Cozy Kitchen

Friday the weather here was rainy. The temperature hovered around 50. The air was damp and cool with fall creeping in to fill every nook and craney. It was a perfect day for cooking. I started a small fire in the stove for warm as well as mood and set to cook away the day. At the end of the day I ended up with: 2 gallons chicken and dumplings (4 freezer containers) 2 9-inch deep dish chicken pies 7 quarts of chicken stock (in jars) 1 quart chicken pieces and slivers for dressing 3lbs meatballs 4 stuffed bell peppers 6 burgers for grilling We also had chicken and dumplings for supper. It was yummmmyyy! I have the GE 18 quart roaster oven. I don't use it all the time because of its size but when I do use it I make efficient use of it. This roaster will hold 4 whole chickens. During three and a half hours of my day I accomplished a lot of cooking for my freezer thanks to this roaster and its large capacity. Once I nestled four chickens into the roaster I added 2 rough chopped large onions, 8 stalks of celery cut into 3 inch lengths, 4 large carrots cut into 2 inch pieces, 10 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper and covered with water. Turning the heat up to 450 degrees I cover the pan and let it cook for two and a half hours. At this point the chickens are falling apart when you try to lift them from the pan. I transfered the chickens to baking sheets and allow them to begin to cool so that the meat can be pulled from the bone. I strained out 3 - 4 quarts of stock and poured it into my stock pot and brought it back up to a boil. After deboning, all that is left of the carcass goes back into the roaster. I add more water to cover and set on a lower heat, 350 degrees, leaving this to cook until there is a rich stock -about 2 or 3 hours or so. I divide the meat into 2 portions; one for pies and one for chicken and dumplings. Making dumplings is the same as making biscuits except the dough is rolled out very thin -about 1/8th inch. This is extrememly time comsuming. There is a frosen product at the grocer that is as good as homemade and far less messy and time consuming. Take the shortcut and buy 2 boxes of Anne's Dumplings. These are exactly the same dumplings my grandmother stood for hours rolling out in her kitchen. To the pot of boiling stock set aside from above turn the heat down to a high simmer. Add the strips 3 or 4 at a time gently moving them around in the pot with a long handled spoon. Let the dumplings begin to cook a few minutes before you add the next dumplings. Once all of the dumplings have been added stir occassionally to keep them from sticking and scorching on the bottom of your pot, turn it down if you need too. Add 1 portion of the chicken that was deboned. You can finish here if you like a thin chicken stock and dumpling that is similar to a soup. We like ours thick and hearty. To the gently simmering chicken and dumplings I add 1 package frozen peas and carrots or 1 large can of Veg-All mixed vegetables. For extra creaminess I also might add 1 large can of cream of chicken soup. Once mixed well and heated through I ladle out several freezer containers and set them aside to cool to room temp before placing in the refrigerator to chill completely then moving them to the freezer. With 1 meal remaining for our supper, I pour this into a deep casserole dish and top with a flacky crust and bake like a pie. The crust being brushed with butter just before siding it into a hot oven. For chicken pies: 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables 1 can sliced waterchestnuts 1 family size can cream of chicken soup 1 family size can cream of mushroom soup 1 portion of the above deboned chicken 4 deep dish pie shells Mix all the ingredients together and spoon into 2 of the pie shells. Mound the ingredients up to make a 'mile high' pie. Allow the other 2 shells to thaw just a bit until the dough is just soft. Invert the pie shell over the mounded chicken. Lift the pie tin away and using your fingers pinch the shell edges together sealing the mixture into the pie. Place on a cookie sheet, brush with melted butter and bake at 375 until golden brown. To freeze, leave the pie tin in place on top and on bottom. Lable the pie "this side up". Wrap well with plastic wrap. Slide each pie into a gallon size ziplock freezer bag. Lable and freeze. When ready to cook, remove from freezer and bake as you might a frozen Mrs. Smith's apple pie (that's the best analogy I can think of). Once everything is in the freezer and my kitchen is cleaned up I then strain out everything from my roaster. I do not let the stock sit and separate the fat from it. This stock I will used to make my dressing at Thanksgiving and I want a super rich stock. Into hot jars I ladle my hot stock, usually 6 - 8 quarts. Seal the jars and either freeze or pressure can. You cannot buy this quality of stock in a can or box. Bringing a jar of stock to a boil and adding some seasoning and egg noodles you have the BEST homemade chicken noodle soup you ever dreamed of. I spread the pieces and parts of vegetables and the chicken carcasses out on baking sheets and allow to cool completely. Carefully pick through the pieces and you will gather over a quart of slivers of meat. Don't waste anything! Pick the meat from the bones as best as you can. Place in a labled freezer bag and freeze. You can separate this into very small portions and add a little to the above noodle soup. I save my slivers and pieces and use them in my dressing at Thanksgiving. I know alot of people turn their nose up at picking slivers of meat from bones and saving stock but to each their own. I like saving money and this stretches my grocery staples and stock alot. I guess it is the mentality of farm life, waste not want not. I use it up and wear it out wherever possible. It is a sunny but cool day so far. We are taking the kids to a pumpkin patch this afternoon. I'll try to remember to take the camera.