After pulling the chicken from the bones, I put the bones back into the juices that had accumulated, put the lid back on the cooker, and let it work its magic making a homemade chicken broth. The next morning, I dumped the crock pot out over a bowl covered with a splatter screen to separate the bones from the broth, discarded the bones, and refrigerated the broth.
Last night I used the homemade broth to make chicken soup for two:
3 cups broth
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, cut into pieces
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup leftover rotisserie chicken
4 ounces dried egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Bring the broth and bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the carrot and celery and simmer until veggies are tender (about 5 - 8 minutes). Add noodles and cook until al dente. Stir in chicken until heated through. Add parsley, pour into bowls, and salt and pepper to taste. Easy, comforting, and delicious! I served with toasted baguettes from Trader Joe's.
For dessert, I made homemade Thin Mint Cookies (it's Girl Scout Cookie Time, and I don't eat anything with hydrogenated oils, so I prefer to make my own):
For cookies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
For coating:
8 (1 ounce) semi-sweet baking squares, chopped
1 teaspoon mint extract
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in sugar until mixed well.
Beat in egg and mint extract.
Add flour mixture by halves into the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into two 1 1/2 inch diameter cylinders. Wrap each cylinder in waxed paper and freeze for an hour and a half to two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one cylinder at a time from the freezer, and slize 1/4 inch thick pieces with a sharp knive (or cheese slicer). Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir in mint extract. Dip cooled cookies into the chocolate and place on wire racks. Let cool and harden completely. These should be stored in the refrigerator.
I accidentally had six of them when I planned on only one (I had to eat all the ones that weren't perfect circles!)
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