For anyone reading this in the future, I finally did contact Dr. Andress and there really isn't supposed to be any meat left on the carcass when you start, they rewrote the instructions for So Easy to Preserve but she says they might clarify a little more on the website that this is a STOCK not a soup, that's why I kept putting "stock" in quotes b/c to me a stock doesn't have meat. Here's her reply "Here is how we re-worded it for our University of Georgia So Easy to Preserve book, below, although it's not a lot more specific. And I might now choose to say "Place large carcass bones (with as much meat removed as you can)": Or the other option is to not allow picking of the carcass at all. The directions really only allow for adding back the bits still clinging to the bones after cooling, not the all the meat stripped from the bones. So that's how we tried to word the order of actions for our book. But we can consider rewording on the website from the USDA guidelines, also. Thank you for pointing this out. Chicken Stock (Broth) Hot pack-- Place large carcass bones (with most of meat removed) in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover bones. Cover pot and simmer until meat can easily be stripped from bones, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove bones. Cool broth; skim off and discard fat. Remove the bits of meat clinging to bones and add to broth, if desired. Reheat broth to boiling. Fill hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process. CAUTION: Do not add additional meat to this product. Process in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner......(etc.)" Since how much meat is left on the carcass can vary, I think it's best not to put any meat back into the broth for canning, though I suggest that straining to get any bits floating might not be necessary. I also wouldn't add anything left at the bottom of the stockpot to the jars (sometimes I get little bits of bone as well as meat at the bottom of the stock). I knew what stock meant to a chef, couldn't figure out why NCHFP website was saying to add meat back into the broth, this was from very old procedures and it turns out stock really means stock. Maybe this is clear to someone who's been canning for a long time, but I haven't had any training (beyond NCHFP course, reading, and what I've picked up on this forum) so when I read that you could have meat in the jars my first question was "how much" - answer turns out to be "really nothing". HTH

My Mom always made my Grandmother's Brunswick Stew to welcome the start of winter: Chicken Potato Sliced Carrot Diced Celery Frozen Baby Lima Beans, thawed Canned Whole Kernel Corn, drained Diced canned tomatoes in juice Onion (I have to leave this out when I make it now) A dash of black pepper Salt to season to your preference about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Oregano Chicken Broth Cook the chicken in broth until done, debone if not already boneless, and chop into small enough pieces to fit on your spoon. Cook carrot and celery (and onion if using) in a little water until just starting to soften, add potato (and a little more water if needed) and cook until vegetables are close to done; drain. Combine with chicken, broth, and the rest of the ingredients, cook for at least 1/2 hour to get the lima beans soft. I don't have exact measurements because it depends on whether you are cooking for 1 or a crowd. Basically, I use about 1 large potato to 2 chicken breasts and enough of the other veggies to equal about 2 cups mixed (in about equal parts) when I am making it for DH and me for dinner and plan on having the leftovers for lunch. Edie

Grainlady - thank you. That link is wonderful. Just full of good guidelines. Nancy - that's good to know about running cold water through the chicken. With fish, I put it in a bowl of ice water - and that defrosts it within a couple of hours, but I hadn't thought of a way to apply water to chicken - thanks. Sometimes I defrost in the microwave if I'm going to use it right away - like steaks or chicken breasts. But I didn't think I should do that with a whole chicken. Also, sometimes with chicken breasts, I plan to marinate overnight - in which case I think it's a no-no to defrost in the microwave (which would partially cook it) and then marinate. Are their some soups you wouldn't microwave? The one I have is potato-fennel - and I thought I recalled something about the texture being effected by either freezing or microwaving. Thanks. Lynn. Lynn.

Vickey....It was wondeful! I had to combine a couple of recipes that I got on the Internet plus your instructions for making yours, and I came up with a winner. I had already bought a dozen chicken breasts because that's what's used in my soup recipe and they're baked in the oven, cooled, then shredded. So, I baked them on Fri. and cooled and shredded them, then refrigerated them. On Saturday, I put them into the roaster with Cream of Chicken soup and Cream of Mushroom soup, various seasonings and water. While that cooked, I cooked the noodles, 6 pkgs. of them, then put them into the roaster and kept them stirred. Added more seasonings after each taste test..ha! That evening, I reheated them on the stove with Chicken Broth added and we tied into them again. So, that along with the 3 briskets we'd fixed ahead of time made a couple of really good meals for the day. It's 5:00 here and I just awoke from a nice long nap. I didn't check in here yesterday, because the young'uns were checking their Facebooks alot, LOL, but I knew that if I did, I'd find you here waiting to help in any way you could. Thank you so much for chipping in on my little party. You were a big help, cyber-friend! Leslie/KS