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Hello! Glad to see you back again, and thanks for doing some updating!
Quoting: KickinIt 
How was your weekend lady? Glad to hear you like your new job and are killin it!
Weekend has been very good, thanks. Makes it hard to go to work again tomorrow (even though I like the new job)! Thanksgiving was great, out with some friends friday, got my tree decorated and some turkey stock made yesterday. Today will be a few errands and mentally preparing for another work week. Oh, and making soup with some of my fresh stock :)
Hope you enjoyed your weekend too. I'm really glad you moved somewhere you like, and I hope it's the beginning of a positive phase for you!
Sounds like a solid weekend. I haven't had fresh soup made with fresh stock in ages, sounds real banging!
Yeah work is work, same cheese different cracker. I'm still watching animals lol staying at a mansion the next couple days watching 4 pit bulls and 3 horses.
Heading to Dallas on thursday for a few days with the family. Half my family is Redskins football fans, the other half cowboys fans. So we are going to the game in dallas next thursday as a family Christmas gift - should be fun.
Life is bueno
:herestoyou:
That will be a fun trip to Dallas! Ugh, Redskins and Cowboys - two of the teams I dislike the most (grew up a STL Cardinal fan - teams were in same division back then, along with the stinkin' Giants). Always a good match up though, I'm sure that would be a fun game to attend live! The mansion gig doesn't sound bad either! At least you're getting some good gigs with this dog walking biz. I love horses so that part of it is an exciting bonus to me - hoping you like horses too. I'm assuming you're at least comfortable with them or you wouldn't have agreed to it.
MoN, you must start making homemade stock for yourself! It's so easy, and I've never understood why more people don't do it. There seems to be a mentality out there that it's difficult or complicated, but it's quite the opposite. Just keep any meat bones/carcass whenever you might have some - after buying one of those rotisserie chickens, after a holiday turkey, hambone, steak bones, etc. If you don't want to make stock right away you can throw the bones in a bag in the freezer and use them later. When ready, just stick the bones in a big pot, and ideally throw in a few whole carrots, celery stalks (leafy parts are especially good), a quartered onion or two, some fresh parsley, a bay leaf or 2, salt, a tablespoon or so of peppercorns, and a few smashed garlic cloves. Those are the basics, but sometimes I add other veggies to the stock if I think of it, such as turnips, parsnips, etc.
Fill the pot o' bones with water. How much might depend on how many bones you have. With 1/2 of a 15 lb turkey carcass (my friend kept the other half so she can make stock too) I made 16 cups of stock, which for me is 2 batches of soup. You can also use part water, part store-bought stock or broth to help the flavor along and/or stretch out the amount if you are short on bones. I often use 1/2 and 1/2 anyway- I like it bursting with flavor! Bring it to a good simmer, put the lid on, and let it simmer for as long as your heart desires. The longer you go, the more flavor it will have. I simmered mine for about 4 hours yesterday, and that's typically my norm. Strain it and discard all the solids. Put in fridge overnight and the next day you will see any fat has accumulated on top. Scoop it off as best you can, and then you're ready to make soup! Freeze whatever stock you don't use - will stay good for a while, and it's handy to have some in the freezer when you feel like shit and need chicken soup but have no energy.
I love stock so much sometimes other people give me their bones! I saw one of my BFFs friday, and he said his mom was going to have a turkey carcass for me, woo hoo, more turkey stock! But seriously, start making your own stock and you will never look back.
Sorry that was so long.
