I think my new oven will got a lot of use.

Terri said...

I think the comment is to demonstrate how many relationships are actually going on in the family at any time????

Lovella ♥ said...

oh this looks just scrumptious. . .the next time I have a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, I'll make your roasted dish. . .thank you for the great tips.

Tina Butler said...

That stock is beautiful. Ummm so colorful and inviting i wish i had a bowl.

Elizabeth said...

I am going to make roasted chicken stock and everything else you showed. Yummy!

Love,
Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

That soup looks awsome..just wondering how much water you put in there to get the broth?
I am thinking that I will try making this recipe this week!
Thanks