Saving Money...by making your own Stock!

In the winter I make a LOT of soups (and freeze them).  Which means I use a LOT of chicken & vegetable stock.  The Dollar Store actually sells 32 oz, chicken & beef stock (MSG free) for $1, which I have been very happy with, but this past winter I have started making my own and discovering how NOT only am I saving money--but my homemade stock is SOOOOOO much yummier!  (Even the kids devour it!)  It takes little time and energy and I make it while making another meal so time-wise it is DEFINITELY worth it...

Let's start with chicken stock and then talk about vegetable stock...

I start with either a whole 3lb rotisserie chicken (that I get on sale at Copp's for $5 every couple months).  I also use chicken thighs or any other boned chicken parts that I have bought.


Isn't he cute???

The first meal is always just enjoying straight up baked chicken--mmmm...and I am happy because I didn't do much work (just prepared the sides).

The next night, I pull off the leftover chicken and turn most of it into another dish like chicken pot pie or chicken & spinach lasagna or fajitas--or something like that.  The skin and leftover bones I toss in a pot and add water until it just covers the bones.  I then gently boil the bones for 1 hour or more. 

Leftover chicken on left, boiling bones and skin on right

After an hour or so, I strain out all those yummy juices and have my broth.  At this point you can salt it. If it is bland you can always boil longer or add some chicken bouillon (I have had to do that on one occasion--I guess that chicken just didn't have much flavor :) )  At this point you can freeze it in muffin tins and then place in a Ziploc bag or freeze it in quart jars (don't fill to the top!) until you need to use it--but I like to take it one step further....

okay seriously--this IS as good as it looks!

I like to add chopped up onion and celery and carrots and seasonings of my choice--like thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt, pepper (and even some chicken pieces).  I will then simmer it an additional 30 minutes and then freeze.  This makes and AWESOME chicken soup base!  When the kids want chicken noodle soup, I will pull it out of the freezer, warm it up on the stove and add some egg noodles! YUM! 

And if you kept track--yes, I got 3+ meals out of one $5 rotisserie chicken.  And if I use chicken thighs, it will be 3+ meals out of about $3 of chicken (buy on sale $0.98/lb or less--I like to stock up at $0.68/lb.)

Now onto vegetable stock...This is too sweet....who would have thought you could make stock from all those vegetable scraps that you compost or toss (AND you can still compost after making your stock...) Check it out!

Think about all those parts of the vegetables that you normally toss--ends of cucumbers, onion skins, pepper seeds & stems.  Start saving all those parts instead of tossing them out.  Put them in a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer until you have 2 bags--then make your own vegetable stock.  Check out this link to give you all the details.  (I have been warned not to save cabbage, zucchini and broccoli parts as that can make your stock bitter.)  Feel free to experiment by adding your own herbs as well!

http://www.ehow.com/how_4767967_vegetable-broth.html