Why I DIY: Seasoning Mixes

A sampling of my seasoning mixes. I know the Sharpie writing on the
jar doesn't look nice, but it actually makes washing the jars
easy as it comes of in the wash but has good staying power
with normal handling.

The other day I was attending a four year old's birthday party and my sweet friend was bragging on me and all the homemade things I make. One of the things specifically that came up was seasoning mixes. And I received a legitimate question (ok, two) from some of the attendees that were listening in: Why make your own? and How long do they last?

Now, to be honest, I hadn't given it much thought specifically. Most of the time I just roll seasoning mixes into a lot of the other things I make at home with my standard reasoning of: if I can make my own, why buy it? The second part to that is typically that in a lot of cases, you can make things from home for a lot cheaper than buying it. While this isn't always the case, usually making your own means losing more time than money. Also, prepackaged items are notorious for having preservatives (mostly artificial) to prolong shelf life which pinpoints the purpose for the second question about how long they last.

Let's delve into this a little deeper...

I never actually make veggie broth. This mix is a stand-in
for bouillon when I'm out.

When I was young I remember my mom having a well stocked spice cabinet. There was almost never an ingredient she didn't have. And while she didn't always make everything from scratch (even I don't do that), she still had the ability to do so in more than enough situations. It was always something that I wanted to make sure I established in my own home and I slowly but surely added herbs and spices to my collection. Certainly the big ones like garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano were some of the first along and usually purchased in larger containers. As a young adult with my own place, I did have some seasoning mixes that I purchased. Convenience was certainly a factor, but also, some of the more obscure seasonings I may not have had. Also, to be honest, in some cases, it never occurred to me to even try to make my own. There was almost that voice in my head saying this was a proprietary blend only available through manufacturers. It wasn't until I got much more into homemade foods that I really began to look closer and realized, "hey, I could make these."

I think the bug first hit me when I started my foray into pumpkin baking. Anyone who knows me knows I go gaga over almost anything pumpkin. I was looking forward to roasting my very first pumpkin for pumpkin purée and thus, I was looking for various recipes for pumpkin pie (among other pumpkin goodies) and realized that some called for pumpkin pie spice while others called for a variety of individual spices. While at first it seems like I should go for the premade spice mix so I didn't end up buying six different spices, I felt I didn't want to limit myself when it came to which recipes I could use. After all, looking at the ingredient list of pumpkin pie spice revealed that it actually had a selection of those other spices in it. That meant, that if I bought the individual ones, I could mix my own pumpkin pie spice and still have the other ones to add to my spice collection to use in other dishes.

A new batch of fajita seasoning prior to mixing it up.

After this revelation, it was like falling down the rabbit hole. One thing lead to another and another. In reality, I'm still working on using up some of my old (really old, but more about that later) mixes and either doing without or replacing them with homemade mixes, but most of the time, I make up the mixes myself. Now, if I run into a recipe I want to use that calls for a mix or a package, more often than not, I go searching for a recipe for the mix (assuming I don't already have it) rather than just buying it outright. After all, with as well stocked as my spice cabinet is, I probably have most of the ingredients I need anyway. If not, it's an opportunity to add a new one or two.

So let's go back to the inquiries that were presented to me. Why do it? and more to the point I'm getting to, how long do they last? I will be the first to admit that I don't care much for expiration dates. It's a bad habit, I know. That being said, I can't say I've noticed a decline in flavor of my spices since nine times out of ten I season to taste. Given that spices don't really go rancid or start growing things (obviously there are exceptions), I tend to keep them way longer than recommended. It hasn't killed me yet. I'm not saying everyone should do this, but it's a bad habit I will fully admit to. Granted, I've been known to toss several that get all caked up and chunky, but this is more an issue of humidity than it is the product actually going bad. Regardless of my bad habits though, making my own mixes actually helps me do a better job of keeping my seasonings "fresh." Because I'm using things I have on hand, it actually increases the turnover rate of my seasonings. Most of my mixes are for things I use on a regular basis, so I'm frequently mixing up new batches. I can't say that any of them have actually gone bad. While this was never a reason I started to make my own mixes, as I talked with the party goers, it became and awesome perk I hadn't even realized existed.

So, that's how it goes around here. I may as well use what I have on hand, right? Not to mention bragging rights. I like the bragging rights: Hey, I made that! =D

Ok, so, what you may be looking for after reading or skimming or skipping my blathering entirely, is some recipes. Well, I'll share them. I don't want to take credit for any of them since I didn't develop these recipes. Most came from books, blogs, and Pinterest. I'll add links to the appropriate ones that I can to give proper credit.

Here is a list of some of the most common mixes I use. If you are interested in another one that I didn't list, just let me know and I'll be happy to add it.

Barbecue Rub (came from a cookbook from a friend. I don't know the book.)
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sweet paprika
3 Tbsp black pepper
3 Tbsp coarse salt
1 Tbsp hickory-smoked salt or more coarse salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp cayenne pepper
(Keeps for 6 mo in airtight container according to the book.)

Cajun Blackening Seasoning Mix (by Flavor Mosaic)
Great with fish and chicken.

Celery Salt (seriously, why buy this?)
Equal parts celery seeds and salt. Grind the celery seeds if desired.
1/4 c celery seeds
1/4 c salt

Fajita Seasoning Mix 
(adapted from Budget Bytes Oven Fajitas recipe to create a bulk mix)
1/2 c chili powder
1/4 c paprika
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
8 tsp sugar
4 tsp salt
1/4 c corn starch
Mix well. Keep in airtight container. Use 3 Tbsp of mix per batch (for recipe linked above) or season to taste.

Italian Seasoning Mix (by Heavenly Homemakers)
Technically a mix for Italian dressing but also makes an easy go-to for spicing up Italian dishes. Bonus, the link above includes a recipe for Thousand Island dressing as well if you are interested.

Pumpkin Pie Spice (by My Baking Addiction)
I like this one because it has a more rounded out mix of ingredients. Some lack allspice, ginger, and/or cloves which I think is odd.

Montreal Steak Seasoning (from Field Guide to Herbs & Spices by Aliza Green as found on Chowhound)
This is my go-to steak seasoning. I absolutely love it. I use it most often on beef and venison roasts, but of course, it's great for steaks.

Taco Seasoning (by Kelly the Kitchen Kop)
Note: I tend to halve the amount of salt used for the whole jar recipe. I typically will salt my ground beef as I cook it and then I can always add more to taste.

Enjoy!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

It's been a while. I'm sorry. I totally flaked on "The Challenge" updates. It wasn't unbearable, but not the easiest of events. The challenge, that is, not the blogging of it. That, obviously, proved impossible. I did survive, though I wouldn't want to do it again. That means, before too much longer, hubs is going to have me attempt it again. That's just my luck.

In any case, back to the issue at hand. It's been a long time coming and many, many unused pictures, but I need to do a write-up about how I make tomato sauce. I'm constantly posting pictures from various stages of the process on my Facebook page, specifically on my "Restock Thursday" posts, so I figured it's about time. And I updated another one of my blogs, so I had to even it out. Forget the other four....

So, here we go!

The process is pretty basic. Grab veggies (ahem, tomatoes are fruits), cook down, purée, and can, er, jar in my case...

I don't measure much. If you've been following my blog or Facebook page, in the same manner as my chili, I just throw in what seems good in arbitrary amounts. Thus far, it has served me well.

Onward!

So, here we have tomatoes, garlic, onion, and some bell pepper (not pictured). You read that right, bell pepper. I love the bit of flavor it adds. Not too much though, you still want it to taste mostly like tomatoes. For this batch in particular, if you like measurements, I used about 5 lbs of Roma tomatoes, half an onion, most of that head of garlic, and about half a red bell pepper. I also always use salt and pepper. I don't know how much, maybe a tsp each? Or less... Most of the time I'm going to be adding salt and pepper to whatever I make with the tomato sauce, so I don't really stress about how much I do or don't add here.

Ok, so, first step, wash the tomatoes and cut the top bits off. I used to leave the seeds and skins, but after the natives kinda made a mention about not caring for the seeds in the final product, I started taking those out too. I chop the tomatoes into big chunks and use water running from the tap to help me clear out the seeds. The skins I leave on. I chop the onion into big chunks and add that. Then, I peel as many garlic cloves as I feel like at the time and toss those in too. When it comes to the red bell pepper, I add it if I have it. I cut those tops off and take the seeds out and usually cut it into strips. I've actually had quite a few lately as I've taken advantage of sales and stocked up. I've found that they freeze quite well, just chopped up which has really expedited fajita nights (and having the frozen peppers means fajitas more frequently too!) or when I need them to toss in with stir fry. So, in any case, I'll grab a small handful 1/4-1/2 a pepper's worth and add that to my pot as well. I top with salt and pepper and that's it for prep work!

Let's get going! Just add heat!

The next part of the process is long and drawn out. The pot goes on the stove to cook away on med/low heat. It takes hours, so make sure to do this on a day where you have time to be at home. You could cook it faster, but the hotter it gets, the more nutrients you can lose to overheating, not to mention, it could burn. Low and slow is the way to go. Like with brisket. Not that I've ever made one, but I'm Texan, so I know that's how to cook one. The tomatoes have plenty of water content, so you don't need to worry about starting them off with some. Just check the pot periodically and stir it if you feel like it. Eventually it will start to look like mush. I like to wait to allow as much extra moisture to evaporate off as possible. I like the sauce to be pretty thick and the amount that releases when it gets puréed is astounding.

Mushy veggies, liquid mostly gone.
If I have the time, I'd let it go longer.

Cooked down, but very liquidy

So, after you have some nice mush, it's time to purée. I will typically remove from heat and let it cool if I've got the time. My blender instructions indicate that you shouldn't use it with hot ingredients, so I try to give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt that it actually makes a difference. It's probably a good idea to let it cool at least some. That does allow extra liquid to evaporate and prevents the top of you blender from exploding off due to extra pressure and steam building as you blend. Just sayin'.

Ok then, away you go with the puréeing! I like to go at the highest speed my blender achieves. Then I mix it up a bit with the lower speeds, for no real reason, just because.

Now, at this point, I deviate from a lot of other people. If you like to do the canning thing, go for it. I don't. I probably could, but fear of the unknown keeps me at bay. And I don't like the fact that it requires the use of lids that have to be replaced. However, if you are lacking the deep freeze that I use as the lifeblood of my kitchen, canning is a great option for storing at room temperature.

So, yeah, my sauce goes into pint sized mason jars. I use mostly pint sized jars because of convenience. Most cans in the store are 12-15 oz., so this is pretty equivalent if you use recipes that call for canned ingredients and you like to substitute your own like I do. Tomato sauce is usually available in 8 oz. and 15 oz. cans, so one pint sized jar is equivalent to two 8oz. cans. There ya go, I did the math for you. So, that's about it for me. I cap the jars and freeze.

Total yield varies, but I get roughly one jar per pound of tomatoes. It makes a difference how much liquid content there is, which is why I try to grab paste tomatoes when I can. Roma tomatoes are just the most commonly available. The extra veggies will add bulk as well as nutrients and flavor. We can discuss costs, if you want to go there. Most of the time, making your own sauce not going to be cheaper than buying conventional tomato sauce. I'm sorry. That's just how it is. If you can get an amazing deal on your tomatoes as in $.59 per pound, you might get comparable pricing, especially if you typically purchase organic. Finding organic tomatoes for that price is highly unlikely. I could be wrong. My solution to this issue is to limit tomato sauce uses when my stash is low. I try not to purchase tomatoes for sauce if I can't find them for less than $1 per pound. At that price I'll just get a small amount. When it's $.30-$.40 cheaper, I stock up and make more to have on hand later. This is one area where having the extra freezer space is a true blessing since I can maximize these types of sales and seasonal pricing. Even if it's not cheaper, making your own means it'll taste fresher and you avoid cans, not to mention you control the salt and additives, so there is that.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!

Extra little tidbit for entertainment purposes... I actually had almost an entire blog post about how I make tomato sauce just waiting for me to review and post. I discovered it after publishing this one.

Extra little tidbit 2... I used pictures from at least 4 different tomato sauce making sessions, so please forgive me if quantities seem to change from image to image. They quite likely were very different. Like I said, a lot of unused photos. Some of these are from as far back as April 2015. Oops.

The Challenge

Using up some of our meat and poultry stores will admittedly
help prevent lack of rotation and tossing freezer burned items. 

At the beginning of the week, Hubs pointed out that we have a "full" pantry and a pretty well stocked deep freeze. He mentioned that we probably have at least a month worth of food. That may very well be accurate. I tend to shop sales and buy in bulk so that I maintain a well stocked pantry. I figure, that way, should our budget tighten or if I'm not able to get to the store for whatever reason for a couple of weeks, we are still usually in a pretty good spot and won't be hungry. Most of my cooking is based on using what I have on hand instead of deciding ahead of time what I'm going to make and then buying food to go along with it.

Thus enters the challenge. Could we actually make do with what we have on hand for a month? How about longer? Well, I'm going to start with a month. The challenge allows me to purchase some things that may not last or we go through quickly like bread (though usually I make my own), milk, and eggs.

Planning this month's meals, complete
with a few trash meals of not so healthy
foods. It's all about balance, right?

I've recently been trying to plan meals better. Not so much to buy for the menu, but create a menu based on what we have on hand. This helps me plan out our meals for the next month, especially if I'm not making purchases for things like meats and veggies. I can ration them out if needed.

No fears, I have plenty of tomato sauce.

One of the biggest challenges for me will be the lack of fresh produce. I'll have to depend on dry beans and frozen veggies for meals. I'll likely have to use some dried fruits for school lunches and snacks like raisins and fruit leather. It's a good thing I have a stash of frozen fruit - it's a great way to store fruit for future fruit leather or fruit snack use.

Another issue that made the timing of this challenge difficult is that I had several of the kids' snack items on my shopping list already. That means I'll have to get creative making snack items for school lunches and snacking at home. I probably shouldn't, but I rely on some crackers for easy, portable snacks, so we'll have to see what I can come up with.

We are nearing the end of the first week of this challenge. Typically breakfasts and lunches are easy, quick things, I don't usually cook for them unless I'm making something simple like an omelet or scrambled eggs. Over the duration of this challenge, I'll share the meals I've prepared and how I manage to make up for lack of easy snack foods for the kiddos.

This week's dinners were/are as follows:

Sunday - frozen pizza (no jabs about health factor here, sometimes I still rely on crappy food)
Monday - chicken chili (crock pot meal due to t-ball practice)
Tuesday - leftovers (I was feeling lazy and we had some red beans and rice and remnants of some other meals hanging out in the fridge)
Wednesday - burgers and fries (homemade burgers and buns)
Thursday - spaghetti and broccoli (ok, I used rotini instead of spaghetti, but it might as well be the same thing; homemade spaghetti sauce, of course)
Friday - teriyaki salmon and green beans (homemade sauce)
Saturday - chicken spaghetti

Homemade raisins, anyone?

Various things I've been working on in the kitchen to prep include finishing off the rest of our tomatoes for tomato sauce, started dehydrating the excessive grape stash for raisins (we were running out of raisins anyway), made two pots of shredded chicken/chicken broth, and made mango fruit leather. I have additional plans for more fruit leather, making fruit snacks, cooking up some dry beans for freezing, making apple sauce with some softening apples I have hanging around, making another batch of yogurt, making bouillon, and mixing up some homemade ice cream because I have some heavy cream that I don't want to go bad. It's ambitious and may not all get done before the week is out, but I'll get started on a bunch of it in the next couple of days.

Sadly, I couldn't even make it one week without a stop at the store. We were out of milk, so I stopped by yesterday to grab two gallons.

Stay posted for more updates as I see how this challenge works out for us!

Homemade Peanut Butter

I think among all the crunchy things that conventional individuals are likely to indulge in, natural peanut butter has got to be pretty high on the list of popularity. Granted, this is pure speculation, but it makes sense that this might be the case considering society's war on sugar. Ok, maybe I made this war up too, but there does seem to be a lot of emphasis on cutting back on sugar and peanut butter is an easy way to do it. Most conventional peanut butters are made with peanuts and sugar among other additives. If you ask me, I think the actual peanut flavor is dulled rather than enhanced by the sugar, but that's me. Either way, you are never hard-pressed to find natural peanut butter at even the most conventional of stores and some even have their own peanut butter machines so you can get it freshly ground in the store.

Crazy, these ingredients, in something
as simple as peanut butter

So why then, if it's so readily available would I make it myself? Well, the reality is that it may be easy to find, but it also can be expensive. A jar of natural peanut butter can run about $4 (at least where I've compared prices) for a 12 oz container. If you go through peanut butter like my kids do at times, that can seriously add up. I mean, my oldest ate peanut butter every day for the first 2/3 of the school year. That's a lot of peanut butter. On the flip-side, I can make approximately the same amount (or a little more) for less than $3. It doesn't sound like a lot of savings, but it can really add up.

Roasted salted peanuts

So, here goes with how I make it. You may be surprised to discover that you don't need any fancy equipment. Just peanuts and a food processor. A storage container is a good idea too. Maybe a measuring cup, but even that is negotiable. 

I typically will buy my peanuts in the bulk foods section at my local HEB (the benefits of living in Texas - unless you are in the Dallas area). I get the dry roasted salted. You could opt for unsalted, but your peanut butter might be a bit bland. You could also go all fancy and get honey roasted. I seriously want to try this sometime, but only for a treat. No way could that be our everyday peanut butter.

3 cups of peanuts make roughly a pound, and this is the amout I typically make at a time. It fits easily into a pint sized mason jar, filling it most the way, but not full - maybe 14-15 fluid oz.

3 cups fills my bowl about halfway.
Don't be worried if you don't have a high
speed blender. I used to make it the same
way in a really basic Black & Decker,
it just takes a bit more time, but the
results are the same.

So here's what you do: put the peanuts in your food processor and turn it on high. You may want ear plugs. Add that to the list of supplies. It is loud. That's basically it. The hardest part is waiting during the loud noise. I do stop mine periodically to check progress and scrape down the sides, but aside from that, it's a waiting game.

Peanut powder

Starting to release oils. Though it may
be the thickness you expect, it is
not ready at this point and will be very
grainy and dry.

When it first starts, the peanuts will get chopped into a fine powder. You may think it's not working, but just wait. The heat built up from the friction as well as the continued grinding of the peanuts will cause them to start releasing their oil and it will start to become more liquid. Once it starts to look smooth, you may think you are done. Don't be fooled. If you taste a sample when it first starts smoothing out, that will be the driest peanut butter you have ever tasted. It needs to go for longer. Don't despair if your processor gets hot, you can alway pause mid-process to let it cool then pick it up again.  Keep processing until it's more liquidy than you think peanut butter should be. When it's done, it will probably pour easier than mayo if you need a viscosity visual. Feel free to taste test for palatability and texture.

A nice shiny thick liquid is what you'll see
when it's ready.

This peanut butter pours easily when
freshly made.

I will be perfectly honest, it likely won't be exactly as perfectly velvety smooth as packaged commercial peanut butter. It may have a slightly grainy texture when eaten straight. In my experience though, once it is in a sandwich or fudge, you don't notice it.

Yum!

That's it. You are done. Yummy homemade peanut butter and bragging rights. I keep mine in the fridge, though it gets left on the counter quite a bit since it's easier to deal with a bit softer and more liquid. I have only ever experienced it separating once, and it was in the fridge, so I don't know what happened there. Regardless, when it comes to storage, Do what feels best to you. I really don't know shelf life since ours is always gone before it goes bad. With mostly fridge storage, ours stays good for at least a couple weeks.

I like labeling my jars with Shapies. It comes right off when
cleaned and leaves no residue like sticker labels.

 Happy grinding!


UPDATE!!!

Just after I finished posting this, I tried my hand at almond butter. The process is the same as with peanut butter, but what I found was that almonds are painfully slow at releasing their oil. Painfully slow. I had to stop my food processor multiple times mid-process to let it cool down. In the end though, I had beautiful, almond butter. I used 3 cups of almonds and about 1/2 tsp of salt. Delish!
 

Homemade Chicken Broth

There was a time not too long ago that I never felt I had a need for chicken broth. Sounds strange, right? Or not, depending on where you are. I basically kept bouillon cubes (or granulated bouillon) around just in case broth was needed, but I rarely ever used them. I'm not exactly sure what triggered the change, likely my discovery of the pressure cooker, but now it seems like I go into a panic if I'm out.

I'll make a broth out of anything. My pressure cooker is my best friend for this. And it all started about four years ago...

When I was very pregnant with my second and my hubby was working off-shore, my father-in-law came into town to make sure someone was around in case I popped. He showed me the wonder of the pressure cooker while he was visiting. Until then, it was a scary and mysterious pot looking thing that stayed stashed in my cabinet unused. When I discovered I could make shredded chicken to have on hand, I was sold. How incredibly convenient! Believe it or not, I still have yet to learn the art of cooking a chicken for shredding in a slow cooker. Oh well.

So now, shredded chicken and it's by-product friend, the broth are now staples at my house. As is pretty much any broth I can save from anything I make up. Got leftover carcasses? Lemme at it! And really, I'm not even all about the whole bone broth thing, I just like being able to use a more flavorful base than water with ingredients I control and without extra preservatives. If they happen to have extra nutrients, all the better!

So, now to the nitty gritty... How do I make it, and how do I use the pressure cooker to do so?

First off, my pressure cooker is old school. I have no idea how to use a programmable one or anything with dials and buttons. Mine has a pot, a lid, and a tippler. That's about it. The lid has a pressure lock that prevents the pot from being opened while pressurized, but that's about as fancy as it gets.

So, basic instructions, start with water. I usually just fill the pot about halfway. Depending on how much additional stuff I throw in, the water level may get too high, so I try to be conservative when I start. I'd rather add more water than have to pull some out. I put the chicken in which in my case is usually boneless skinless breast pieces. I've done a whole chicken, but the bones disintegrate and are sort of a pain to deal with, so I'd rather not do that. Hubs prefers just the white meat anyway, so that's usually what I have on hand.

After the chicken, the aromatics. In most cases, I stick with the basics - carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. If I have something else around that won't otherwise get used, I'll throw that in as well, but in most cases, I'd reserve that for a veggie stock later. Usually it's 2-3 carrots, 2-3 stalks (sticks, branches, whatever you call them - not 2-3 whole heads) of celery with leaves, half a dozen cloves of garlic, and up to about half an onion. I add salt and pepper and that's about it.

I fill up to the top line with more water if needed and close the whole thing up. The heat is turned on high to bring it to a boil and pressurize. This can take about 10-20 minutes. Once pressurized, I'll turn down the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes. When done, I'll remove from heat and let the pressure drop. I read somewhere that if you let it depressurize on it's own, that it will make the meat juicier since the liquid (and associated nutrients) that have left it will have time to seep back in. If you quickly depressurize (for instance, I can drop the pressure and unlock it by running water over the top), the nutrients will stay in the liquid and the meat will be drier. I can't really say for sure. I think the pressure cooker usually makes a drier meat comparatively and I haven't noticed a difference from fast or slow depressurization, so I usually make the judgment call based on how much time I've got. Since I'm using the meat and the broth anyway, we'll get the nutrients no matter where they end up. When you open it up, it looks like this:

I pull out the meat with tongs, taking care to get all the little pieces I can find that have fallen off. It will literally fall apart on it's own. I'll set the chicken aside to let it cool a bit before handling. Once it has had time to cool, I'll use a couple of forks and pull it apart. I divide it up into zip top bags - usually two chicken breasts per bag - and squash them flat. This way, they stack and store easier in the freezer. In most cases, I label them with at least the date.

I let the rest of the pot sit and cool a bit (well most of the time). Then I'll pour it through a strainer into a holding container. Straining it this way gets all the big chunks out before I refrigerate it. For this purpose, my favorite container is my big 8 cup batter bowl. I usually fill it up and also my 4 cup batter bowl. I have also used large pitchers, so whatever you have on hand will work. Just a big enough container or combo of containers to hold it all. I will typically yield 8-10 cups total. Once it has cooled sufficiently, I put the lid on and put it in the fridge to sit at least over night.

The next day (or the next, or the next), I will put my broth out of the refrigerator. It looks like this. The fat congeals on the top and doesn't look terribly appetizing, but hey, that's me. I skim off what I can and discard it.

The next step is another strain and storage. My fancy set up for this includes a coffee filter, a funnel, and a pitcher. I love the fine mesh of the coffee strainer. It makes this part so much easier by trapping all the extra bits of fat or larger chunks of pepper and the random sludge that is inevitably left in the broth. I pour it through the strainer into the pitcher. The funnel is basically to help keep it from being messy and it has a nice rim that helps the whole system prop nicely at the top of the pitcher so I don't risk dropping the filter in. Once strained the final time, I'll then measure out two cups at a time and pour it into freezer bags. I label them and lay them flat for storage. In the freezer they go! I like to do 2 cups at a time because that is roughly equivalent to a can of broth and many recipes call for 2 cups. It just makes my life easier. As an added tip, it's a good idea to put your bags in a bowl as they defrost. Random holes seem to appear in the bags, likely from bumping corners, but to avoid broth loss when defrosting, I usually place in a bowl or container just in case there is a hole somewhere in the bag.

In a future post, I will show you how I make my own powdered bouillon. You read that right. Many people will show you how to make bouillon ice cubes, but I go as far as to powder it. Keep an eye out for that post!

Until next time...