Calendar Girls: biking, pie and fun dinners

Biking through southern Minnesota (from Lanesboro) over a long weekend with two girlfriends: 140 miles biked, 5 pieces of pie, 1 day kayaking and great food throughout the weekend.

Chicken Stock (aka cleaning out the fridge/freezer)

I love filling a big pot with odds and ends from my freezer and vegetable drawer, adding water, and VOILA - i get homemade stock!

My grandmother, Sye, was famous for her "everything" soup. She didn't make homemade stock - but made this great soup out of things that she had set aside instead of throwing out. The juice from a can of peas, the bones and scraps of meat from dinner - all of it went into a container that went into the freezer. When it was full - it was time to make soup!

So - i took this "pack-rat" lesson and apply it to my stock today. The only part of today's stock that came from a recent grocery trip was the onion and the leek (both due to be used, so not that recent).

The stock recipe today included:

3 chicken carcsses (2 from a rotissery session, one from the smoker)

1 lamb leg bone (brought home from dinner at the grandparents')

2 stalks of celery (frozen - waiting for a home)

1 yellow onion quartered

1 leek sliced - green and white parts

3/4 container button mushrooms

3 garlic cloves

peppercorns

1 anise star

juniper berries

water to fill pot

* any veggies you have on hand - especially root varieties should go in

Simmer on low heat for at least 4 hours. Add more water if you need to - skim fat off of the top as you see fit.

My favorite tricks

Choice pot: I like using my monster pasta pot with the insert. That way - when it is done, i can pull the insert - with all of the cooked and dead bones/veggies and throw right into a bag in the garbage.

Temp: DO NOT LET THIS BOIL. Boiling causes the stock to turn cloudy and gelatenous when cold. It still is OK to use if it does this - just don't let the company see you plop it out of the container and into your risotto.

Storing: I love to fill up snack-sized ziplocks with stock and freezing it. If you want to be anal and measure it before freezing - it will make it more accurate when you want to use it later.

Uses: I like using homemade stock whenever possible. The chickens are always flavored the way we like it - with flavors that we tend to use often, so it blends well with our cooking later. Risotto, soup, sauces, glazes, anything that calls for stock!

** what do you like to put in your stock to make it unique? Any tips you've learned that help make your stock turn out everytime?

Beer Cheese Soup

aka: heart attack in a bowl. What started as a fun adventure to use up some great cheese left over from the weekend's entertainment turned into a pot of yummy and rich liquid that some in Wisconsin eat as soup. I think the appropriate way to eat this is with a side of chips and a beer - and with no thought paid to the calories consumed.

This qualifies as "baking" because I used the oven to cook the bacon!

I took the recipe I found on Epicurious and added a few different cheeses and spice to deepen the flavor. The blue cheese addition was my favorite. Tasting the soup before and after confirmed that it was a needed addition - yet you might not be able to pick it out.

As I relaxed with my husband - trying to digest the cheese - we watched Good Eats with Alton Brown. His show was an "homage to fromage" and he made some soup! Check out the notes with his tips that should be implemented.

Cheddar Beer Soup

as adapted from epicurious.com
2 cups chopped onion (2 medium)
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 (12-oz) bottle ale such as Bass (I used Harp)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lb extra-sharp Cheddar (preferably English; rind removed if necessary), grated (4 cups)

handful of other leftover cheese: blue cheese, parmesan, whatever you like and have onhand!
4 bacon slices (3 1/2 oz total), cooked and crumbled

Preparation

Cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaf in butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low and sprinkle flour over vegetables, then cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add broth and cook for 30 minutes to meld flavors. Discard the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend mixture to break up and smooth out the vegetables. Strain mixture through a sieve back into the pot. Add milk and beer in a stream, whisking, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper.
Add cheese by handfuls (slowly), stirring constantly, and cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil).
Serve sprinkled with bacon (popcorn is another popular topping)

Great sides: rye bread, meatloaf, and a beer of course!