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.

the last days of summer are upon us and my late summer garden is packed to the brim with the last of my fresh herbs. 

i know it will be months before i have this kind of abundance in my little patch of dirt, so i am going out of my way to save every last scrap. 

now, just because you don't have an herb garden, doesn't mean this tip doesn't apply to you. much of the time when we buy fresh herbs, we NEVER use them all. so use this tip any time you have some fresh herbs you want to reserve for a later date. 

oil + herb cubes

ingredients: extra fresh herbs, chopped to desired size. olive oil. ice cube tray. 

fill each cube of your ice tray about half way up with our chopped herbs. 

when your tray is filled, top the herbs with oil just till you completely cover the herbs. 

place the tray in the freezer until the oil has frozen. 

remove the cubes from the ice tray and store in an airtight container or plastic bag until use. store for up to six months in your freezer. 

xo, a

oil + herb cubes

ingredients: extra fresh herbs, chopped to desired size. olive oil. ice cube tray. fill each cube of your ice tray about half way up with our chopped herbs. place the tray in the freezer until the oil has frozen. remove the cubes from the ice tray and store in an airtight container or plastic bag until use. store for up to six months in your freezer.