Quicker Chicken Broth
(Recipe from Cook's Country)
Makes 2 1/2 quarts broth and 3 cups meat

A cleaver is the best tool for hacking through the chicken legs. If you don’t have one, use the thick heel end of a heavy-bladed chef’s knife or leave the legs whole and double the simmering time. If you’re not making soup and don’t need meat, you can use any combination of chicken backs and/or wingtips in place of the legs.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 pounds chicken leg quarters, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of chicken and cook until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and repeat with remaining chicken. Transfer chicken to bowl with first batch; carefully remove fat from pot and save for another use.

Return chicken to pot along with onion, cover, and cook over low heat until chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes. Add water, salt, and bay leaves, and bring to boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until broth is rich and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Strain broth into large bowl and let stand for 10 minutes before defatting. Remove meat from bones, discarding skin and bones, and reserve meat for another use.

Simple Egg Pasta Recipe

Now it might sound like too much work to make your own pasta, but after you've done it a few times you realize that it's really easier than getting dressed, combing your hair, getting into the car and driving to the grocery store. If I have extra noodles I put them in a plastic bag and freeze them - on a 'don't want to cook night'.. just heat up some chicken broth, add noodles and you have a comfort meal.

2 cups flour
3 large eggs, beaten
a pinch of salt

Add flour and salt to the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse the flour briefly, then add the eggs and process until the dough forms a rough bowl (about 30 seconds). If the dough doesn't quite come together in a complete mass and instead looks like small pebbles, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Turn the dough ball and any small bits from the workbowl out onto a dry work surface and knead until smooth (about 1 to 2 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for between 15 minutes and 2 hours. Roll and form as desired.

For noodles, run through a pasta machine or place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a wide disk. Roll the pin away from you to stretch the dough in one direction, then turn the dough 90 degrees and roll again. Repeat this process over and over until you have a disk shaped piece of dough about 2-3mm thick. When the dough is rolled out, take once side and fold it over about 4cm, then flip the portion again and repeat until the whole disk is rolled up. Take a sharp knife and starting at one end of the roll, slide off disks of pasta depending on how thick you want. To cook, just add to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes.

Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate

1 (12-ounce) bag (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Microwave chocolate, cream and salt in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Roll 3 tablespoons chilled chocolate mixture into ten 2-inch balls. Individually wrap balls in plastic wrap and transfer to zipper-lock bag. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

To make 1 cup of hot chocolate, combine 1 unwrapped chocolate ball and 1 cup whole or low-fat milk in large mug. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Buffalo Jalapeño Poppers
Makes 20 poppers

10 fresh jalapeño peppers
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened (approximately 1/2 of the standard 8-oz packet)
1/4 cup chicken, cooked and finely shredded (you can use breast, wing, leg or thigh meat)
Hot sauce to taste (we used about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Optional: Bacon, tortilla chip crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Halve the jalapeño peppers lengthwise and remove stems, seeds and membranes with a spoon. (Be sure to wash your hands after handling the peppers. Or, if you're particularly sensitive, wear latex or plastic gloves or slip your hand into a resealable plastic bag and wear it like a glove.)

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, shredded chicken and hot sauce. Spoon the mixture into the jalapeño halves and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each half with cheese. (If you opt for bacon, cut the slices into thirds and then wrap each pepper with 1/3 slice. You can either secure the bacon with a toothpick or make sure the seam is on the bottom of the pepper.)

Place the peppers, filling side up, on the baking sheet and bake until the top is golden and bubbly - about 20 minutes. (If you opt for tortilla chips, sprinkle crumbs from the bottom of the bag on the top of each popper for some crunch.)