Roasting Chicken - For Meat And Bone Broth

Ahhhh, it's A Chicken Roasting Day!!!
One of my favorite days in the kitchen!

Today I washed and dried several pounds of chicken thighs (adding chicken feet later in the roasting process.) I then put the thigs in my 60 year old black speckled roasting pan. Drizzled with Moroccan EVOO and seasoned. Today my Rosemary Seasoning sounded good. This bone broth will be shared with my cat Henry and dog Oliver, so NO onion or garlic in any phase of prep.

When roasting chicken, I always do it the opposite of everyone else I know. I start with the chicken uncovered, for about an hour at 400° to brown it up, then turn the heat down to 350-375° and cover for the rest of the oven time. Today, the total time was just under 2 hours with the feet added after I reduced the temperature. Check the brownness of the thighs, occasionally poking them with a fork and basting everything.

Then the covered pot cooled, on my back deck where it was 52° and shady. Once cool enough to handle, I removed all the meat to package for future use.

It was back-to-the-pot for all the skin, fat, bones and feet, which Walmart's meat department labels . . . . .  😁 CHICKEN 🐔 PAWS 😅 !!

To all that I added enough water to half way fill the pan, bay leaves, peppercorns, turmeric, a big splash (1/3 - 1/2c) of apple cider vinegar and simmered it all on low, covered, for about 3 hours. Then cooled a bit again before beginning the straining.

Strain everything from one pot to another, of equal size, going back and forth a couple times using finer mesh strainers each time. I've now got it down to only a couple 'strains' since I use a dampened piece of cheesecloth type of material inside a big strainer, the final time to catch all the little particles. This works well for a nice semi-clear broth.

Before doing the final strain, be sure to thoroughly clean the pot you plan to chill this in. Chill at least overnight, or long enough for the fat to solidify at the top and the actual bone broth to gel underneath.

The vinegar and those simmered chicken feet produce a very well gelled broth, which indicates it's full of healthy collagen.

Heat and have a cup, use it in soups or gravies, and give your cat and dog some in their food. Supplementing our pet's diets with healthy human foods can definitely extend their lives.

My American Staffordshire, Penny lived to be 19+ and my Puggle, Oliver will be 15 in July. .🐶. .Lin

Turkey, Rice and Vegetables

I recently took both of my dogs, and my cat, Ms. Daphne, to the vet for dental cleaning, with a total of 4 teeth extracted. Oliver had a big cracked molar taken out as well as surgery to remove a jaw tumor removed.  My old dog Penny previously lost 2 and this time there were 3 that had to come out 😟 But she's one tough old girl, by late the next day, she was back to her old self! Daphne is older too, but she just had a cleaning since her teeth are healthy so far.  (maybe she brushes and flosses when I'm not around 😉) 

When the vet sent me home with their pain meds and antibiotics, she emphasized Soft Food for two weeks for the dogs, and a couple days for Daph. Well, they're all 'crunch' lovers, so plain hot water on their food isn't their favorite.

I added some scrambled eggs, but kept remembering years ago, making cooked and fresh-raw food for them. I checked the fridge and freezer and found just what I needed! This would work as an excellent re-introduction to regular food again, for any humans in your life recovering from a bad stomach-intestinal bug. . .or, like my fur-kids, painful dental work. I Lin-Taste-Tested it, of course, and it's really good!  If you're considering making food from scratch for your toddler, I think they would also like it!

12oz. ground turkey. . .
~ (chicken, lamb or beef)
1c brown rice (or white)
2T good quality EVOO
~ chopped onion ~ FOR HUMANS ONLY. . .
. . .onion and garlic can be lethal for dogs

Saute these ingredients together over med.-high heat, with 2+c of fresh, cold water nearby to add to prevent sticking and burning.  Add a little only as needed.  You'll get a LOT of natural flavors if the meat and rice brown nicely.  Then add the following finely chopped vegetables:

2-3 med. carrots
4 big stalks of celery and lots of greens
1/2 med. head of green cabbage
2T Better Than Bouillon (turkey)

When the meat and rice are nicely browned, add the vegetables and soup base, and the rest of the water.  Simmer, covered on low heat until the rice and vegetables are soft. Keep an eye on the water, adding a total of 2-3 cups from start to finish, more or less, as needed.  I hope everyone in your home stays healthy. If not, give them lots of good food, and water, to get them well again. .🙂. .Lin

When You're Snowed In - Make Doggy Meatloaf!

2# ground beef

3 med.-lg. carrots

½ lg. green cabbage

3-4c peas or pea pods

1 cored-chopped apple

1c plain Greek yogurt

1½c quick rolled oats

⅓c nutritional yeast

2T tomato paste

2 eggs

Happy  Wednesday  Everyone!!

I've been snowed-in since early Sunday morning.  I have no idea when my Snowmen will get here to plow, snow-blow and shovel me out.  Penny and Oliver had the very last of their dry, bagged food for breakfast.  By 3pm, their tummies will be growling!  Hmm. . .What to do?

My Old Girl, Penny (right) is allergic to wheat and some other grains.  In the past, I've combined a few simple, healthy ingredients to add a little specialness to their boring, daily kibble.  Since it's a read-and-study day for me, I think I'll add a Doggy Meatloaf to my agenda!  😛 

After thawing the beef, I combined it with the finely chopped vegetables, and an apple in a big bowl. (core the apple, since the seeds contain cyanide).  I added the remaining ingredients and mixed well.  This nicely filled the roaster I use to cook 17# turkeys!  Bake at 350° for an hour.  Cool a bit before serving.

Freeze slightly then scoop out or cut the meatloaf into ½ - 1c portions, depending on the size of your dog.  Bag and freeze, taking out only what you need in the morning, for an evening feeding.  My dogs are both just under 40#, so when I cook for them, they each get just under 1 cup of dry food in the morning.  In the evening it's ½c each of my food, dry food and hot water.  I  chop this all up and let it stand 10 minutes to soak the dry food before giving it to them.

You can switch the feedings to suit your schedule and your dog's needs.  I once heard from a dog breeder that he liked to give them special foods, or a little bigger feeding in the evening so they'd sleep better.  I've found that works best for my pups.

If you decide to make food for you dogs, please Google 'foods that are toxic to dogs' before starting.  Chocolate, raisins, grapes, garlic and onions are absolutely "nevers," and there are others.  In certain quantities, these can make them very sick and can also cause death.  Please be careful what you put in their bowls!  So, today, when life gave me snow. . .it's meatloaf for my pups! ❄️ 🐶 ❄️ . . . Lin