greetings on a rare monday friends!

i took a few days off to celebrate the holiday with my family and to take a much needed breather.

but i’m back, energized and ready to finish out twenty-eighteen with a bang!

now, thanksgiving has come and gone. and the only bits left of the turkey are the bones. whatever you do, DON’T TOSS IT!!!! there are few things more delicious than homemade chicken or turkey stock. you went through all that trouble to roast a whole bird, and those bones, and everything clinging to it are the key to amazing stock.

now i know you are thinking, that sounds like a lot of work. can you rough chop a couple things and throw them in a pot? if the answer is no, you have bigger problems to solve. if the answer is yes, you will CRUSH stock making.

homemade stock

serves: about 4 quarts

prep: 10 minutes

cook time: 2 hours - 24 hours

total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

ingredients: remaining bones & meat from your turkey or roasted whole bird. 6 quarts water. 2 whole brown onions, roughly diced. 3 whole carrots, roughly chopped. 2 celery stalks. 5 smashed garlic cloves. a handful of your favorite fresh herbs (i like to use oregano, thyme and sage, but you can use a combo of whatever you have on hand or whatever your favorites are). 2 dried bay leaves. 2 tbs kosher salt. 5 whole peppercorns. large stock pot. mesh strainer. large extra bowl. things to store your stock in like large mason jars.

**cooks note** you will notice that in the ingredients photo mine are just a bunch of odds and ends. odds and ends are great for stock. if you don’t have any odds and ends from vegetable cuttings, use the ingredients list provided. stock is one of those things that you can tailor to your own taste. do what you like and enjoy. there is not right or wrong.

start by heating your stock pot on medium low heat. add all the ingredients to your stock pot. bring the water to a boil.

once the liquid has come to a boil, lower the temperature to low and allow the liquid to simmer for an hour and a half.

now, you can stop the cooking right there if you like. but if you have the time, the longer you simmer it, the better it will taste. i simmer mine overnight, adding some extra water and a few pinches of extra kosher salt before i go to bed. you can do it either way and it will still be 100 times better than store bought stock. so go with what works for you! once you have simmered your stock, remove it from the heat. allow it to cool for a few minutes. use your mesh strainer to skim any impurities or fats off the top. then strain the whole pot through the mesh strainer into the extra bowl or pot.

allow the liquid to cool completely and store for your future use.

here are a few of my favorite uses for stock.

potato leek soup

butternut squash + bacon soup

roasted carrot & ginger soup

xo, a

homemade stock

serves: about 4 quarts

prep: 10 minutes

cook time: 2 hours - 24 hours

total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

ingredients: remaining bones & meat from your turkey or roasted whole bird. 6 quarts water. 2 whole brown onions, roughly diced. 3 whole carrots, roughly chopped. 2 celery stalks. 5 smashed garlic cloves. a handful of your favorite fresh herbs (i like to use oregano, thyme and sage, but you can use a combo of whatever you have on hand or whatever your favorites are). 2 dried bay leaves. 2 tbs kosher salt. 5 whole peppercorns. large stock pot. mesh strainer. large extra bowl. things to store your stock in like large ball jars.

**cooks note** you will notice that in the ingredients photo mine are just a bunch of odds and ends. odds and ends are great for stock. if you don’t have any odds and ends from vegetable cuttings, use the ingredients list provided. stock is one of those things that you can tailor to your own taste. do what you like and enjoy. there is not right or wrong.

start by heating your stock pot on medium low heat. add all the ingredients to your stock pot. bring the water to a boil. once the liquid has come to a boil, lower the temperature to low and allow the liquid to simmer for an hour and a half. now, you can stop the cooking right there if you like. but if you have the time, the longer you simmer it, the better it will taste. i simmer mine overnight, adding some extra water and a few pinches of extra kosher salt before i go to bed. you can do it either way and it will still be 100 times better than store bought stock. so go with what works for you! once you have simmered your stock, remove it from the heat. allow it to cool for a few minutes. use your mesh strainer to skim any impurities or fats off the top. then strain the whole pot through the mesh strainer into the extra bowl or pot. allow the liquid to cool completely and store for your future use. here are a few of my favorite uses for stock.

now, most of you won't understand this. but if you are like me and live near/work in a beach town, you will very much relate to what i'm about to say. there is no greater glory than the day after labor day. i drove down to the gym i teach at, which happens to be along the water, and for the first time in MONTHS there was no traffic. 

we have entered those glorious months in a sunny beach town where it is still warm but everyone from out of town has gone home and life can now be properly enjoyed. 

basically, the point of my story is that labor day has come and gone and the unofficial start of fall has commenced. facebook and instagram have already shown me people setting out their autumn decor and indulging in some sort of pumpkin spiced something. and even the weather is playing along today with a heavy marine layer and nice cool temps. the cool temps necessary to turn on your oven and roast something. 

this carrot dish is wonderful on a table as a stunning side dish or good enough to eat as a little meal of it's own. i have seen an influx of heirloom carrots my local stores and they make any carrot dish a little more dynamic in flavor and much prettier in looks. 

moroccan spiced carrots

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb heirloom carrots, peeled and halved (if they are extra long you can slice the carrot in half and then slice it down the middle). 2 tbs coconut oil. 2 tbs fresh orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp ginger. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp fresh minced parsley. 1 tsp fresh minced mint. mint sprigs for garnish. baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment.in a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, all the dry spices, the honey, oil and orange juice to make a marinade for the carrots.

toss the carrots and marinade together on the baking sheet so the carrots are all lightly coated. roast the carrots in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring them about halfway through so they cook evenly.

when the carrots have roasted, remove them from the oven and while they are nice and hot, pour them into a serving bowl or onto a platter.

sprinkle with your fresh herbs.

serve hot and enjoy. 

xo, a

moroccan spiced carrots

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb heirloom carrots, peeled and halved (if they are extra long you can slice the carrot in half and then slice it down the middle). 2 tbs coconut oil. 2 tbs fresh orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp ginger. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp fresh minced parsley. 1 tsp fresh minced mint. mint sprigs for garnish. baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment. in a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, all the dry spices, the honey, oil and orange juice to make a marinade for the carrots. toss the carrots and marinade together on the baking sheet so the carrots are all lightly coated. roast the carrots in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring them about halfway through so they cook evenly. when the carrots have roasted, remove them from the oven and while they are nice and hot, pour them into a serving bowl or onto a platter. sprinkle with your fresh herbs. serve hot and enjoy.