Watch out Ree Drummond

I am going to be the next Pioneer Woman... well maybe not because I think that would require living on a farm and doing farmy things. Though living on a farm is my husbands dream and I share the dream of having LAND but I do not have a burning desire to tend to chickens and cows all day long... or any other livestock for that matter. I have a hard enough time remembering to feed the dog. If we could hire ranchhand help, I'd be in :)! I also am far from that kind of country life here in Sactown's Ghetto. I guess I am just a domestic-housewife that has some mad skills. I can sew, I cook, I bake, I do photography, I have some craft/creative skills and some other skills I will keep in my back pocket until needed... I don't want to give away all my secrets right now. (But please do not come over without calling because I often to choose to be busy with these things while the house is falling apart, can't do it all... but I will try;) Still Ree you better watch out! (Don't know who Ree is check out her awesome blog/ website here http://http//thepioneerwoman.com/. I highly suggest bookmarking it. It is amusing and helpful)

As if having a baby this summer was not enough to have on my plate I have been busy in the kitchen. I have canned green beans (2x's), made 19 jars of pickles, 2 batches of jam and 3 batches of apple sauce. My pantry is full with my wonderfully canned items. It never failed though, canning always seemed like a good idea until I get in the midst of it all. 1/2 way through my back would be screaming at me to rest, since I was holding a chunk of a baby all day. Then my feet which have been giving me chronic problems all summer would be throbbing... or a child would need my attention ASAP. We all survived, so now none of that matters.


Now to the whole point of todays blog:

Today feels like Fall, it has rained, it is cloudy, we are sick... so I am stewing a chicken and making homemade noddles for dinner. It sounds so perfect for a day like today. I wanted to share a tip for stewing chicken. Maybe this isn't a new tip and I am just a little out of touch but everyone I have shared this tip with has found it helpful. I thought I'd share it with the world. I fill my stew pot with veggies, broth & seasonings. I insert a metal colander to keep the vegetable separate. Inside the colander I put my bone in raw chicken pieces, bay leaf and rosemary. Simmer on the stove for hours or until the chicken is done. Then I simple pull out the colander let the chicken cool enough to handle. I debone it get anything else yucky out I don't want to actually eat. I add the chicken meat to the pot while I work. Add more vegetable and simmer for a little while longer (or just bring it back up to a boil) and lastly add the homemade noodles. Doing chicken this way has greatly cut down the time of deboning the chicken and fishing out cartilage pieces, skin and other things. Also it isn't as messy when it is confined like this. Usually the chicken if fully covered by broth but today I made it extra chickeny so it is a bit full. You can thank me later for making your life easier :)!




Also here is the homemade noodle recipe I use. It does take about an hour (maybe a bit less) to make the noodles but they can be made ahead of time and dry out for the rest of the day, so you can make them during nap time or when your kids will be busy in the morning. You can actually even make them the day before really. If you haven't made homemade noodles before I highly suggest you try them. Set aside time to try it just once, your family will thank you!!!! Here is the link to the recipe I use http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pasta/homemade-noodles/ this way you can print it and save it for yourself. FYI you do NOT have to have a pasta machine to make noddles and pasta, here is how I do it without.

Mix, Kneed, Cover and Let It Rest.

Roll it out. You break the dough into 4 parts, this is just one lump. The recipe will definatley make enough noodles for a large pot of soup.

Isn't my pink rolling pin cute? My good friend Luke carried it for me all over Seattle when I was pregnant with Wesley. Good friend huh... it was heavy!

Cut into strips. I usually loosely roll the noodle dough and cut like you would cinnamon rolls then unroll and lay out. Then scatter them on the counter to dry out. These were going right into the pot so I didn't worry about them touching and over lapping.
It doesn't take long to cook fresh pasta. I added more veggies right before I rolled the noodles and cut them. This way the vegetables were not over done. Look at that goodness bubbling there.

Just because he is cute and sweet and FINALLY asleep! I had to wear the Baby Bijorn to do the dishes though, he just wanted to be held. Poor sick baby cakes!