Garden Pic of the Week

Staking the Tomatoes.  

Thanks Dad for suggesting to use newspaper covers to tie up the tomato vine. They are easy to tie and stretch a little.  Also the plastic doesn't bruise the branch.  

Camilla also found a big green tomato.

The Suburban Challenge's Journey of a $5.86 Whole Chicken

Who has time to make chicken stock from scratch and who doesn't love fresh chicken salad this time of the year?  Well, if I had time to do all of that, this would not be called The Suburban Challenge.  In true fashion....I'm too busy for any of that.  So here is how I did it anyway with a whole, raw chicken from Aldi purchased for $5.86.  (I forgot to look at the pounds, sorry.)

1. I bought a whole chicken Friday afternoon during my weekly (and only once a week) trip to the grocery store. Saturday morning while Camilla (who woke up at 5AM) watched cartoons and Rex was still sleeping I cut the legs and wings off, ripped some of the skin off by hand, and sprinkled the meat with salt and pepper.

2. Then, I browned the meat on the stove top on all sides (about 8 minutes each side on medium high).  The Al Clad slow cooker in the picture is my favorite cooking appliance. The slow cooker insert can go on the stove top for browning the meat preventing having to use and dirty two pots. Also, the slow cooker is programmable. I can set it for 8 hours and it will automatically go to a warm setting once done. This is a great feature since I don't know when I'll be home tonight from a Mother's Day party at Aunt Cathy's.

3. I placed the insert back into the slow cooker and set on low for 8 hours.

4. Packed the kids up and drove to Hickory for the day.

5. Once I got home the slow cooker had been on low for 2 hours.  I turned it off so that it would start cooling.

6. I then fed Rex and Camilla dinner and got them ready for baths and bed.

7. Once everyone was asleep, I separated the meat from the bones.  This was so easy that I was afraid bones were sneaking into the meat.  It took me less than five minutes. I placed the meat into a bowl for salad and the bones into a stock pot for boiling.

8. To the bones I added about 8 cups of water and herbs off my patio (Rosemary, Thyme, and Chives) and brought it to a boil. I find it easiest to use my stock pot that has a steamer insert because after boiling, all I have to do is pull out the insert and the mix is already separated. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour.  Completely cool before freezing.

9. Meanwhile, in a food processor, for each 2 cups of chicken add 1/4  cup of your favorite pickle and pulse 15 times.  Pack it into containers and freeze.  Add the mayo (and mustard) once it is thawed and ready to eat.

10.I then package cooled broth in 2 cup containers measured out.  Most soup recipes call for either 2,4,6, or 8 cups of broth. This way you know how much to easily thaw.

Total Summary: Cost $5.86. 
Yield: 2 pints of chicken salad valued at $10 and 8 cups of Chicken Broth valued at $8-10 dollars.  So, being gone all day, I still managed to profit about $12-$15.

A Weekend Makeover

                                 
                   

            Before                                                                        After

I removed the brass doors all together.  We don't need them with our new gas logs.

I spray painted the brass vents with Rustoleum "Oil Rubbed Bronze"

I primed the brick and

painted the brick "Turkish Coffee" from Sherwin Williams

Then I painted the mantle "Dover White" from Sherwin Williams and then distressed it with coarse sandpaper.
 

 

Garden Picture of the Week

Earth Box - $25
Potting Soil - $20
2 Zucchini, 2 Cucumber, 2 Squash, and 1 Packet of Green Beans - $15
Growing fresh vegetables on the patio of your urban townhouse.....Priceless

This is my good friend Deanna and little Cato on their back patio in Charlotte.  Despite having no yard, we still put together a vegetable garden.  There is even a tomato plant in the pot by the step.