I always cook my chicken/turkey bones a second time after removing the meat and storing it away. I keep the first broth in the fridge in quart-sized freezer containers, but I only fill each half way because I want to mix the second stock into the first before I pack it for the freezer. People are always surprised to see what nice broth you can get from just the bones, skin and gristle. Sometimes I will add water to the bones again after draining them, and stir this around. If the water starts looking like chicken stock, I'll cook the bones again. When I'm finished with the bones, they are soft and will collapse to a sort of a paste when you pinch them between your fingertips. I smush this stuff and bury it in my garden. I have to do it when the dog isn't watching though, and set something on top of it for a few days. I love my crockpot, too! I've never looked into what it costs to run it. I also have one of those big electric roasters that I always cook my Thanksgiving turkey in (and later use it to simmer the bones for broth) and Dawn, if you want something that cooks up a huge amount, you need that! But it would be hard to carry to a fire, now that I think about it. And I do save bits and tads of things. I don't like mixing my meats together so I will usually put them in wide-mouthed tapered pint canning jars and label them as to whether they are poultry, beef or pork. Sometimes I will make up a "tv dinner" if we have maybe one serving left of something, and put it in the freezer for later. I collect the liquids from canned vegetables and bits and pieces of veggies like tomatoes, celery, asparagus and outer cabbage leaves, in a plastic coffee jug in the freezer. When it's full I thaw it out, add add whatever I think it needs more of. Usually this is chicken or beef, some broth, and maybe a jar of canned tomatoes. A chopped onion. Add a can of mixed veggies from the store or a part of a bag of frozen. Actually I prefer the canned as it has potatoes in it. Heat all this up, add enough cornstarch to give it a nice smooth consistency. DH has a sensitive stomach so I don't spice it up. Just salt and pepper. If I'm feeding kids I add a little sugar, unless there's lots of liquid from canned corn in that batch. Yum.

Man...I can't imagine a pot of potato soup with 10 pounds of potatoes...was that a mistake? One of the best potato soups I've ever had was made with a bag of the square cut frozen hash browns. But I can't remember the recipe. If I can find it I add it here. patti

I mill bean flour and use it in many different ways. I mill in a Whisper Mill (now goes by the name - Wonder Mill) grain mill, so I get a very fine flour. Not all grain mills can mill large beans - so check manufacturer's information. If you want to add fiber and protein to baked goods, use bean flour for a portion of regular flour (up to 15-20%). Small white beans have the least amount of "beany" flavor and work best in baked goods. They also work best in foods that include spicy flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), which help to hide any bean flavor. You will find lots of recipes using bean flour in most gluten-free cookbooks. Bob's Red Mill has recipes using bean flour: - Fast Refried Bean Dip (uses black bean flour) - Mexican Bean Gravy " - Black Bean Tortillas " - Black Bean Dip " Click on the link below. Click on RECIPES at the top of the page. BAKEHOUSE CHEEZY HEARTLAND SOUP (using whole white beans milled into flour using the Whispermill) Mix together and stir well before each use: 1/2 c. Red Star nutritional yeast 2/3 c. white bean flour 1 t. sea salt 1/4 t. each paprika and celery seed 1/2 t. mustard (ground) 1 T. chicken style broth powder 1/8 c. bac'un bits Bring one cup water to a boil, reduce heat. Stir in 3 T. of the mix. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use less water for a thick cheezy style sauce. Variation: Saute 1-1/2 c. diced veggies (onion, carrot, celery, potato) until softened. Add 1-1/2 c. water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and 1/3 c. cheezy saucy. Cook 5 minutes, until veggies are tender and soup is thickened. Soup will thicken a little more as it cools. This chills and reheats well. ------------ You can make refried beans in a few minutes using pinto bean flour. Great for campers. - 1 cup whole beans = 1-1/8 c. bean flour - STIFF REFRIED BEANS - 1 c. water plus 1/3 c. bean flour = 1 c. instant mashed beans (equal to canned refried beans) Cook and stir for 1 minute until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover the pan and cook 6 minutes (stirring occasionally). - FLUFFY REFRIED BEANS - 2 c. water plus 3/4 c. bean flour = 2-1/2 c. fluffy mashed beans (nice on tortillas or used for dips by adding salsa or picante sauce) You can also mill black beans for refried black bean. Boil 2-1/2 c. water Whisk in dry ingredients: 3/4 c. pinto or black bean flour pinch garlic powder (optional) 1/2 - 3/4 t. salt 1/4 t. cumin 1/2 t. chili powder Cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover pan and cook 4 minutes (stirring occasionally). -------------------- CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP Here's a way to make cream of chicken soup from beans. The kids love the stuff. 1 Cup Navy Bean Flour (Lima beans or Garbanzo beans will also work.) 4 Cups Water or Milk 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup dehydrated onions or 1 small onion optional Grind the dry beans in a wheat grinder. Usually, 3/4 cup of beans will make 1 cup of flour. Add the other dry ingredients to the bean flour. Stir 1/2 cup of water or milk into the bean flour until it is mixed then add the rest of the water or milk and heat it in a medium sized sauce pan, constantly stirring. As it reaches the boiling point it will thicken. Boil it for about a minute. If it gets too thick add a bit more water/milk until your soup thins down to what cream of chicken soup should be. If it lacks flavor, add a bit more chicken bouillon. Garnish with dry parsley flakes. Serves 4. Recipe from waltonfeed.com. Here is a link that might be useful: Bob's Red Mill

San, both recipes sound sooooo good! I have some porcinis and I think I'll try the soup, its something Ken and I will both enjoy. The sauce would be great over pork tenderloion, wouldn't it? Thanks.