Today’s guest blogger is my Mom who, to me, is one of the best cooks in the world!  Thanks for sharing your recipe, Mom!

It's almost that time of year when I gear up to hit my local supermarket for the 2 for $10 chicken specials.  This means shovelling out the freezer to make room for my winter stash of fixings for soups, salads and main courses.

The sneakers are strapped on, the cooler, ready and waiting and my cleaver and board set up and ready to go.  My Foodsaver waits for my return home with the promise of preserving all the freshness of my haul in the best condition possible throughout the fall and winter.

Somehow, this twice a year expedition results in frequent visits from offspring, looking around for Mum's "bargains".  Does this mean I'll have to invest in a larger freezer? Hubby of course, licks his chops dreaming of the savoury concoctions soon to make their way to his plate and further expand his middle, so this year I have chosen to remove much of the chicken skin.  A bit more time consuming, but better for us, as we are a retired couple in our sixties and definitely need to watch the fat intake.

Our favourite chicken dinners are grilled chicken breasts used in salads and sandwiches, hearty chicken vegetable soups, tandoori chicken legs and Moroccan tagine, to mention a few.  Also a chicken and veggie "bouilli", also made with some salt pork (not on our diet) and loads of summer veggies.  This is a favourite French Canadian recipe to celebrate the harvest.

Bouilli ingredients:

• 1 small piece of salt pork
• 1 large capon or two stewing chickens (stewing chickens are tougher and best used in stews and soups)
• 1 cabbage
• 1 whole onion with two cloves pierced into it
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 whole cloves

Buy as many of the following as you would love to eat:

• Wax beans
• Green beans
• Small white turnips
• Carrots
• Potatoes (fingerlings are the best, as they hold up better)
• Fresh thyme
• Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Put chickens into a large pot and cover with water.
2. Put a small piece of salt pork, rinsed, into a pot with water and boil for five minutes. Rinse and drain. Add the salt pork to the pot with the chickens.
3. Add two bay leaves and fresh thyme (or dried).
4. Bring to boil and reduce heat until meat is almost tender.
5. Pierce two whole cloves into the onion.
6. Add the veggies in the order in which they will cook to tenderness. First come the turnips and potatoes (left whole), then onion, carrots (in large chunks), cabbage (cored and quartered), green beans and wax beans.
7. Keep an eye on them and then transfer to a large serving platter and stuff your face with summer goodness.
8. Add warm liquid (broth) from the pot to serving platter and more to individual dishes when serving.

It may take a couple of tries, but I guarantee that this will become a summer favourite. This recipe is budget-friendly, especially that the veggies are much less expensive than in the winter months.  Any leftover broth can be frozen and used later for soups.

My family is hooked and summer and fall would never be the same without our bouilli.

Note:I always serve this meal with a good splash of apple cider vinegar, which brings out the flavour of the entire dish.  Delectable!