Stock

We make our own stock on a regular basis; I don't remember the last time we bought it. It's super easy, throw everything in a pot and come back a few hours later. Sometimes we keep veggies throughout the week in a dish in the fridge, like carrot peels, onion peels and the ends you can never cut, garlic peels. We've even put in broccoli stems. At the end of the week, we throw it into a pot. Usually it's vegetable stock, but if we have chicken with the bones, we throw those in too. 

So, 

Into a large pot, throw in large diced veggies. Our usuals include:

Celery (we buy celery and cut it  into pieces and store it in the fridge packed with water so it's ready for snacking or cutting into a meal); we don't even use the "good" parts, just the ends, leaves, and pieces that don't look good for eating.

Carrots (we buy a large bag of whole carrots, peel them and store the same as celery), we use all the peels and ends

Onion, usually one whole, quarter with the peel still on

Garlic, one bulb (or partial if that's what we have) cut down the middle to expose the fresh garlic

Herbs (usuals are parsley, thyme, bay)

Whole peppercorns (about a teaspoon)

Salt (mike doesn't add any, I do, but not a lot)

Cover with water, about an inch or so over the veggies. Simmer uncovered for 2-4 hours. You'll notice it reducing down and getting darker. This is the flavors concentrating. 

You want to reduce the liquid by about half. 

Strain into a bowl (you will need a finer, mesh strainer to catch all those peppercorns)

Let cool. Divide into smaller storage containers and freeze. 

Enjoy your "free" stock made from your kitchen scraps in soups, stews, pastas, etc.