Homemade and Deeelish

A while ago my husband got a cookbook as a gift from a friend. I'm not sure if he's ever even opened it, but I am absolutely in love with it. "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila is full of do it yourself recipes. Stuff like homemade pop-tarts, butter, jams and other canning, pasta and graham crackers. It's not just a cookbook. Every few pages, there is a story and pictures of Alana's family. It makes it so much more personal. It's kind of like a cooking diary. Alana also has a wonderful blog eatingfromthegroundup.com.

 Yesterday was quite a chilly day. With our little family loving the cold weather so much more than the hot, we were outside pretty much the whole day. I got to read my new favourite cook book and work on Brian's sock. 

I actually got a little cold sitting there, reading, and felt the need for some tea. I love everything about this tea. It's Fair Trade Black Tea, with some local honey from Davis Honey, in a gorgeous little mug from a local potter, the Wizard of Clay.

So I made a basic stock from "The Homemade Pantry". It's very much like my basic chicken broth but with a little twist. She added garlic cloves and a tomato. Just adding those 2 extra ingredients made such a difference. I also used bones and skin from grilled chicken thighs that I made the night before. Actually, the chicken got a little smoked, so I think it might have added a nice smokey flavour to the soup. Everybody gobbled it up! It was wonderful. I made some orzo for the kids to put in their bowls with the soup. They also added oyster crackers. My little salt goblins.

I scooped out all the veggies and bits of meat and am now planning on making my very own version of pierogi. Woohoo! I wonder how that will turn out. I remember making pierogi as a child so I have a pretty good idea of what to do. I'm just not sure about the flour to water ratio for the dough. Time to do some research in my old polish cook book.