Peeling Small Onions

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 I already have my eye on Thanksgiving, and what that means is Creamed Onions. It’s always a favorite dish, so I tend to serve it often on holidays that fall in the autumn and winter months. It can be work if you don’t plan ahead, but I always do by peeling the onions, labeling, bagging, and putting them in the freezer. I love having them on hand for anything I might need.

If you have only tried using pearl onions in recipes that call for them, you are missing a lot of flavor by ignoring Cipollini and Red Boiler Onions. In the past, I have provided you with a tutorial on how to easily peel pearl onions; you can find that post here. You can treat cipollini onions and red boiler onions in the same manner, just extend the boiling time to 4 minutes and 30 seconds. They come out beautifully, and are going to add more depth to your casserole.

That’s your tip for today.

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

Here is a quick tip that is going to make life so much easier for those of you who make your own chicken stock – make it in the Crock Pot!  For those of you who don’t make your own stock, start now.  There is nothing better or more satisfying than to make stock out of something that you would normally throw away.  Stock can be made with a whole, uncooked chicken from the market, but I find that the tastiest stock comes from a chicken that has already been seasoned and roasted, meat carved away and consumed at dinner or piled on a sandwich.  I leave a good bit of chicken on the bone for extra flavor and toss the entire carcass into the pot.

There is a debate over whether or not the meat from a chicken used to make stock should be eaten.  I say, don’t.  Whether made on the top of the stove or using this crock pot method, stock takes many hours of simmering in order to produce a flavorful end result.  This means that the meat has pretty much had every bit of flavor cooked out of it. 

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken or rotisserie chicken*

1 medium yellow onion, washed, skin on, quartered

2-3 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces, with leaves in tact

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 sprig fresh)

1 teaspoon rubbed sage (or 1 sprig fresh)

½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

½ teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Add 5 to 6 cups cold water, or whatever it takes to cover the chicken.  Cook on low for 8 hours. Place a large colander in a large bowl.  Pour the stock into the colander, separating the solids from the liquids.  Discard solids. Pour the stock into jars or containers.  I use various sized plastic containers from 1/2 cup up to 3 cups, so it is premeasured for just about any recipe that I need.   If you plan to freeze the stock, leave about an inch at the top for liquid expansion, otherwise use within three days.  

*As rotisserie chickens tend to be highly seasoned, I find that they yield the most flavorful stock.

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Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Be Inspired Friday

Zesting Key Limes

Summer is citrus season and those tempting bags of key limes are beginning to show up at area markets.  I am mad about all things citrus, so I buy up as many of these emerald beauties as I can before the season is behind us, and I suggest that you do the same.  Here’s a quick little tip for you that has served me well over the years.  When key limes come into season, zest and juice them.  Measure out the juice in full and half cup measurements and freeze the juice.  It easily keeps for 6 to 8 months in the freezer, so you can have a fresh, delicious key lime pie in the dead of winter.  As for the zest, measure it out by the teaspoon.  Fill each well of an ice cube tray with a teaspoon of zest, fill with water and freeze.  The next time you need lime zest for a recipe, remove as many cubes as you need, place them on a plate that has been covered with a doubled paper towel and allow to melt.  Once the ice has gone, you will have a lovely little mound of fresh tasting zest!

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday

On the Menu Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Tutorial Tips & Tidbits

Makin' Bacon - A Quick Tip

Fry bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels.  Layer four strips at a time on stacks of super absorbent paper towels (I use Bounty).

My mother is the freezer queen.  At 85 and suffering with both spinal stenosis and sciatica, she has to be; making things ahead and freezing them is the only way she can put on a party for a big crowd (something she still loves to do).  Now, I freeze things as well, but this tip was new to me and, to be truthful, I was a bit appalled.  Bacon, I reasoned, is meant to be enjoyed fresh.  What wakes up a household better than a brewing pot of freshly ground coffee and bacon cooking on the stove?  But during the busy summer days, who has the time to labor over a hot stove, and yet we still want those BLTs, bacon topping our potatoes, and providing some crunch to our salads.  So, I tried doing what my mother does, frying up an entire pound the day I brought it home from the market, draining it thoroughly, and then placing the strips into a zipper-top plastic freezer bag. It’s amazingly delicious, unbelievably convenient, and will allow you to keep your cool on the hottest of days.

When you're ready to use the frozen strips, put them on a microwave-safe plate that has been topped with a paper towel and microwave for a minute.  No one will ever guess that you didn't fry it up fresh.

As an aside, I also sieved the bacon drippings, jarred them, and put them in the refrigerator for use later.  This is something my grandmother (who lived to be 83), and her two sisters (who lived to be 92 and 96) did routinely.  I thought strongly about these three amazing women that day.

Give this a try; it’s a great summer time saver.

Looking for new ways to use bacon?  This book is for you!

This post is linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday