Chicken-Beef-Veggie- Stock

I love making my own stock, I have control over how much salt is in it and it tastes so much better than store bought. It makes for a great for any soup and it freezes well too.

CHICKEN-BEEF-VEGGIE-STOCK

Ingredients:

*1- 2 pounds Chicken, Roast Beef,  or just your favorite veggies.

*1 large onion, cut in half (don't peel it)

*4 stalks celery, cut in half, include leaves

*2 large carrots cut in fourths

*1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

*1 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon pepper

*1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

*1 bay leaf

*4-6 cups water

Directions:

~Place chicken or roast beef, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, water, & seasonings in a large pot or dutch oven.

~Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours

~Remove chicken-roast-veggies, set aside. (Use chicken, beef for soups).

~Remove vegetables, discard.

~Strain stock.

~Skim fat off the surface.

Helpful Hint: To make a clear soup, you may want to clarify the stock. To do this: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and crushed eggshell (yes, you read that right). Add strained stock, and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat, let stand for about 5 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth.

You can freeze left over stock. Put 2 cups of stock in a zip-lock sandwich bag, and seal. Lay it flat on a cookie sheet. Once it is frozen, put all the sandwich bags into a gallon size bag and return to freezer.