Can You Cook From Scratch?

A few days ago, I issued the Can You Cook From Scratch? challenge.

I asked what you would make, given one pound of meat of your choice, a carrot, an onion, and a stalk of celery.  Any condiments and seasonings that you have readily available in your house were fair game in making  your meal.

Since I had a wicked sore throat, I went for Chicken Soup.

Basic Chicken Soup 

1 pound chicken - with bones
1/2 onion - mince fine
1 carrot - cut in half, and then cut into bite size pieces
1 celery stalk - cut in half, cut into bite size pieces - don't forget to use the leaves!
1 cup rice, cooked
Salt and Pepper, to taste

I can't stress enough the importance of having the bones.  The bones make a fantastic broth, with many minerals that your body needs to keep healthy.

Bake the chicken in the toaster oven at 350* oven until the juices in the thickest part of the meat run clear.  Check after half an hour, and then every 15 minutes after that.

Meanwhile, cook 1/3 cup of rice in 1 cup of water.  Set aside to cool.

Cool chicken, and then pull the meat away from the bones.  It's okay to leave some meat on the bones, it will help flavor the chicken broth!

In a soup pot, add chicken bones to 6 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally, skimming off any fat and foam that rises to the top of the pot.

While the broth is brewing, cut the cooked chicken into bite size chunks.  Measure out 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken to save for chicken salad.

After 20 minutes, remove the chicken bones from the broth using a slotted spoon.

Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken, salt, pepper, and the cooked rice.  Heat through (about 5 minutes) and serve.

Some people will add bullion cubes or granules to their chicken soup.  I choose not to do this, as I find it really ups the sodium content of the soup.

Chicken Salad
1/2 - 1 cup of cubed chicken
1/4 of an opion, diced
Ground Mustard, about 1/2 tsp.
Mayo, about 1/4 cup.
Celery Seed, about 1/2 tsp.
Paprika, about 1/2 tsp.
Pickle Relish, about 1 TBSP
Black Pepper - 2 or 3 turns of the pepper mill

Mix together in a bowl and make it into a sandwich, eat it on crackers, or put it over a bed of lettuce leaves.

If I have them on hand, I will toss in a handful of Dried Cranberries, Chopped Apples, Celery, or Pecans to give it a little more punch.


So, what did you make with your pound of meat, celery, onion, carrot, and rice?