chicken stock

Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass (or 4 or 5 big legs, several wings etc) with the leftover meat and skin on
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
parsley/thyme etc
salt/pepper

Put the chicken in a big pot, fill with enough water to cover the bird. Add all the veggies roughly chopped and skins/leaves included. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook for several hours until the chicken has basically fallen apart, meat off the bones etc and all the veggies are very soft. Drain through a colander or cheesecloth saving the water and discarding the veggies. Use as is or bring to a simmer and reduce even further. As it cools it will gel and the fat will rise to the top, you can skim it off (my chicken seems to be very lean and there isn't much to skim off) or leave it in for flavor.

Freezes very well, in mini Tupperwares or ice cube trays. You can use any veggies you want or have lying around, I've also added bell peppers, garlic, potato skins etc Just make sure they're washed.

This is a great way to use up chicken that you normally would be throwing away for future soups, risottos and anything else that calls for chicken stock. It has FAR less sodium than bouillon cubes or prepackaged stock and tastes delishous! ;-)

broccoli and potato soup

Broccoli and Potato Soup

I made this soup for the first time over a month ago and I just love it! So easy to make and delish! All the credit goes to Kari thanks for letting me steal your recipe.. ;-)

3-4 large potatoes, washed and cubed
2 cups broccoli florets, cooked until bright green
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp butter
1/4 cup light cream
2 tsp chicken bouillon
pepper/nutmeg (opt)
1 cup shredded Gouda or cheddar cheese

Place cubed potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and soft, stirring often.
Once potatoes are cooked, drain off the water - but keep it! Add 1 tsp chicken bouillon, garlic and onions, cream and a pinch of pepper and nutmeg.
Using a stick blender, puree the mixture. Add the potato water as needed to thin the soup to the consistency you like. Taste, and add another tsp of bouillon if desired.
Stir in the cheese and ladle it up!

butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup
6 to 8 servings.

1 med. butternut squash (approximately 1 lb.)
3 tart green apples, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 med. onion, peeled & chopped
1/4 tsp. rosemary OR marjoram
1 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper
3 (10 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 soup cans water
1/4 c. heavy cream, half & half or milk
Chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Peel squash and seed. Cut into chunks. Combine squash with apples, onions, rosemary, salt and pepper, broth and water in large heavy saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
Puree soup in blender or food processor. Return mixture to saucepan and bring just to boiling point, then reduce heat. Before serving add cream. Serve hot with chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top. Can be made 2 days in advance and reheated.


Fall is here and in France different pumpkins and squashes are getting more and more popular. On Sunday I bought a "booternoot squash" at the market and decided to give this soup a try. I modified a few things (I baked the squash with onions and a bit of butter) beforehand insead of cooking it all together, but I think in the end the result is the same. I hadn't planned on making a butternut squash-apple soup but when I did a search on the web it seemed to be a popular mix so I decided to give it a try. Yum. i really like the two flavors together and it is a creamy warm soup to have on a fall day. Especially today when accompanied by a slice of camembert and a glass of cranberry juice :-) How Franco-American am I??