Today's Cooking for One

Did I happen to mention that cooking for one is not fun? So here is an idea that stretches to make "cooking" fun for me as well as economical.

Today I bought a roasted chicken from the store. I put the wings aside for my lunch (adding applesauce from a can and a salad to balance the meal out.) The drumsticks were put aside for lunch tomorrow (along with a fruit and vegetable to be decided on tomorrow.) Then I did my magic. I de-boned this lovely bird and had to make some mighty big decisions. Would I make sandwiches? Chicken salad? Save some slices for a dinner? Cut it into cubes for all sorts of casseroles? Possibilities abound. I used my FoodSaver and tossed it in the freezer.

NEXT, I took the carcass and put it in a medium pan, covered it with water, added salt, pepper, a garlic clove, bay leaf, a handful of frozen root veggies (celery, onion and carrot), a smidgen of balsamic vinegar and brought it to a boil. I lowered the heat to a medium low, covered it and let it simmer for a couple of hours. I checked on it every now and then to make sure the water didn't evaporate. (Add more if it does as well as turn the heat down.) Once it had made the house smell so good I was hungry all over again, I strained the bones and goop and tossed it out before the dog could steal it from me. (Did I mention how good the house smelled?) The chicken broth left over was cooled and place in a container in the freezer. When I'm ready for the meal I'm going to fix with it, I get it out and heat it up. I add extra water if needed and throw in a couple of potatoes (cubed), more frozen veggies (or canned) and cook until the potatoes are done. This wonderful veggie stew has all the great nutrients of the chicken, the chicken taste and is a meal in itself. And guess what? You made it from garbage! Any time you go to the trouble of cooking for yourself, make a broth from the bones and other goop that just goes to the garbage.

From this $7.00 chicken that someone else cooked, I am getting 7 to eight meals. Not bad, hunh?