How to Stretch a Chicken a Mile-and-a-Half

Awhile back, we were given several bags of chicken parts for free and they have sat in our freezer for some time. We normally buy and use de-boned chicken breasts because it’s easier and quicker. But we decided that it was time to do something with our bags of chicken, especially since I am studying about processing meat for school.



One of our 10-pound bags of chicken leg quarters.



First I took the bag out of the freezer and thawed it in the fridge. After a few days, I cut it open (over the sink) and then washed all of the pieces and laid them on a platter. Then I began the work of skinning the chicken pieces. I used kitchen shears to cut off the skin.

I placed the skins into a large pot, covered them with water, and boiled them with a bay leaf and especia (a Puerto Rican version of pesto). Meanwhile, I put about half of the chicken into our crock pot, along with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of especia and cooked it on high for about 6 hours. The remaining 6 chicken legs were wrapped in saran wrap and put away for another day.

Once my skins and broth had simmered for about an hour, I let it cool. I strained out the skins and froze the broth in ice cube trays.

Then I placed the skins in a Tupperware container in the fridge to give to the dog as an occasional treat. He LOVES them!

Later that evening, I took the chicken out of the crock pot, cooled it, and put it in a Tupperware container to deal with tomorrow.

The next day. . .

I removed the frozen cubes of broth from the ice cube trays and put them in a freezer bag. Now we can have chicken broth without added salt or MSG!



From the back, Left to right: Dog treats (chicken skins); shredded, cooked chicken; frozen cubes of chicken broth; and individually wrapped chicken leg quarters.



I then de-boned the cooked chicken from last night and put it into a Ziploc bag to use later in the week. But, I just couldn’t wait that long! J So I created my own little recipe for a hot chicken sandwich:

Chicken Sandwich

1-2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ a Tablespoon of minced garlic

¼ Cup of Shredded Chicken

1 teaspoon of oregano

Dash of onion salt (garlic salt might be good, but I can’t use it because of the sugar content)

Dash of pepper

2 Tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 thick slice of whole wheat bread, toasted

Butter (optional)

Heat oil in a small skillet. Add minced garlic and heat until bubbling. Add chicken and heat through. Add oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheese on top and heat until melted. Top toasted slice of homemade, whole wheat bread with butter and chicken. Enjoy while hot!

And that is how we used our chicken! We didn’t waste one bit of it. Now I only have 2 more bags to go. . .

What is a Marine?

In view of the many ways our country’s military is being utilized and challenged in these present times—and in honor of their never-ending courage and self-sacrifice—we thought you might enjoy reading Ben’s recent write-up about his favorite branch of the armed forces: the U.S. Marine Corps. As you read it, remember to say a prayer for our soldiers. They daily lay down their lives for you and for me.

What is a Marine?

When I grow up I would like to be a Marine. The Marines are a group of elite fighters trained to protect ships and perform amphibious landings. They are one of the greatest sources of pride in a nation’s armed forces. In the United States, they are older than the republic itself by one year. They were established in 1775.

For a recent school assignment, I interviewed two gentlemen who served in the Marine Corps: Mr. S and Mr. R. Mr. S served from 1990--1994 and Mr. R served from 1966--1968. In this report, I will tell you what I learned from them about the Marines, including their history, the enlistment process, what an average day in the life of a Marine looks like, what the face of combat is like, and more.

In order to join the Marine Corps, you must be 18 years of age (17 with parent’s permission), and have a high school diploma or equivalent. If you have a college degree, you automatically enter as an officer. Otherwise you start as an enlisted Marine.

Next you must have a Marine-approved physical to prove your health in body function, hearing, heart and blood pressure, and eye sight. This is followed by a physical fitness test. This test includes the following: run 3 miles in under 30 minutes, and do 80 sit-ups, 60 push-ups, and 20 chin-ups.

Following this comes several months of hard boot camp. This includes lots of drills and obstacle courses, early mornings, quick showers, and often a cursing drill instructor screaming in your face! An average day at the boot camp might look like this: wake up very early, shower in under five minutes, chow (Marine talk for “eat”), go to the base for flag ceremony, then it’s whatever your DI (drill instructor) has planned for you that day! This includes drills, obstacle courses, field training, rifle range, and rifle classes. After dinner you attend a day-ending flag ceremony. According to Mr. S, you then get one hour after your shower of free time before bed. You can read and write letters, read your pocket Bible (or Koran), pray, write in your diary or journal, or simply go to bed early! However during combat or in war, there is no “average” day at all. Every day is different and you often don’t know what to expect.

There are many rewards you can receive as a Marine, if you are brave and willing to be injured or even killed for your country. A very special award is the Order of the Purple Heart, awarded to those wounded in combat. Another is the Presidential Unit Citation. This is awarded to a unit that has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has done something or survived something that very few Marines could. An example would be, if a unit was told to take a town by morning. But little did the high command know that there were 3,000 enemy soldiers in that town and only 1,500 Marines! Yet the Marines work as a team and against all odds take the town as told! This unit would be eligible to achieve the Presidential Unit Citation.

The highest honor that a Marine and any American citizen can hope to achieve is the Medal of Honor. This requires extreme bravery in extreme circumstances, unwillingness to surrender or quit, sacrifice of your personal comfort and condition, and willingness to lay down your life for your country and fellow marines. I think the Marine motto best describes this type of character in the Latin words: Semper fidelis (always faithful).

One of the keen talents of the Marine Corps is the amphibious landing. According to the Marines I interviewed, it is basically a water-to-land invasion. It was widely used during World War Two as a way to conquer islands in their fight towards mainland Japan. The amphibious landing starts with a large ship, then the participating Marines climb into smaller ships, then go as close to shore as they can without getting stuck on sandbars (today’s amphibious vehicles can drive onto land). Then they wade to shore!

When I asked my interviewees about combat and what it was like, Mr. R said: “You’re just trying to find ways to stay alive!” Mr. S added that it is vital to work as a team and cover your partner’s back.

I asked if a Marine ever gets a chance to tour the country he is in. Mr. R said that in Vietnam, it was too dangerous to wander away from your unit or to get too comfortable with citizens, mainly because you don’t know who might be a Viet Cong terrorist. It was simply not safe.

All in all, I have learned that joining the Marines is a big decision. Once you’re in, there is no turning back. When I asked both gentlemen their advice to kids or teenagers thinking about joining the Marines, they said the following: Think it through carefully. Talk to your parents about it. And practice respect and discipline at home. It is also important to know as much as you can about the Marines. Read all the history books you can find about the Marines. It is also important to do the right thing always, no matter what other people think or do.

A few lessons that will stay with me are the lessons of courage, discipline, and teamwork. Courage does not mean you are not afraid, but that you will face your fears and deal with them efficiently. It takes self-discipline to wake up very early in the mornings and stay fit. It also takes an extreme amount of discipline to go four weeks at a time in combat. And lastly, teamwork is key. The Marines are a powerful group of professionals, but a single Marine can’t accomplish anything. Author Stephen Ambrose, in the introduction to his book, “The Good Fight: How World War II was Won,” said he once overheard a little boy ask his grandfather; “Were you a hero in the war?” The grandfather replied; “No, but I served in a company of them!” The Marines are not based off the strengths and talents of any one man, but what they can do together is what makes them the most legendary fighting force of all time!

Semper fideles

Not About Me

“The Sabbath calls me to recognize that the world doesn’t depend on me. The planet is not going to fall apart if I don’t go to the office, make some phone calls, or get this or that done today. Somehow God seems to keep the universe going without my help. We can pause from our labors and rest in His, realizing that in the end it is God who holds it all together, ‘sustaining all things by his powerful word’ (Heb. 1:3). It truly is a day for celebration!”

--Bruce A. Ray, “Celebrating the Sabbath”

(posted by Betsy)

Recipe--Trail Bars

These bars have become the new favorite dessert at our house! We had them at a Bright Lights meeting and became huge fans of them. We love them because they’re very versatile and the ingredients can be changed to whatever you have on hand. Just make sure you have plenty of people to share them with, as it is easy to tuck a few away rather quickly! J

Trail Bars

1 cup of butter (we use coconut oil for part of this)

½ cup of honey

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 cup of oats

½ cup of wheat germ (we didn’t have any, so we substituted ¼ cup of white flour instead.)

2 eggs

¼ cup of honey

1 cup of chopped almonds (or any other nut you want to try!)

1 cup of chocolate, carob, or cinnamon chips (we don’t use this much. You can add them to your taste.)

½ cup chopped dates, raisins, dried cherries, or cranberries

½ cup of dried apricots (substituting dried apples is our preference)

½ cup of unsweetened flaked coconut

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds (we used sunflower seeds instead)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, ½ cup of honey, and lemon juice until well blended. Combine the flour, oats, and wheat germ; mix into the honey mixture. Spread evenly into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs while gradually pouring in ¼ cup of honey. Stir in almonds, chocolate chips, dates, apricots, coconut, and seeds until they are evenly distributed and well coated. Spread over the crust in the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until center is set, and the top is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 18 bars.

Josiah's Birthday!

This past week, we celebrated Josiah’s birthday! He is such a special little boy, and a gift we weren’t really expecting, since he came 5 years after the twins. But none of us can imagine our lives without “Jo-Jo!”

Our family has a tradition of going on birthday trips instead of doing birthday parties. This year was no exception! And as usual, the destination was top secret.



Josiah started off his day by enjoying breakfast in bed!



After the rest of us ate a light breakfast (we were told we were going to be eating an early lunch), we talked with our Grandma and Grandpa via a Skype video chat. We miss them very much as we haven’t seen them since Christmas. We were especially glad to chat with them because my Grandma just came home after spending a few days in the hospital. Please pray that she continues to recover!



Josiah got to open one of his gifts from Grandma and Grandpa while they watched on Skype.



We left home after breakfast. By lunch time, we arrived at the same Mexican restaurant that we had visited two years ago for Josiah’s birthday trip! We enjoyed a delicious lunch together, and the waiters sang “Happy Birthday” (in Spanish!) to Josiah. He enjoyed sopapilla with honey for postre!



The Mexican fajitas I had for lunch.



Josiah with his sombrero and sopapilla.



“Give me some sugar, Senora!”



After lunch we continued driving into downtown. And then we pulled up to. . .



The Castle Museum!



 The Castle Museum used to be a Post Office. It has now been converted into a museum on Saginaw County history. Our first stop in the museum was the model train exhibit. J This was right up the boy’s alley! At the time of our visit, they were running trains from the steam era. I did look at the trains, but I always get caught up in the details of buildings, so I mainly photographed and looked at the buildings. I’ve always loved miniature doll houses, model sets, etc.



The “soon to be” turntable with some of the trains.

 

A portion of the model train town. The town is actually modeled after ones from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. The trains on this set are rotated, so in a month or two they will have trains from the diesel era, which will better match the town.



My favorite part of the town: the farm and church.



 I really enjoyed the section of the museum on logging history. Michigan was the number one lumber producing state from 1860-1910. The life of a logger was fascinating as well. Did you know that the stamp hammers used to mark logs were invented in Muskegon, Michigan? Crotched Rafting Pins were also invented in Saginaw. The rafting pins held the raft together, and the CRP’s were more efficient than the previous method of driving stakes into the logs and wrapping ropes around them.



I don’t know how well you can see it, but this is a picture of a picture of a logging sled piled 30’3” high and weighing 40 tons! The chains that held the logs in place weighed 2000 pounds! Now that’s amazing!



Being a shanty boy was not easy! Their days went something like this:

3:30 a.m. “Cookees” stoke or build fires for cooking and warmth.

4:00 a.m. Teamsters feed horses

4:30 a.m. Crew rolls out of bed

5:00 a.m. Big breakfast

5:15 a.m. Daylight hours were spent working in the woods

11:30 a.m. Lunch is at the worksite. Shanty boys either carried their own or it was delivered.

Nightfall: Dinner

9:00 p.m. Lights out

After the logging section, we spent a little bit of time in the archeology section of the museum. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a museum that doesn’t display “revisionist” history in their archeology sections. We usually prefer to read Christian sources on ancient history.

Then we went up to the main floor to learn more about the history of the city of Saginaw.



The “Huckster Wagon” was a fresh-produce wagon that sold goods in the city of Saginaw. This one was run by the Licavoli family from 1929-1965. How I wish we still had little “markets on wheels” like this! (And no, the Schwan Man doesn’t qualify! J)



Josiah and Rubia onboard the model trolley section of the museum.



Saginaw used to be famous for the pianos that were built there. A whole room of the museum was a display of pianos made in Saginaw. This one struck me because of the beautiful carving on the music stand.



Part of the museum was built to look like downtown Saginaw stores in the 1930s. This is a picture of the front of the portrait studio. What a huge camera!



The Myer Brothers jewelry store has been entered into the museum as well. They have many old silver kitchen utensils, hair pins, brooches, and jewelry on display here.



This section of the museum is a part of the original post office. It’s a hallway above the mail room. The postal inspector could watch through tiny windows to make sure that none of the workers were stealing anything, since large money orders used to come through the post office. But they never knew when he was watching them, because this hallway was dark.



Upstairs, we saw rooms modeled after different periods in the 20^th century. We saw a dental office, a doctor’s office, a beauty parlor, a kitchen, and a dining room/living room. They were all fascinating!



We climbed the original staircase to go upstairs! It’s 112 years old!



I think my favorite room was the 1950’s kitchen. I am amazed at how simple the kitchens were and how much was made in them despite that! Now we have more utensils than a restaurant in our kitchens, and we rely on microwave meals.



This living room/dining area was patterned after a home in the early 1900’s.



This is called an Eskwin Chair. This chair has everything you need: a lamp stand, a book shelf, a writing desk, drawers, a book stand, and a reclining back! It was manufactured in Saginaw during the 1930’s.



After checking out the gift shop downstairs, we headed out of the museum. But lo and behold, our trip wasn’t over yet! My siblings and I were pleasantly surprised to pull up to “Fuzzy’s Ice Cream” in downtown Saginaw! This place holds many special memories of time with friends!



Our family—minus Mom—in front of Fuzzy’s Ice Cream in Saginaw.



Several years ago, we met friends at a zoo in Saginaw for the twins’ birthday trip. Afterward, we came to Fuzzy’s Ice Cream and Roma got her finger stuck inside this bench. She made sure she did NOT touch it this time! J



The kids enjoying their ice cream.



Me, NOT showing off the concoction I had. J Actually, I don’t think I had eaten ice cream since Christmas, so it was a very special treat. And for the record, it was just a small bowl of ice cream with hot fudge sauce. JUST TO CLARIFY!!! J



On the way home, we stopped at a local pet store so Josiah could. . .



pick out a fish and snail to be his very own pets! He was very excited.



Josiah with his newly occupied fish tank.



He then opened his gifts. He was very excited to receive them! J



After dinner, Josiah enjoyed his from-scratch football birthday cake. *Shh, don’t tell anyone there was avocado in the cake.*



And that’s how we spent Josiah’s birthday! We are so thankful for him, and cannot imagine life without this little guy! J

Candle-Making Experiment

I had a dilemma. We had dozens of old, ugly, broken, taper candles that had sat in a basket in our cupboard for several years. I hated to throw them out, because I was certain there must be a good use for them. I just wasn’t quite sure how to reuse them. We generally use scented jar candles in our kitchen to get rid of cooking odors. I was wondering how I could turn the broken taper candles into scented candles in jars!

So one Friday morning, I decided I was going to do some research. After looking online at some helpful websites, I concluded that today was as good a day as any to do it! J (Most of my experiments are born this way.)

First, I needed to find some canning jars in which to make my new candles. But the jelly jars I wanted to use had sticky residue left on them from canning labels. I remembered a trick I had read about and decided to try it.



The sticky residue on the canning jar.



My new trick: peanut butter! Smear the peanut butter over the sticky residue, wait 5 to 10 minutes (15 to 20 for stubborn ones.) Scrub off under warm water and voila! No more sticky residue!



Once the jars were prepared, my next step was to braid a wick. I thought I might be able to reuse the wicks in the taper candles, but just in case I couldn’t, I took 3 strands of kitchen string (each about 18 inches long) and braided them. (I ended up not using it, but if I had, I would have soaked the wick in the wax before using it in the candle. I may try this in the future.)



My homemade wick.





I then put the jars into the oven at 170°F. This dries any moisture on them so that the wax will bond with the glass and the candle won’t be patchy.



Then I placed all my candles in a double-boiler pot. I had to break some of them to make them fit, but I tried not to break the wicks, so I could reuse them.



As the candles melted, I went “fishing” for the wicks with old chopsticks. I laid them out as straight as I could on a paper towel to dry. I thought I might be able to reuse them, as they are long enough to fit into my jars!



Once the wax had completely melted, it was around 180°F. I let the wax cool to 150°F to 160°F. At this point, I stirred in a couple of drops of cinnamon essential oil to give it some scent.



Next I needed to prepare my jars. This was the trickiest part. I used a hot glue gun and popsicle sticks to put a dab of glue on the bottom of the jar where I wanted the wick to be centered. I then pushed my wick into the glue. In order to make it stay upright while the glue dried, I tied the wick between two canisters to keep it straight. If you are interested in making candles often, there are tools you can buy to make this step easier. I just improvised because I didn’t buy any special equipment!



Once the wax cools, pour it into your containers, being careful not to move the wicks. I would HIGHLY recommend pouring over a tray because you WILL spill wax. I guarantee it! J



You must keep the candles warm while they dry. Mine had “sinkholes” around the wicks and I think it was because they cooled too rapidly. Side Note: I only poured two candles, and I kept the remaining wax in another jar to keep for later use. That way none of it gets wasted!



After allowing the candle to “cure” for several days, I lit one to try it out. It worked great! It burned clean and smelled good.



A couple of days later, I had an idea of how to fix my sinkholes…



I took my jar of leftover wax, placed it in a pot on the stove, put enough water in the pot to cover the wax line, heated it up until it was melted…



and poured it into my sinkhole! (Sorry that the picture is blurry. It’s hard to pour and take a picture at the same time! J)



It worked ok. Unfortunately, I had already trimmed the wick down. In the future, I won’t cut them, and then I can pour a whole new layer and it won’t be as noticeable.



And there you have it, folks! This is what happens at our house when a problem sits around for awhile. We just decide to attack it one day! I look forward to turning the rest of our taper candles into usable jar candles. I just need to find another free Friday…