SUPER Stock and Snow Day

It's supposed to snow all day, my honey has headed to work on his final day on another bathroom renovation in Bradford and I called in to work earlier to tell them I will head in once the roads are plowed. If I was ever in an accident and unconscious and didn't have immediate medical attention I could die without any additional hydrocortisone in my system so I don't like to take any chances. Growing up in the country did me the favour of learning how to drive on unplowed roads and as a result I am an excellent driver and  but it's the other guys I'm worried about. Then when I called back again to tell Tracey my coworker something I forgot to tell her earlier, she told me that my boss said "stay home"! 

Yes!!!  

Todd had cleared the snow off my car just one hour earlier as he thought I was going to work and here it is covered again.

So on this snowy Canadian winter day I thought I would make an amazingly healthy chicken stock. We had a roasted chicken for dinner last night and I actually had all the important ingredients on hand as well. As you know I'm loving my new cookbook that is gluten, dairy and soy free called "Nourishing Meals" by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre. In the past  I have made my own chicken stock with some onions, carrots, celery added to a roasted chicken carcass and water but I don't think it was anything near what this stock will be as I was missing the key ingredient,  apple cider vinegar that does the job of extracting all the goodness from the bones. 

Further ingredients that I never added before that are immune boosting are parsley and garlic.

With literally no where to go today this is the perfect day to make this stock. 

1 chicken carcass (from a 3-4 lb chicken)
4 chicken wings (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1-2 leeks rinsed well and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley
few sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme
1 strip kombu or wakame
1 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt (optional)
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
12 - 14 cups water

Add all ingredients to an 8 quart stockpot and gently bring to a simmer. Make sure it is a gentle simmer on low or medium heat. Cook, covered, 3 - 6 hours. The longer cooking times will extract more nutrients and produce  a richer flavored stock.

Strain the stock and pour into glass jars. Once the jars are filled let them cool for 30 minutes, then freeze them uncovered. Once frozen you can screw the lid on. Doing this prevents the jars from cracking. If you plan on using the stock within a few days then refrigerate until ready to use.

Alissa writes, You can use the stock to make grains, soups, stews, mashed potatoes, sauces or basically anywhere a liquid is needed for a savory dish. To thaw quickly take a jar out of the freezer and put it in a pot of hot water.

A quote that Alissa and Tom included in their first cookbook which I recently acquired called "The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook" is absolutely so true and a reminder to us why we should look after the health of ourselves and our children to the best of our ability.

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, 
art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, 
wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.
                                            
  ~ Herophilus 300 BC