How to Make Hearty Stew from leftovers

As the cost of groceries soar, it is more important than ever to pinch your dollars, especially around the holidays!
This is easy when the bird is twice cooked, making a savory stew and leaving nothing to waste, save for the bones themselves.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• potatoes, pared/diced
• Carrots, pared/diced
• cabbage, quartered
• onions, quartered
• garlic, sliced
• carcass of fowl

1. 
    

   Using a pot just deep enough to place carcass of fowl into, cover with water. Sprinkle 1Tbls. oregano into water, cover, boiling aprox. 5hrs, adding water about 1 cup per hour.

2. 
    

   Prepare vegetables as described above. Place all into plastic zip bag with 1Tbls. sea salt and 1Tbls. fresh ground pepper. Let bag stand, turning every hour while the meat cooks from bones.

3. As time winds down, the meat will drop from the bones and a light broth will form. Do not discard as it will be used in making the stew. Any meat left on the bones is easily picked away using fingers or knife.
   (I like fingers because you can feel for bones and more meat is saved using this method).

4. All traces of meat have been removed, and the carcass is clean, pour both meat and broth as well as the vegetable mixture (being careful not to splash hot liquid), into a large crockpot.

5. With all contents in the crock, turn crock on low heat(I like to do the cooking while I sleep),cook several hours (6-8) or until veggies are done.

6. Once the pot has cooked to it's fullest flavor, place a slice of home baked bread in the bottom of soup bowl, spoon stew over top, a slice of cheeddar on top, let cool - eat.
   Delicious!

Tips & Warnings

• Serve with red wine
• Enjoy with friends
• Pre-time is 15 min. cook time is several hours,and well worth the wait
• Avoid burning by frequently adding water to the pot
• May make the budget s-t-r-e-t-c-h-! beyond reality

[Barbs2bits]

on 1/16/2009 This sounds good.

[dtwelloh]

on 1/15/2009 Some good idea's here. Always looking for ways to save money as I live on a fix income. Well written article. I give it 5 stars.

[Mitestarossa]

on 1/6/2009 Great ideas!