Homemade Crockpot Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is a blessing to the food world. It makes rice and pasta taste amazing, is essential to risotto and soups, and when you’re sick, it’s so good for your recovering body. Especially if your chicken stock is homemade. Homemade bone broth is soothing, flavorful, and SO GOOD FOR YOU. If you haven’t before, I highly suggest you take a quick browse online and read about the benefits of bone broth! Thankfully, homemade chicken stock is so easy to make. This is important to me because all of the stock options (at least that I’ve seen) sold in grocery stores have celery, potato, carrot, AND/or corn-derived ingredients.

Fortunately, with a carcass from a Roasted Chicken Dinner, a few vegetables, and a crockpot, we can make something that is healthier and tastes infinitely better than any grocery store product.

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Noodle Bowl with Swiss Chard and Poached Egg

Noodle bowls are my latest obsession. I’m not sure why I jumped on this bandwagon after wintertime (i.e. soup weather) ended, but it might be because these soothing, one-bowl meals are never too heavy or filling, and therefore are perfect for all seasons. A steamy bowl of whole wheat noodles, sautéed mushrooms, and barely cooked greens floating in rich homemade chicken stock loudly screams “comfort food!” to me. But not too loud, because that’s disruptive and not at all comfortable… Instead of screaming I think it wraps its warm soup hands around my belly and just murmurs “comfort food.” Yeahhh…

Lemon-Lime Basil Martini

Bright sunshine, warm rains, blossoming dogwoods, and plump red-breasted robins… It seems spring is finally here to stay!

Ever since the first fingers of spring began to spread over the city, I have been aching to do all kinds of culinary things to welcome and celebrate spring. I made an elaborate lamb dinner last week, cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting over the weekend (post to come), and created this delicious martini!

I first experimented with basil simple syrup combined with ginger beer in mocktails that I made over the winter when I was pining for warmer weather. But now that spring is finally here, it’s time to break out the bar tools and use the syrup to create refreshing, light, fun martinis. And this one fits the bill!

Super Mason Jar “Salads”

I’m always looking for creative, healthy lunches for the work week. I can’t quite get with the traditional sandwiches and wraps, and I could never find a way to make salads that lasted throughout the week, were easy to pack in the mornings, and that I looked forward to enjoying at lunch time!

However, all of this changed when I stumbled across this post on Pinterest. Inspired by the Vintage Mixer, I decided to emulate the popular to-go lunch trend of mason jar salads, but instead of cucumbers, chicken, and lettuce, use cooked, nutritional powerhouse veggies and quinoa! Then I’d have vegetarian lunches with high vitamin content that contained some of my favorite sides combined into a salad. I was so excited to begin. A half day of prep and cooking later (and quite a bit of nibbling along the way), I had six “salads” for a nourishing week of ready-to-go lunches!

Spinach & Mushroom Orecchiette with Bay Scallops

First off, I want to apologize that it has been so long since I last posted. Guess who finally got a social life?! Yes, my friends, it’s true. My introverted self has been challenged to actually be around real live people. gasp. How terrifying! But I am enjoying it. Sadly, that does translate to less time for cooking and blogging! But, I am learning balance, and promise to try to not leave for so long again.

I bring to you today another scallops dish.
If I only I could explain the sweet, guilty pleasure that comes from eating something you thought you were allergic to your entire life! Every time I eat scallops or clams, I still can’t believe that I’m eating seafood with no reaction! (Still haven’t gotten the guts to try tuna yet…)

But since my discovery of legal seafood, I’ve fallen in love with scallops. The tender, flavorful, decadent seafood pairs well with so many different things. And they cook up in just minutes!

Healthy Single Serve, Deep Dish, Salted, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie

That’s quite a long title, but doesn’t it sound like a dream? A (mostly) healthy, deep dish, glorious chocolate chip cookie. Well, thanks to amazing 18 year old! Izy over at Top With Cinnamon, this glorious dream is actually a reality!

After my decadent duck dinner last Friday, I knew I wanted something equally delicious and equally as easy to make for dessert. This deep dish cookie hit the spot. It’s sooo good, so easy, and (dare I say) guilt-free! There’s coconut oil in place of butter, coconut sugar and honey in place of white sugar, whole wheat flour, and dark chocolate chunks full of antioxidants. That’s the kind of dessert you always want in your arsenal! Plus, the combination of sea salt and dark chocolate is one made in dessert heaven.

Skillet Duck Breast with Blood Orange, Red Wine Reduction

I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite done with romance. Specifically, romantic food. Maybe it’s the fact that Valentine’s Day was so recent, maybe I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to on Valentine’s Day, or maybe, just maybe it’s because I never need a reason to cook myself a romantic dinner! On Friday night on the way home from work, I knew I had to romance myself that evening. And what better way to romance oneself than with delicious food?!

I created this recipe a week ago (my first time making duck at home!), and was absolutely thrilled with the result. Decadence that took almost no effort. You know I love that!