DIY: Chicken Stock (in the slow cooker)

I’ve had a DIY success recently and I wanted to share with you. Chicken stock is something I use quite often and I’d been wanting to try a DIY version for quite a while. The store-bought stock is expensive and full of unpronounceable ingredients and even the low-sodium kinds are so salty. I hoped that by DIY-ing it I could cut out the excess salt and processed ingredients and save a little money in the process. After googling “homemade chicken stock” I came to the conclusion there are countless variations of a basic method and I came up with one that worked best for me.

My method has several benefits that I find helpful. First, I use my slow cooker to make the stock so I don’t have to worry about having my range or oven turned on for hours. Second, I use a whole chicken (instead of just bones) so I end up with a good amount of meat to shred and freeze for later use in recipes. Finally, even though it takes an extra few hours, I can make the stock fat-free which is really nice.

If you would like to try making your own chicken stock, I hope you find this method useful!

Homemade Chicken Stock (yields approx. 10 cups)

(my own method, adapted from several sources)

1 whole chicken (~3.5 lbs.)

2-3 carrots or 2 handfuls baby carrots

2-3 stalks celery

1 large yellow or sweet onion

1 bay leaf

1 Tbs. whole peppercorns

Apple Cider Vinegar

Water

1 bunch fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1) If necessary, remove the neck and giblets from the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out in cold water, pat dry with a paper towel, and place in the slow cooker.

2) Peel the onion and chop into halves or quarters. Chop the carrots and celery into ~3 inch pieces. Add the veggies to the slow cooker, surrounding the chicken. Add the bay leaf and sprinkle in the peppercorns.

3) Add 8 to 10 cups cold water (depending on the size of your slow cooker).  Add a splash of apple cider vinegar (about 1 to 2 tablespoons).

4) Cover and cook on low at least 8 hours. I usually start mine in the evening and let it go all night, about 12 to 14 hours. When the time is up, turn off the cooker and place the whole bunch of parsley in with the stock. Cover again and let cool for an hour or two.

5) Remove the chicken (it will be falling off the bone) and shred the meat. Refrigerate or freeze for later use.

6) Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the veggies, chicken bones, and seasonings.

7) Refrigerate the stock at least 8 hours, or until the fat has separated and congealed at the top. Once this has happened, use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the fat.

8) Refrigerate or freeze your stock or use immediately. I freeze mine in 2-cup portions in plastic freezer bags.

9) Celebrate your DIY success!

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Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

I know, I know, it’s December. The month where cookies have a monopoly on all baking. If it’s not a cookie, chances are you won’t see it in any food magazines or blogs. And Christmas cookies are great; I definitely bake and eat my fair share of them. But sometimes you just don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen rolling and shaping and decorating cookies. Sometimes you want to make an easy mix-bake-glaze recipe that will still look impressive and taste amazing. And for those times, there is no better choice than this fantastic cake.

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of bundt cakes. Most of the ones I’ve had before were a little dry and pretty bland. But then I found this recipe from Joy the Baker and decided to give the bundt cake another try. And I am so glad I did. This cake is amazing! Full of dark chocolate flavor and perfectly tender. Then I decided to add a salted caramel glaze because salted caramel is one of the greatest flavors ever and goes really well with dark chocolate. Dark Chocolate + Salted Caramel = Best. Decision. Ever.

I made a couple minor changes to the original recipe to compensate for the high altitude here. The changes are noted in the recipe below. I hope you’ll try this cake soon.  It is a nice change from the usual December-overload of cookies and is a wonderful flavor combination. It’s a great choice to bring to a party, or to keep and savor with your sweetie while watching a Christmas movie. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy this spectacular cake!

Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake (adapted from Joy the Baker)

1-1/3 cups brewed coffee

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

2 cups* sugar

1-1/4 tsp. sea salt

2-1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1-1/4 cups plus 1 Tbs. buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups* all purpose flour

* These measurements are for high altitude. If you are not at high altitude use 2-1/4 cups sugar and 2-1/2 plus 2 Tbs. flour

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the coffee and cocoa powder and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or spray generously with “For Baking” cooking spray) a 10-inch bundt pan.

3. Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, and egg yolk to the bowl and mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and mix on low for another minute.

4. Scrap down the sides of the bowl again and add the flour. Mix on low for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the cooled coffee mixture, and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour the (very thin) batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Keep the cake in the pan until it is completely cool. Then invert the bundt pan onto your serving platter and the cake will come out cleanly. Drizzle with glaze (recipe below).

Salted Caramel Glaze (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. sea salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugars and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Whisk in the whipping cream (it may bubble a lot) and return to a boil, stirring often. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in sea salt. Let cool slightly (about 5 minutes) and pour over cooled cake, allowing excess to run down the sides.

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Chai Latte Concentrate

Mmmm. . .Spices

One of my favorite parts of the cold fall and winter months is the chance to indulge in a variety of hot drinks. Hot cocoa, spiced cider, mocha lattes; I love them all. Chai tea is a different story. I’ve never been a fan of the chai drinks at coffee houses because they are usually overpowered by too much clove for my taste. And the few varieties of bagged “chai spiced tea” I’ve tried were underwhelming.

But Big Man really likes chai and I try to keep his favorite drinks on hand. I enjoy making him a hot drink when he gets home from work or when we are cuddled up watching a movie. It’s a small thing, yes, but I think love thrives on the day-to-day “small things” as much as the romantic special occasions.

I found this recipe for homemade chai concentrate through Pinterest and I’m so glad I did. I love having the concentrate on hand so all I have to do to make a great cup of chai is add some milk and heat it up. Even better, this is a chai drink that even I like! No overpowering clove, just a nice blend of spices over a sweet and creamy background. I pretty much keep this in the fridge all the time now so we can have chai whevener we want.

Orange-Vanilla Sugar

I modified the original recipe slightly to suit our tastes and make it a little more affordable to keep as a staple. I also doubled the recipe because we drink a lot of chai! Don’t be afraid of all the whole spices used, if you can get spices in bulk (I like to order from Penzey’s and Amazon*)  it’s really not that expensive.  I hope you’ll try this out and enjoy a great, homemade hot chai without needing to go to the coffeehouse.

*I am not affliated with Penzey’s or Amazon.

Chai perfection

Homemade Chai Concentrate (adapted slightly from Tasty Yummies)

(makes 2 quarts of concentrate)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 orange

1 or 2 whole vanilla beans

4 whole cinnamon sticks

18 to 20 whole cloves

16 whole cardamom pods

4 whole star anise pods

3/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

9 cups water

16 tea bags (I used Lipton Black Tea)

1 to 2 Tablespoons honey

 

Step 1: Place the sugar into a bowl. Split the vanilla bean(s) lengthwise with a sharp knife and use the edge of the knife to scrape out the insides. Reserve the empty pods and add the vanilla beans to the sugar. Zest the orange, creating wide strips of peel and add the zest to the sugar. Use your fingers to blend the sugar, vanilla, and orange zest, rubbing the zest with the sugar to release the oils. Prepare the tea bags by tying all the strings together. Gently crack a few of the peppercorns with the back of a spoon.

Step 2: Heat the water in a large pot over medium-high heat until boiling. Add the tea bags, orange-vanilla sugar, vanilla pods, and all the remaining spices. Whisk gently to make sure the ginger are nutmeg and well incorporated. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Whisk in the honey and let cool. Store in the refrigerator (will keep about 10 days).

Step 4: To serve the chai, mix equal parts concentrate and milk (or half-and-half if you are feeling decadent) and heat over medium heat or in the microwave. Enjoy!

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