Homemade beef stock...

I wish that the internet could accommodated us with the ability to smell but alas, you'll have to use your olfactory imagination to get the full effect of this homemade beef broth. I didn't really plan to make beef stock this evening, but I had four t-bone steaks out for supper. It's been a cook's dream now that a beef has been butchered! I decided to cut the meat off the bones before pan frying the steaks. Instead of tossing the bones to the dogs, I threw them into a large pot with some olive oil and several whole cloves of garlic, salt and pepper and let them roast for about a half hour or more in a 400 degree oven while my bread was baking. After roasting, I added about 5 cups of water to the pot, some fresh thyme, dried basil, 2 bay leaves, a sliced onion, 6 peppercorns or so and let the whole thing simmer gently on back burner for a couple hours. I'm letting it cool down now and will strain it off and pour it into a container to freeze for later use. After it freezes, I will skim off some of the fat from the top.

There's just nothing like homemade beef stock for soups and stews. And my personal favorite -- French Onion Soup! I mention this simple recipe because it stretches out one meal into another, and that's something we all can appreciate these days. And as for the dogs...they'll have their bones yet!