re: Soups: Winter edition (also super healthy edition)

Many soups can be improved with good stock. However, it can be a pain to make stock from scratch.

I make a chicken stock/broth in the crockpot. Very little work.

If you eat rotisserie chickens, save the carcass. I sometimes purchase chicken backs as they are extremely cheap.
1. Roast the bones in the oven. This will improve the flavor and color of your stock.
2. Place the roasted bones in the crockpot.
3. Add vegetables if desired. Traditional stock usally uses celery, white or yellow onions, garlic.
4. Cover with water.
5. Cook on low 16+ hours.
6. Season to taste.
7. Remove the chicken and vegetable "parts." You can use a cheese cloth or a coffee filter. You can just take the ladle out the stock you want to use at that time.
*You can refridgerate and skim the solid fat should you choose.

That's it. Easy.

You can even leave your crockpot on and add water and chicken bones to it throughout the week. I wish I could take credit for the idea. Jenny's description located at this site was the inspiration:
Perpetual Soup

You can also do this with beef bones though they take longer to cook down and you will likely have to have a butcher to get good beef stock bones.