Stock in the Crock: a tutorial *UPDATED 9/15/13

Chicken carcass, veggies, bay leaf, peppercorns, and vinegar...ready to turn into liquid gold.

 



Coming soon to this blog:  A whole lotta soups and stews. 

We're starting to get into peak harvest time for local veggies, and those are some super soup makin's! 

Not only do those veggies offer peak flavor, and peak nutrition, but they are CHEAP!   Consider the fact that I can get a fresh green pepper at the farmers market right now 2 for $1.00.  In the store we're looking at $1.00 EACH, and in the winter time, in the store, up to $2.00 each, and the quality is not even comparable.

To go into the pot with those garden-fresh goodies we're gonna need some spectacular (and FREE!) chicken stock...so today is about getting that lovely stock made and tucked away in the freezer.

What is the difference between stock and broth you say?  Stock is typically made from bones, and broth from meat.  Stock tends to be thicker and richer, and it is so luscious in soups.  It is a huge benefit to use those bones, not only for the gelatin, collagen and minerals you get from them, but you were just going to throw them out anyway, right?  And, personally, I really dislike cooking meat in liquid.  All the flavor and moisture goes into the broth, and you are left with flavorless, textureless meat, in my humble opinion.  But really, stock and broth are, for all intents and purposes, interchangeable.

A whole chicken is one of the very best ways you can invest your family's food budget.  Roast it for dinner one night, and the next day, you want to pick those bones clean, my friend!  That's chicken salad for lunch. 

At that point you're are left with the final gift from this humble bird...the carcass. 

Please, pretty please, for me...never toss a perfectly good chicken or turkey carcass.  If nothing else, will you just freeze it for stock-making another day?  Cuz that thing represents about $9.95 to you.  Look at that carcass and see a ten-dollar bill. 

Every time you make stock, guess what?  You just MADE money, baby!!!  'Cuz see..that carcass would have just gone in the trash can.  Uh uh.  Nope.  We're gonna use it.  You can get a good 12 cups or more of the best stock you ever had for all the fall crock pot soups you'll be enjoying in the next few months.  If you had to purchase (heaven forbid!) chicken stock or broth at the store...that amount would be a good $9.95, and not even come CLOSE in terms of flavor and nutrition.

Seems like every slow cooker book has a "recipe" for chicken stock, but really, it's very basic, all you need is: chicken bones, veggies, water, and vinegar.  The "recipe" for chicken stock in the books I've been reviewing both look great, but neither call for vinegar, which I always like to add to mine. 

So if you want a recipe, go for it:  (Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook, by the American Heart Association, or Slow Cooker Revolution, by American's Test Kitchen.) 

I usually just free-style it, and I will detail that process for you below.

The best part of making your own stock...it's so stinkin' easy, it's almost like someone else made it.  You come back at the end of the day and go: "Whoa.  Who made this delicious-smelling chicken stock?!?  Oh yeah!  It was me!"

Here we go:

Step 1:  Throw that carcass into the biggest slow cooker ya got.  (Mine is a 6 qt round) 

Step 2:  Add in leftover veggies:  onion, celery, and carrots. 

This is how you get those veggies...every time you buy onions, carrots, and celery and chop them up for veggies and dip, or steaming, or whatever, you take what you have leftover after a couple of days, when they are starting to be not-as-crunchy-as-you'd-like-them-to be for eating fresh, and you throw them into a ziplock freezer bag: label, and freeze.  This only takes a second, and soon you'll have a nice stash, all ready to make stock.

Step 3: Add a bay leaf and a few peppercorns.  (And garlic cloves, peeled, if you like)  AND, don't forget a bit of vinegar, like a tablespoon or two:  the vinegar helps you really get all the good minerals from that carcass into your stock, especially calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Step 4:  Cover with water, but leave a little room at the top of your crock, like an inch or two.

(All this takes under a minute to get into the crock, seriously!)

Step 5:  Lid on.  Turn it on low, go about your day.  Come back in 12 hrs.-ish.  Give or take a few hours.

Later that night....

Step 6:  Turn your crock pot off and ladle your gorgeous stock through a mesh strainer into a couple of big glass containers.  The more containers you can use, and the shallower the volume of stock per container the better.  It will cool faster.  And we want to get it cool as soon as possible. 

*Aim for only 4" of stock per container, ok?  That's for food safety.  Any deeper and it will not be able to cool fast enough in the center to avoid bacterial growth.  That goes for not jut stock, but anything you put into your fridge.  No gigantic pots of chili or soup that are 8" or 12" deep...that's a "no no"...

*UPDATED: 9/15/13--Both Still Tasty.com and Putting Food By say that you don't need to worry about hot food heating up your fridge because modern fridges will automatically sense the temperature change and kick in to keep the temp at 40 degrees.  But that said, I've had steam from hot food in the fridge coat everything in the fridge with a wet layer of condensation, and that's not good either.  So my personal preference (which may be different from yours...) is I let it cool to where it's not steaming hot before putting it in the fridge, and I get that accomplished quickly by using lots of shallow containers rather than one big container for refrigerating my stock, and I give it a little time before going into the fridge, like 30-45 minutes, but never more than an hour.

Get it into the fridge as soon as you can.   Play it safe and set a timer while it comes down from boiling hot a little bit.  Of course you don't want it billowing out steam into your fridge, but certainly don't let it cool too long before going in the fridge, you don't want it to start growing bacteria.  Best to go from hot to fridge-cold as quickly as possible.

Here's a quick link from Still Tasty regarding putting hot food into the refrigerator.   This is my GO-TO web resource for shelf life and other topics food-safety related.  Bookmark this one, it's a site you will want to refer to again and again.

Don't freak out now.  This is not rocket science.  To re-cap:

• No more than 4" deep...check.
• Get it into the fridge as soon as possible....check.

See?  That's easy.  Let's move on...

It helps if you have an extra "garage" fridge, but it's not totally necessary, as long as your fridge is empty enough to accommodate all that hot stock!  Maybe do this the night before you go grocery shopping.

Step 7:  The next day, you skim off the fat layer that has accumulated on the surface.  Don't worry too much, just a quick swipe over the surface with a clean spatula to remove what you can of the fat.  If you have some fat left around the edges, no worries!  It will be delicious. 

Now, your stock may, or may not, "gel".  If your stock has turned thick and gelatin-like overnight, REJOICE my friends!!!  Good job!  You've found the holy grail of stock making!  That is gelatin from the bones of the carcass, and THAT, is some valuable stock.  Do not worry, as soon as you heat it that stock will be just as liquid as it was last night, and will be the best soup you ever had. 

If your stock did not "gel", no worries, it's still fabulous, my friends.  It will still be full of gelatin and minerals from the bones, and collagen from the cartilage, and vitamins and minerals from the veggies.  Bone broth is fantastically healing and nourishing. 

Step 8:  Get it packaged to go into the freezer.  I've tried every way under the sun to do this in glass canning jars, but I ALWAYS end up with at least one that's cracked when I go to take them out of the freezer, so I've started using Ziplock freezer containers. They work great, and I always end up with a nice, neat, two-cup ice cube of stock, ready to use.  Work briskly.  Have your containers ready to fill before you bring your stock out of the fridge. We want to keep it cold, and not have it out at room temp any longer than necessary.  Label each container with the date.

 

How easy was that?  Getcha' some stored up in the freezer, cuz we're about to bust out on some crazy-awesome soups in the near future...stay tuned.

My recently cleaned out freezer is starting to get a nice little "stash" of goodies again.  Left to Right: 12 cups of chicken stock, taco meat, dehydrated crispy walnuts and pecans, on top of some GF cupcakes leftover from a recent birthday, and dehydrated kale flakes from my very (very) humble garden. :)

Just as a side note:  The USDA has some great food safety documents on their website.  I like to tape these types of things into the inside of my cupboard doors for easy reference.  Here are some handy charts for your general use in the kitchen.  Also remember this website:  www.stilltasty.com.  I go there all the time to check shelf life of ANY foods on the planet.  That is also why it is so helpful to label your food with a date as you put in into the fridge, so you don't have to wonder.

#12 Zesty Tomato-Apple Chutney, with Roasted Chicken

This "Zesty Tomato-Apple Chutney" (from Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook, by the American Heart Association) has to be one of the most interesting things I've ever made in a slow cooker.  It's a condiment, like a relish, or a salsa.

All the ingredients in this dish are timed perfectly.  Every single one is in season right now, at the exact same time.  Other than the fresh ingredients, there are a few pantry staples like honey and cider vinegar.  The fresh ingredients include:  gala apples, red peppers, jalapenos, Roma tomatoes and sweet onions.

This recipe is your basic "Chop and Drop", as Rachel Ray might say! 

You chop the stuff. 

And then ya drop it in the pot. 

Turn it on, and walk off.

Here's what it looked like going in to the pot...

 

And here's what it looked like when it came out of the pot.



Don't get me wrong, I love a nice oven-roasted chicken all on it's own, but sometimes, you just gotta shake it up a little bit.  This chutney was totally interesting, and had a surprising combo of flavors.  It smells tart from the cider vinegar as it cooks, but the finished flavor is the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness, with a little kick from the jalapeno.  I thought this thing was brilliant.  This could turn me into a chutney-holic.  There are other chutneys and sauces in this book, so expect to see more in upcoming posts!

Besides serving it on meat, I think it would make a lovely cracker topping, on cream cheese, and maybe topped with a little roll of turkey lunchmeat!  Or same thing in a wrap...cream cheese, turkey, and chutney.  This would be a cute, fun, lunchbox way to use up the leftovers. 

The recipe makes a lot, considering it is a condiment, not a side-dish.  This would be a good "company" dinner and it might even be good to make the chutney a day ahead.  It "gels" a bit more as it sits, and I have a feeling the flavors will mingle and marry even more by the next day.  It can be served hot, or cold.

I know y'all are going to hate me for extolling the virtues of this delicious dish and then doing this to you...but, I could not find this recipe anywhere on the internet to be able to share it with you!  And I'm a tad uncomfortable posting it here, word for word, even with proper credit given.  Therefore...ya-on-ya-own with this one.  If it sounds interesting, and you think you'd enjoy it, you can always check the book out from the library.  And really...you'll want to check this book out anyway; it's awesome.  I'm loving everything I've made so far (with my gluten-free, whole-foods, full-fat substitutions, of course!).  I would say that this book has been worth every penny I spent for it.  No, no one is paying me to say that.  I genuinely love it.

So now for the roasted chicken part:  A basic oven roasted chicken is SO ridiculously simple.  Don't blink or you might miss it.

I usually do this in my deep covered baker (Pampered Chef stoneware), but it can also be done in just a regular roasting pan.  No special equipment required. ( Here's the Barefoot Contessa version, done in a roasting pan.)

Here's how I do it in my DCB:

1.  Take out any giblets that might be in the cavity of your bird.  Rinse and dry it with paper towels.

2.  Stick it in your baker.

3.  Drizzle on a little oil, and season it.  (I used olive oil, and seasoned the bird with Costco brand "Organic No Salt" seasoning, and, (ironically...) salt.  But you could do whatever you like:  poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, garlic and basil, or just regular salt and pepper!)

4. Add a little moisture (like a 1/4 cup) to the bottom of roaster--I used white wine.  You could use stock or broth if you want.

 

I never bother tying the legs together when doing this in the baker, unless it's Thanksgiving and I'm doing a big turkey in a roasting pan.

5.  Lid on.

6. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven.  It usually takes 70-80 minutes.  (In a roasting pan it takes a bit longer, like 90 minutes)  Check for doneness with a meat thermometer.  Juices should run clear.

7.  Take it out of the oven and let it sit and rest for a little while (I like to give it at least 10 or 15 minutes) before carving, so it can retain all those lovely juices.

All done.  Ok yes...it looks somewhat immodest.  It would be much prettier neatly trussed, with it's legs primly crossed at the ankles, and wings properly tucked under!

Maybe your family will eat it all that night, or maybe you will just use the breast meat and make sandwiches.  If that's the case, you can make chicken salad, or put the leftover chicken ON a green salad, or make soup, or roll-up wraps, or whatever you want to do with any leftover meat you have tomorrow. 

Might as well roast two birds while you're at it.  Yes, of course, for Pete's sake...why in the world did I only do one bird today?!?  That just makes no sense what-so-ever.  Mercy, that's annoying.  Ok, from this day forward, this is going to be a FOUNDATIONAL principle around here:  Double!  Double!  Less toil.  Less trouble!!  No more of this single-dinner nonsense.  If I'm cooking, doggone it, it's going to be at least two meals worth, if not more!!  No reason to do dishes for one meal.  Sigh.  Ok. I'm fine.  Moving on.

Tomorrow, we're going to make stock out of the carcass...in the crock pot of course.  There is virtually no need to have a pot simmering on the stove all day when you can just toss it in the crock early in the morning, and never think about it again til that night. 

I love me some EASY and FREE chicken stock. :)  See you tomorrow.

Applesauce and Tomato time: Apple Variety Chart

Hey guess what?  I just found the coolest thing: an apple variety chart.  I'll link the pdf so you can print it if you like, right here.  The first 6 pages are the ones you might want to print, as they are a quick glance chart to see what apples are best for which purpose.

Apples season is here.  I bought a nice bag of Galas at the farmers market today for $4.

This weekend the whole family is going to get wrangled into some peeling, coring, and slicing.  Into the pot the apples must go, with some cinnamon, for some spicy, chunky apple sauce.  A good friend and I, once-upon-a-time, took our (then) preschool-age kids apple picking in a friend's orchard, then spent the afternoon canning applesauce while the kids played.  It was such a fun day.  I'll never forget it.  My dear friend liked to use apple juice concentrate, instead of sugar and water, to sweeten the applesauce.  It was so good like that. 

Tomatoes are ready too--$15. at the  farmers market per box.  So those are going into the canning jars as well.  We use a LOT of canned tomatoes all winter, so time to seize the moment. 

The plan this month is to can as much applesauce and tomatoes, and dehydrate as many apple chips as possible, before I drive my family crazy.

The fact is, we go through SO much applesauce, apple chips, and canned tomatoes around here, that everyone's gonna just have to embrace the process for a while.  It's really worth it in the middle of winter when we want applesauce cups for the lunchbox, and summer-fresh tomatoes for soups and stews.

So...time to get down to work.  Carpe Applem!  I'll post some pics as we go.

Crispy Pecans and Walnuts

 

I've not been sticking to the "Dinner" theme of this blog the last two days.  Rabbit trails and side-tracks have led this discussion elsewhere.  I digress.  But, I can tentatively tie this one in to the dinner theme, because a lot of upcoming crock (and other) fall recipes include a topping with at least a few nuts.  Or nuts mixed in to the recipe.  So it's very convenient to have these guys in your freezer, ready to go.  See?  I did it!  I tied this one in. :)

Crispy nuts came up as a topic a few days ago, and at the time I was just finishing off the last of what was in my freezer.  Time for a fresh batch.  For this round I did walnuts and pecans, because they are well tolerated (by me), my family likes them, and they seem to jive well with fall-ish foods like apples, pears, pumpkins, squashes, etc.

If you missed the first conversation about crispy nuts (on the "balsamic beets" post the other day) you can take a peek at it here, but just to do a quick re-cap: the reason for soaking and then dehydrating raw nuts is that it makes the nuts easier to digest, and makes the nutrients more available for your body to use.  The soak in salt water gets rid of the enzyme inhibitors.  And the best part is, they come out all nice and crispy and crunchy, and kinda-like pre-toasted for you.

Nuts are a nutrient dense food, especially when prepared this way, and a little sprinkle of nuts can add a lot of flavor, texture, and interest to many dishes.  They are a great  condiment, and fantastic for breakfast on fruit and yogurt.  They are great in the lunchbox.  Along with some cut up fruit and or veggie sticks they make a great after-school snack.  They are very satisfying in small amounts, which helps middle-age moms like me fight off the elastic-waistband pants a few more years.  (My friend "Glazed Donut" has threatened to hold an intervention if I even think about elastic waistband pants.  Thanks Glazed D.  you've always got my back. ;)

O.k. here we go:

1.  Put the raw nuts into a glass container, cover completely with filtered water, and add sea salt (Sally Fallon, in her book Nourishing Traditions recommends two teaspoons of sea salt.  I typically use less than that.)

2. Cover and leave out on the counter overnight (at least 7 hrs, but not too long, the texture holds up best, I find, if you get them out of the water fairly promptly.  No need to set a timer or anything, just add the water right before bed, then get right on draining it when you get up in the morning.)

3.  Sally's instructions say to just "drain" the nuts.  I rinse those babies, thoroughly.  I don't like mine salty at all, and I want to really get rid of that soaking water, which contains all the enzyme inhibitors you want to get rid of in the first place.

 Note, this is my 5 tray dehydrator in the background...I had to switch to my 9 tray because I didn't want to crowd the nuts...they do better with lots of "personal space".

4.  Here comes that "choose-your-own-adventure" part:  Sally says to spread them on a stainless steel baking pan and put them into a warm oven (*no warmer than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally until completely dry and crisp.  If you do not have a dehydrator, then you can do it that way.  However if you have a dehydrator, it's easier, I think, to just do it in there. 

I set my dehydrator to a pretty low temp, 115 degrees, and for a full 9 tray dehydrator, it usually takes about 18 hrs.  But no babysitting required.  Once in a while I stop by and grab one out and pop in in  my mouth to see how things are coming along.  And OH MY, these are so, so, good warm from the dehydrator!!

5.  Cool completely.  Put them into freezer safe containers and store in the freezer, ready for use.

All ready for fall...

Banana Bread--no gluten, no refined sugar

There's an itty-bitty change of weather in the air.  A tad cooler, and a tad wetter. 

I haven't baked more than once or twice all summer.  I officially turned my oven back on yesterday after my hubby said "I really need you to make some banana bread with chocolate chips."  Ask, dear man, and ye shall receive!

The banana bread recipe I use comes from one of my ultimate favorite bloggers, Kelly at the "Spunky Coconut".  The mini chocolate chips are my own addition, because it makes my family SO very happy.  But if you leave them out/or use nuts instead, this recipe is free of any refined sugar.  (The kind of mini chocolate chips I use is "Enjoy Life", and they are sweetened with evaporated cane juice--which is still sugar, but less refined.)

I've made this bread enough that I've got it tweaked right where I want it, and I'm going to share those tweaks with you:

• The recipe calls for 2 bananas...I've found that two bananas = 2/3 c.  This is helpful to me because I buy my bananas ripe and freeze them in chunks. 

The stores always seem to have a section where they put the ripe (and therefore discounted) bananas.  I load my cart up whenever I see that, because ripe bananas are the very best kind to have!

 

I bring 'em home, peel them and cut them into chunks to freeze in ziplocks for smoothies and banana bread and muffins, and I also slice them 1/4 thick and dehydrate them for yummy banana chips. 

Funny, I used to get them .24 cents/lb a year or so ago...then they went up to .34/lb, and within a few months they were up to .44/lb!  I wonder if my buying them out all the time had anything to do with that?  It's like, the produce manager looked at his quarterly sales reports and exclaimed "Great Scott!  These ripe bananas are a HOT commodity!!!  Jack up the price...STAT!!"

• Instead of 1/2 c. honey, I use a combo of honey and pure maple syrup.  It just seems to lighten the color of the finished product a little bit and avoid excess browning.  I'm going to try to reduce that amount a little too...

• I omit the stevia.  It has an aftertaste I don't like.  And this bread is PLENTY sweet without it.  I substitute 1/2 tsp of regular vanilla instead.

• Where I live, and in my oven, it takes about 48-52 minutes to bake. Watch it closely near the end because it can over-bake rather quickly.

• I add in 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips.

• Instead of coconut oil I use butter

• This recipe uses coconut flour and tapioca flour.  I use Bob's Red Mill brand for both, and they can be easily found in any health food store, online, or at Fred Meyer.  The coconut flour is very dry and full of fiber.  It absorbs a lot of liquid, that's why coconut flour recipes use a lot of eggs.  You will notice the batter getting thicker after a few minutes as it absorbs the liquid.  Don't worry, the finished bread is NOT dry.  It is moist and tender and delicious!!

• Also, it's very helpful if you line your pan with unbleached parchment, and move your oven rack up a little bit.  Otherwise, the honey tends to make the bottom of the loaf too brown in my opinion.

Ok, here's that recipe link for you. 

Update:  Enjoy in moderation.  Coconut flour is a fiberous food.  Don't eat too much at one time if you aren't used to eating a lot of coconut.  Go easy! One slice at a time baby... :) 

#11 Lazy Man's Stuffed Cabbage

Oh snap.  I just saw on the America's Test Kitchen website that they are coming out with a volume 2 Slow Cooker Revolution, in September, the Easy Prep edition!  That's awesome, because this book I'm working out of right now has a lot of recipes that require a lot of prep work.  Oh my, this blog could go on for years.

So "Lazyman's Stuffed Cabbage" today, from Slow Cooker Revolution, by America's Test Kitchen. 

Welcome, cabbage season.  Mid-August to mid-September is when cabbage is at it's best, so by George, it's going into the pot this week. 

My family used to have a negative view of cabbage (because of the smell) until I introduced them to cabbage rolls; a paleo (grain free/dairy free) version I found at www.everydaypaleo.com . ( Here is that link for you.)  The recipe on everyday paleo is made in the pressure cooker, but can be made in the crock pot, and that was how I made them. 

I was very interested when I saw this ""lazy man's" version in Slow Cooker Revolution.  It's a bit on the "carb-y" side for me with the rice and the bread, but I decided to do it the first time as written in the book, for the sake of experimentation.  After that, I may revert to the paleo filling, but use the technique in Slow Cooker Revolution of cutting and layering the cabbage, instead of fussing with rolling whole leaves.   I took a quick peek on the internet, and there are many versions of lazyman's stuffed cabbage out there you could try if this technique interests you. 

Hmmm...could this be"Lazy Mom's Stuffed Cabbage?"...uh, no.  More like "Busy Mom's Stuffed Cabbage", or perhaps "Mom-who-has-neither-the-time-nor-inclination-to-mess-around-all-day's Stuffed Cabbage"!

Let me just say this...there is nothing lazy about this recipe.  It involves some work.  Not "fussy" work, like separating those cabbage leaves and rolling each one individually, but let's keep it real...it took a little effort, and some dishes.  Again, not one of those slow-cooking meals you can throw in in just a few minutes...there's chopping and sautéing, and mixing and assembling, which can be fun and rewarding.  Just saying, it's not just a toss-it-in-and-go kind of dish as the name implies.  So don't plan this one for a day when you are very short on time.

It's almost not fair to claim an accurate testing of this dish, because I made several changes:  I halved the recipe for starters...and I omitted the pound of kielbasa, and just used the ground beef.  I did not have any fresh onions left, so I used dehydrated onions.  I, of course, used gluten free bread and flour substitutes. 

The cabbage started to smell fabulous after the first few minutes of cooking in the microwave.  Kinda like some nice, authentic Asian cuisine.  Be sure to stir it every few minutes or you will get some cabbage starting to brown along the edges.

The sauce smelled sublime:  it was so different and unexpected with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in it, but it totally, totally worked.  Everyone who tasted it agreed.

So basically, this is put together just like a cabbage-lasagna: you layer up the sauce, meat/rice mix, cabbage, etc. etc. etc.

Here's what it looked like going in to the pot:  You drop meat mixture in by the tablespoon, like cookie dough!

The cabbage really, really, cooks down in the microwave.  When I went to layer it up I kept feeling like Christopher Walken in the classic Saturday Night Live skit "More Cowbell"...only instead of "more cowbell" I kept going "More Cabbage...I need More Cabbage!".  Next time I would double the cabbage, personally.

The recipe says to make a foil "collar" to go around the inside.  I did not do this.  I'm not a fan of cooking in aluminum foil, so I just greased the inside up with Spectrum Organic vegetable shortening (palm oil).  Though I didn't even need to because there was a lot of grease in the meat that came out during cooking.

I was very leery about putting the meat in raw, but...it did cook up just fine, in exactly 4 hours on low, just as they said it would.

I don't know, man.  It was a little too greasy for me.  You can see it on the top when it was fully cooked.  I skimmed it off.  It was just a little too thick, or, uh...gloopy?  Maybe the sauce was too thick.  I need to figure it out.

Don't get me wrong, it tasted awesome.  Hubby said "this is the best use of cabbage ever".  It got a unanimous thumbs up.

I will definitely make it again, but I gotta tweak this whole excess grease thing.  Like, maybe I'll use ground chicken.  Or maybe I'll pre-cook the ground beef?  At least enough to render the fat a little bit?  Maybe I won't add the GF flour to thicken the sauce...it really doesn't need it. It just needs less starch and less grease in general, in my opinion.

And it definitely needs more cowbell...I mean, cabbage!

Salmon Patties for breakfast

Remember the "salmon with pineapple-melon relish" from the other day?  Time to "gather up the fragments" of that meal!  :)

Here's what was left over:  about 2/3 of a piece of salmon, and about 2 or 3 TBSP of the "relish" (Ok that's it.  I'm gonna call it salsa.  It's totally salsa.  And it's driving me nuts to have to keep calling it relish!).

Now, the salmon is "Wild Caught, Copper River, from Alaska", (avoid farmed fish...look for "wild caught" on the label).  I bought it at a local warehouse club, in a big bag, in the freezer section.  The pieces are individually vacuum sealed, and they are quite large, generous pieces.  The price, per piece, ends up being about $3.12.  So if you've got a piece leftover and you don't get back to do something with it in time...it's like opening your wallet and pitching $3.12 straight into the trash can.

One way to deliciously gather up the fragments in this case is to crumble that leftover fish, and add an egg to it to make some salmon patties.  Really, egg and fish are the only essential ingredients here...but you can flavor it however you want.  Today I used a dab of Dijon mustard, a little dollop of mayo, and a sprinkling of gluten free bread crumbs.

Basically you're just gonna fry the things up in a pan.  Top with the leftover pineapple salsa and it's a super-nourishing breakfast.  And super-fast!  This 2/3 of a piece of salmon, I figure, cost me $2.18.  and the egg, (which I pay $3./dozen for, pastured local eggs), cost me a whopping .25 cents.  So for this abundant, nourishing breakfast the total cost was $2.43!  And you know how long it took?  About 5 minutes.

Not the prettiest picture...what can I say, it's early.



Can't beat that deal, price-wise, time-wise, or nourishment-wise, anywhere in town.

So hey, throw your arms around your little-ol-self today...lovingly nourish that one-and-only body you've got.  Chime in and tell us your favorite way to gather up some fragments!

Steak Fajitas

Okey dokey folks, no time to mess around today...these quickie steak fajitas went into the crock in about 5 minutes or less.  Cleanup was another 5 minutes.  'Cuz it was a busy day.

Before...

 

And after...

 

Last night my step-dad arrived on our doorstep with this lovely box of garden goodies.  He and my mom have a prolific little garden.  Both of them come from long lines of people with green thumbs.  That line has been broken with me.  My gardening skills are lacking.  However I do like to eat good food.  Does that count?

Garden goodies from Nanny and Popsie.

 

Many years ago, I found it very pertinent to read books on the topic of thrift and economy.  We were first-time parents, with a brand-new little one, and making the transition from two incomes to one. 

There were two books that really stand out in my mind from those days.  I learned many valuable skills from them, and still utilize those handy techniques today.  As a result of many years of practice, I'm pleased to say they are now a habit. ;)

 

Here are the two most valuable techniques I gleaned: 

 

1. Gathering up the Fragments  This concept is from Doris Janzen Longacre's classic work, More-with-Less Cookbook, first published in 1976.  At the end of each chapter there is a gem of a page called "gathering up the fragments" that gives ideas on how to utilize every last bit of the food you have, to stretch it and use it completely up, thereby reducing food waste as much as possible. 

 

Even if I had piles of money to burn, I'd still hate to waste things.  Good stewardship just feels great, doesn't it?  :)  Some "gathering up the fragments" techniques are: saving meat bones and carcasses for stock (which is made simply, and BEAUTIFULLY in the crock pot, essentially for free), saving bits of leftover veggies in the freezer for soup, tossing leftover veggies onto a salad, or into a blended soup, making a smoothie out of the last few pieces of fruit and the end of the yogurt...you get the idea.  The goal is to obtain all the nourishment you can out of the things for which you traded your hard-earned money.

 

2. C.O.R.D.  The concept of CORD comes from a book titled:  "Miserly Moms" by Jonni Mc Coy.  This acronym simply stands for Clean Out Refrigerator Day.  This is just what it sounds like!  All those little single servings of leftovers...you eat them up.  So everyone gets a little something different that meal! :)

Here's a good discipline to practice:  Label things in your fridge with the date.  Keep a sharpie pen and a roll of freezer tape next to the fridge.  Everything that gets opened or put in there gets a date...that way you're not standing there trying to guess which day you opened what jar or package, and wondering if it's been too long.

 

Today was both a  CORD day, and a "gathering up the fragments" day.  For lunch, we all had something a little different, consisting of all the stuff you've seen on this blog all week.

 

And the Steak Fajitas in the crock tonight are "Gathering up the Fragments":  some of the veggies Popsie brought us, the last two steaks I had from our freezer clean-out, and a single jalapeno and onion I had leftover from other recipes.  We also needed to use up some corn tortillas we had leftover.  All that stuff sounds like steak fajitas to me.

 

The steaks weighed in at 1 lb, 8 oz. put together, and the bulk price we pay by buying beef in bulk, directly from the ranch, is about $3.50/lb, so meat cost for this meal was $5.25.  The garden veggies were free, and the leftover corn tortillas and single jalapeno and onion were, I dunno...not much.  Maybe $1.?  $1.50?  So lets just say total on this pot of steak fajitas was $6.75. 

 

Here's what went into the 4 qt slow cooker:

The 1 lb 8 oz. of steak, cut into 1/4" strips
2 c. fresh tomatoes, diced
2 small, or 1 lg. green pepper, cut into chunks
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/2 lg onion, chopped
2-3 TBSP taco seasoning

Everything goes into the crock.  I used 1 heaping TBSP taco seasoning to begin with, then ended up adding another heaping TBSP when it was done, because it seemed to need more seasoning and thickening. 

Mine was done in 3 hrs. and 15 minutes, on "low".  Bear in mind that this was nice, tender, grass-fed steak.  If you use a tougher cut of beef it could take longer.  I've used flank steak and round steak before and had it take much longer, up to 7 hrs., for a larger quantity.  These were lovely wrapped in tortillas with guacamole and a sprinkle of cheese. 

 

Maybe "CORD" and "Gathering up the Fragments" will be a blessing to you too, in helping you attain whatever financial goals you may have in your life right now, while lovingly nourishing yourself and your family at the same time.



 

#10 Balsamic-Glazed Beets, with Toasted Walnuts

A bunch of "candy cane" beets, a bunch of regular purple beets, and a head of cabbage, purchased from tiny local shop that sells food from local producers.  Altogether, $11.50.

I'm attempting to convert my family to an appreciation of one of the finer things in life: mmmmm....beets. 

I find that people fall into one of two categories when it comes to beets: love 'em, or hate 'em.  I don't know what it is about them that is so divisive, but I am decidedly pro-beets.  The texture, the fragrance, the vivid colors, and most of all, the sublime flavor of beets is just a treat in my opinion. 

My family however, claims that they taste "like dirt".  Not to be discouraged, I'm going to woo them sweetly with this recipe.  

"Balsamic-Glazed Beets, with Toasted Walnuts", from Healthy Slow  Cooker Cookbook, by American Heart Association.

 

 Here's what the beets looked like going into the pot...

 

Aren't those "candy cane" ones just the cutest little things you ever saw?

 

1/4 cup of water and the beets, on low, took about 4 1/2 hours to cook to fork-tender.  As they were cooking, a family member came into the kitchen and said..."Whoa!  What smells like dirt in here??"

 

The topping was simply balsamic vinegar, with a tiny bit of sugar, reduced by boiling on the stovetop.  (When the recipes says this smells "pungent" they aren't joking!  I had to stand back and turn the vent fan on...)  I used chopped pecans rather than walnuts.

 

So the verdict:  they were not what I had hoped.  I really disliked how the slow cooker turned the candy cane ones a really ugly black/gray color.  I will not slow cook beets again.  Nothing compares to roasting them in the oven.  Peeling/chopping, tossing in oil, and roasting at about 400 in the oven is simple, and it turns beets into jewel-toned candy from the soil.  I gain nothing in terms of convenience using the slow cooker, and the quality difference is VAST. 

 

When asked for comments on these slow-cooked beets my family said, you guessed it..."tastes like dirt".

 

Oh well, can't say I didn't try! 

 

Now, switching gears real quick, I just gotta share something fantastic with you about nuts.  I won't be accused of holding back such a gem of information, so here it is:  If you have a dehydrator (or an oven that goes down to a very low temp. you MUST try soaking and dehydrating raw nuts. (Editorial note:  Sally Fallon's book says no higher temp than 150 degrees...personally I like to do them lower, since my dehydrator is adjustable, and can go lower, so I usually go in the 125 degree range).  Some people prefer to go even lower temp to preserve more of the raw enzymes. 

 

I do this all the time in large quantities, and then I store the nuts in small containers in the freezer for topping fruit, yogurt, salads, or for use in any recipe, or trail mix.  In her book Nourishing Traditions (p. 512) Sally Fallon explains the importance of soaking and dehydrating nuts of all kinds. 

 

See, the soaking part gets rid of the enzyme inhibitors, making the nuts more digestible, and it also makes their nutrients more readily available for your body to use. 

 

And the best part is, they taste SO crispy, and absolutely delicious prepared this way.  It really, really brings out the flavor of the nuts, unlike anything else.  I would do it strictly for that reason, even if it didn't improve the nutritional value!  The best part is, they are totally ready for any use...no need to "toast" nuts on the stovetop for recipes that call for toasted nuts.  They are nutritious, crispy and flavorful, and ready to go, right from the freezer when you prepare them like this.  There are many websites and books that detail how to do this; a quick internet search for "Crispy Nuts Nourishing Traditions" will yield lots of results.  It's super simple:  you just soak the nuts in a solution of salt water overnight, then you rinse, and dehydrate.  Couldn't be easier.  Seriously, it takes like 5 minutes.  They mind themselves all day in the dehydrator as you go about your business.  



Yesterday's Farmers Market peaches, topped with full-fat, plain unsweetened, organic yogurt and chopped "crispy" pecans for breakfast, snack or dessert.

*Update:  My good friend, "Glazed Donut" :)  tells me that the candy cane striped beets never do stay very purple and white when cooked, especially when you cook them with purple beets as I did...so that may help explain the gray/black color.  But I also noticed a darkening of even the purple ones where they touched the side of the crock pot, so...eh.  I'll stick with roasting 'em.

#9 Salmon Fillets with Pineapple-Melon Relish

Today's market finds:

Cantaloupe, peaches, green beans, and jalapeno.  Grand total, an even $10.

 

Is it just me?  Or does anyone else find fish to be rather...how shall we put this..."diva"? 

Especially fish baked in the oven.  It goes from underdone, to done, to slightly overdone, to fish jerky, in a matter of like, 30 seconds.  If I look away at just the right moment, all is lost.  Conversely, if I try to outsmart it, and take it out of the oven a tad early, it may finish perfectly on the counter as it "rests"...or, it may remain  underdone, and NOT rise to the perfect temperature and level of doneness, at all.

Enough, pampered princess!  I'm ready to go out on a limb and make a second attempt at fish in the slow cooker...salmon this time.  I'm hoping that it will be moist and tender from the low, moist, braising environment of the slow cooker, and more importantly, be a bit more "chill" (a.k.a. "relaxed", "easy-going", "not so high-maintainance").

"Salmon Fillets with Pineapple-Melon Relish", from Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook, by the American Heart Association.

It looks like this recipe is not available on the internet, so it's another one you'll have to find directly in the book, if you are so inclined.

Let me tell you about it though:  it involves salmon fillets that are seasoned with...wait for it...STEAK seasoning..?  Sounds strange doesn't it?  They cook fairly quickly in the slow cooker, and when they come out, you top them with a very summery "relish" of chopped pineapple and cantaloupe, with lemon and mint.

So, the fish was totally easy to do in the slow cooker....bed of lemon slices, a bit of water and seasoned salmon pieces.  I did have to go in and shift the pieces around to cook evenly, and the thinner pieces were done in 1 hr.  The thicker pieces were done in 1 1/2 hrs.

The pineapple-cantaloupe "relish" was surprising, and fresh, with some savory aspects like onion and jalapeno in it.  I kept calling it "salsa", because that's what it looked and tasted like.

To just bottom-line it for you...the fish was fine, but since I was steaming green beans to go with the meal anyway, it would've been less work and dishes to just steam the salmon.  And it was no less "fussy" in the crock pot...I still had to watch it carefully.  Just keeping it warm until serving time did push a few pieces into the "dry" zone.  So.  It's gonna be delicate, no matter what.  No advantage in using the slow cooker, in my opinion.

Now the seasoning on the salmon--steak seasoning and thyme--YUM!  It was different, unexpected, and really tasty.

The "relish" was the star though.  I would definitely make that part of the recipe again and again, and just serve it over a simple steamed salmon, seasoned with steak seasoning.

 



#8 Moroccan Chicken Thighs, with Raisin-and-Carrot Couscous

Do you ever get into these single-minded, driven, obsessed cleaning and de-cluttering mental "zones"? 

I do. 

It's a powerful instinct, like "nesting", and it comes, without fail, every year, the last two weeks of August, and then again in January.  It's like I just can't live another minute without scrubbing down that door between the house and garage...?  Somehow it hasn't bothered me all summer...but today, it simply MUST be done.

So that's where my head is right now.  I just detailed the entry between my garage and house...I even scrubbed and vacuumed out the air vent in that space.  Threw out and donated stuff, and scrubbed up the baseboards.  Now I just want to stand in that part of the house and bask in the glow of it!

Since I'll be busy whirling through the house and garage like a rabid, feral, Tasmanian Devil the next two weeks, I'm going to try to target recipes that are quicker prep, as well as seasonal, in terms of the produce used.

"Moroccan Chicken Thighs, with Raisin-and-Carrot Couscous" from  Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook by American Heart Association.

When I googled the recipe name and book title, I found that google books has a page sample up on the internet with permission from Random House, but some of the words are cut-and-paste looking, however you can get the drift.

Instead of couscous (which has gluten), I used quinoa (which is gluten-free), but I did include the raisins and carrots, because I thought they were the perfect pairing to complement this chicken.  The family liked the raisin and carrot part, but were not big on the quinoa.

Instead of 4 bone-in chicken thighs, I used 9 boneless, skinless thighs, because that's what I happened to have, although I think the bone-in type would impart even more flavor and moisture.

The recipe says to brown the thighs in a non-stick pan.  I used a stainless steel pan.  I get better browning with stainless, but of course you need a nice coating of fat/oil, and you must wait for the meat to self-release...don't try to pry it up before it's ready to release or you'll get shreds of meat all over your pan and mess up your lovely browning process.

The recipe calls for water, but I had some chicken stock handy, so I used that to deglaze the pan.  Don't neglect this step, because the lovely brown bits all over the bottom of your pan is where the flavor is.

This dish smells rich, warm, and spicy-sweet as you cook it.  It reminded me of molasses cookies, or gingerbread.  A family member came into the kitchen and said, "it smells like you are making apple crisp".

I was quickly running out of afternoon, so I went ahead and used the "high" option, 2-3 hours.  I went in with a pair of tongs after 1 hr. and shifted all the pieces of chicken around, so they would cook evenly.  Ultimately, my 9 boneless pieces took  1 1/2 hours.

The chicken was nice and tender and moist, and delicious.  It was neither "hot" nor "sweet", as I expected it to be, but was just flavorfully seasoned. 

Now, I have a very cold constitution, so I like warming foods, and this dish was very warming.  It actually felt hot in my tummy, like a strong ginger tea.  It was fairly spicy, even for me.  I did have some heartburn after eating it.  So if you are prone to heartburn, or sensitive to spicy foods, you might want to consider that, and either reduce the spices or avoid this one altogether .

#7 Summer Sunshine in a Pot...Italian Vegetable Stew

Saturday's Farmers Market goodies:  zucchini, onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, green peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, and peaches.  Grand total = $19.50.

Ever notice how MUCH kids grow during the summer months?  Especially other people's kids.  You don't see them for three months, then in September when you see them again, it's shocking.  Huge leaps in growth.  All that fresh air, sunshine, sleeping in, and nourishing, fresh summer food just makes kids bloom.  And grown-ups too!  Don't you just feel energized, and look more healthy and vibrant in the summer?  I know I do.

I'm convinced that freshly-picked summertime goodies have something very special that can not be bought from the store in the middle of winter...some vital, health-giving goodness that cures what ails ya, and keeps you well and strong.  There's so much nourishment in this recipe...it's probably going to give me super-hero powers of some sort. 

"Italian Vegetable Stew" from Slow Cooker Revolution, by America's Test Kitchen.

  

Here's a picture of mine; the color of my soup was not as pretty as the photo in the book, but it was delicious.

 

Most of the market veggies you see above went into the pot for this recipe.  I had some tomatoes leftover in the fridge, and some Parmesan, so didn't need to buy those, and some chicken stock in the freezer.  So not counting those items, this stew/soup cost me $9.50 in fresh seasonal veggies.  It's made in the 6 qt slow cooker.  The recipe says it's 6 servings, but that's gotta be big, dinner-size servings. It looks like more than that to me especially if you pair it with a wrap or sandwich. 

I'm not going to lie friends; this recipe requires some work.  This is not one of those "throw-it-in-on-your-way-out-the-door" kind of things.  It's something you probably make mostly just in mid-August, when gardens are overflowing, and your neighbors are playing "ding dong ditch", leaving giant bags of zucchini on your doorstep.  This is a Sunday afternoon kind of deal, and if you have family members who can safely wield a knife, line 'em up for some veggie chopping, assembly-line style.

If you like Ratatouille you'll love this dish.  It's all the traditional ratatouille flavors, plus potatoes.  I didn't have any fresh herbs so I used dried oregano and dried basil.  If you have fresh you're supposed to add the basil at the end, but since I was using dried I just threw it in there while it cooked.

A copy of the recipe is on the Internet Here.  It says adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution, but the ingredients look the exact same to me.  The picture in the book is beautiful. I wish you could see it.

One thing I really like about this book is the fact that they specifically mark for you recipes that are "easy prep".  Those are the quickie recipes you can get into the pot in a flash.  This recipe is not one of those.

Cheers, to your health!

 

(A kitchen scale is a very handy tool to have, by the way.)

*Update:  this dish was very well received by the whole family, but the more hot-blooded among us thought it was too much of a "warming" dish for August...they said it made them too hot right now; but that they would really love it in cold weather months.  Personally, I am always freezing cold, winter or summer (in the air-conditioning), so I love soup and stew all year round!

A Comment on Comments

I've noticed that it's difficult to comment on my blog, because you have to have a registered ID of some sort, such as a google e-mail account...well, I've attempted to fix that problem! 

I changed some settings to allow anyone to comment.  That should make it easier.  You should be able to just select "name/URL" and just pick a name.  You can use your real name if you like, or a pseudonym like "JellyDonut", or "BroccoliFan" :)  Or, you could select "anonymous". 

I've also set up word verification to exclude pesky robot comments, and also enabled moderation, so that I will be able to view and approve all comments before they post live on the blog.  So there will be a little delay, but worth it to avoid spam. 

Let me know how this works, and I'll keep tweaking things to fix any problems as they arise.

Hope this helps!

My Crocks like to Par-Tay!!

 

 

 

Crocks just wanna have fun.

 

 

Meet our family's newest addition...

 

Welcome to our home, 4 qt. Crock-Pot "Cook and Carry". 

I got a smokin' deal on this baby...$27.99, (regular price was $39.99), and it has a locking lid for traveling.  You know I just couldn't resist.

So earlier tonight we hosted dinner for 15 people.  My crocks love to get out and mingle. 

I made 5 lbs. of ground beef taco meat early in the day, and put it in the fridge.  Then before dinner I reheated it, and kept it warm for serving in my 4 qt oval.  A batch of Lime Salsa Chicken went into my new little buddy here early in the day, since it had to cook 6-7 hrs.  My 2 qt round kept the corn tortillas nice and cozy.  I set 'em all up in a buffet with all the taco fixin's.

It worked really slick to feed that many people this way.  Everything was done up ahead of time, so I wasn't standing in a kitchen of dirty dishes working on last minute food prep. 

And you know...it's got me thinking.  What other ways can I call these little workhorses into action?

A lot of the 52 recipes I'm testing are going to happen in late September, and October.  They use fall produce, like acorn and butternut squash, pumpkin, apples and pears.  There are several warm spicy chilis, soups, and stews in the line-up.  I can't wait to test these, because if they work well, they will make some great harvest-party food.

There are several recipes I can't wait to test to see if they can help me out Thanksgiving day: "Glazed Carrots for a Crowd", and "Mashed Potatoes", "Balsamic-Glazed Beets with Toasted Walnuts"...it would be so great to have these things done and waiting.

I'll be the first to admit, food can often be cooked better in the oven, dutch oven, skillet, or pressure cooker, but as I've said before...the BIG draw of slow cookers for me is the fact that it's DONE.  So if I can get good quality in the slow cooker (maybe not always quite as good as by another cooking method, but pretty darn close)...you know what?  I'm gonna take it, and be grateful for it. 

With the slow cooker, dishes are done, kitchen is clean, and there's nothing left to do but enjoy.  And that makes for a happy mommy.  So when the guests go home, I'm not standing there all night doing dishes.  Instead, Mama gets to sit down with a cup of tea and blog about it all! ;)  And that counts for a lot.

In the words of Thoreau:  "...simplify, simplify."

Healthy, good, homemade food is nourishing, absolutely necessary, and vitally important.  It can also be a lot of work, 3 times a day, 365 days a year.  But I'm not gonna let it consume all my time, or rule my life.  I'll take any help and shortcuts I can get.  Balance.  Simplify.  'Cuz moms just wanna have fun too.

I'm looking forward to more great fellowship with friends and family, sharing meals together, a lot more often this fall.  I'm loving the gift my slow cookers are giving me; the ability to be joyful, relaxed, and welcoming. 



#6 Everyday Shredded Beef

Have you ever put something into the crock pot at bed time and let it cook at night while you sleep?  If not, please don't do that.  Especially with this recipe. 

It sounds great in theory...to do that with something that has a loooong cooking time.  The reasoning is that you might as well let it go, as long as you're home and not doing anything else...but can I just tell you?  It will seriously mess up your sleep.  I've tried it twice, and both times slept TERRIBLE, because I can smell whatever is cooking, and it keeps me awake.  Not just me.  The whole household.  The last time I did that I actually had to get up and turn the thing off and put it in the fridge.  So...though it might seem like a good idea, please believe me; it's not.

This recipe takes a long time, so you might want to get it going right when you get up in the morning.  It's "Everyday Shredded Beef", from Slow Cooker Revolution, by America's Test Kitchen.

Beef is so different from chicken.  With chicken, all the recipes I've ever seen have cook times that are always WAY too long, but with beef, I've found that the times are usually pretty spot-on accurate.  So beef like this is truly something you can put in the pot and go about your day. 

Cook time for this recipe is 9-11 hrs on low, or 5-7 on high.  I did it on high, checked at 5 hours, and the edges of the meat were getting nice and tender, but middles were still hard as a rock...so we ended up really going the full 7 hrs. on high.  Gotta give it time to break down that collagen.

The recipe says to cut the roast in 1/2, but I actually cut it into 6 pieces, hoping it would be easier to shred that way.

One thing I loved about this recipe, and this book in general, is the way they have you pre-microwave! your aromatics...spices, garlic and onions in this case.  Surprisingly, it really does "bloom" the flavors, as they say in this book.  It's the quick, easy way to get your onions nice and translucent, and not "raw", going into the pot. 

This pot of beef makes some very authentic burrito or enchilada filling, and smells glorious as it cooks.  The only problem I had was with my beef, not the recipe. 

I used a roast from the last 1/4 beef I bought, and every roast/stew meat I got from that particular 1/4 has been WAY too lean.  I mean, there is virtually NO fat on it, which makes for some dry beef.  It's a bummer.  I love that the animals are raised so naturally, happily, and beautifully--un-stressed, roaming the ranch in the fresh air and sunshine, having their babies in the field, and eating grass, as cows were created to do.  And, it costs about half of what I'd pay in the store per pound when I buy it by the 1/4 beef.  But on the other hand, the fact that it's so lean is messing me up, because recipes presume you are getting a roast with some fat on it. 

For example, this recipe said to skim the fat off the top of the braising liquid.  My braising liquid never did get any fat of any kind on it. :( 

So.  I gotta figure out what to do next about that.

Regardless, the recipe itself was delish, and I am going to be making it many times this winter.  It's perfectly spiced in my opinion.  We like spicy food.  But for little kids I'd leave out the cayenne pepper, and/or perhaps reduce the chili powder.  Also, be sure to use the tablespoon of lime juice it calls for at the very end.  I know it seems like it can't make that much difference, but it REALLY, really does. 

Needs some FAT, for Pete's sake!

This recipe is, fortunately, posted on the internet...here it is for you.

Our farmer's market is loaded with seasonal goodies, so I'm going to be switching gears away from the meat and doing a few veggie recipes next week, and a fun thing or two between now and then, so stay tuned. ;)

* Update:  This shredded beef makes some crazy-AWESOME freezer burritos!  My favorite yet, actually.  Just leftover shredded beef and shredded cheddar cheese.  When you go to serve them, be sure to dip them in a some guacamole.  Mmmmm, so good.  We ate this shredded beef, taco style, for dinner, then several more lunches, and then I used what was left after that to make burritos, and still got 16 burritos out of it!  I bet it would make more than two dozen if you just used this recipe for freezer burritos.  I paid a bulk price of $3.45/lb for my grass-fed beef, so if I even got just 24 burritos  (probably more like 30) out of this 3 lb. roast, that's .43 cents per burrito, in just beef.  (Not including cheese and tortilla costs.)