Yep, It Cures Just About Everything

So, the germs finally got me. I don't want to sound all whiny, but blech. I hate being sick. But...I don't mind having to take a sick day. Well, it would be more fun if it was simply a day off, but sometimes you take what you can get.

I had a completely lazy morning. Really, I did. I know some of you may think that being lazy is impossible for me, but hey, when you have a headache the size of Texas and a throat that stings like you ate a lemon with razor blade chasers, laying about the sofa is pretty much akin to climbing Everest in a blizzard. (No, that is not whining. It's a statement of fact.) Anyway, about 2:30 I realized that I was feeling mildly better. What a revelation! To complete my cure, I was sure I only needed a good cup of soup...

That's when my unpleasant discovery occured. No chicken broth in the house. How the heck do you make soup with no broth? Oh, well, I suppose some people would crank open a can. Not in this house, dang it. I admit, I do have a can of cream of mushroom soup for using in the odd hot dish, but other than that, no tinned soup in these cupboards. (I do have visions of pressure canning soups someday, so I can reach into the cupboard and dump a lovely jar of homemade soup into a pot. Ahhh, someday...)

No broth, but man alive I needed some soup! Emergency! V-E-R-N!! Ayuda me! Save me, jeebus!

This leads to an interesting side conversation as to the importance of keeping chicken backs in your freezer. Never underestimate the power of frozen chicken backs. They are fantastic for making copious amounts of chicken broth, which is a much better use for them than nibbling the little bits of meat contained in all those gristly bits.

Okay, so now that we all understand why it is important to hang onto the backs of chickens, back to the soup saga. In order to make good broth, you start by roasting the bony bits. So into a large roaster go the backs, and that gets stuffed into a nicely hot 450 degree oven for a while. When they look all kinds of roasted, with a lovely dark crust on them, load up a stock pot with some celery, and carrots, and garlic and onions, and those roasted backs that are fulfilling their lives' dreams. Pour in a bit of water to cover everything slightly, and set to simmer for a couple of hours.

What you'll find, after pouring off the liquid, is some of the best, rich tasting yellow-golden chicken broth. It is imminently freezable, which is great as you get TONS of broth, way more than you need for a pot of soup.

Now that I have my pot of restorative, cure-all chicken soup perking away on the stove, the Sick Day Soup Crisis is resolved. Let the healing commence.