Homemade stock

Bones from good meat, veggie and herb scraps, parmesan rinds... they all go into the "bone bag" in the freezer. Then, every so often, into the pressure cooker (or pot, pre-craze) along with a bay leaf and any fresh veg I need to use up. (And water. don't sue me.) The classic learned-from-grandma version is chicken with onion, carrot, and parsley (kosher veal neckbone optional), but really any combo of bone/allium/root veg/savory herb will do. Strain it, compost the goop, and you've got yourself a pot of gold.

It's SO much better than storebought; My husband calls it "the magic ingredient." Soup, sure. Sauce, yes. Also pasta, rice, hell, a cocktail... anything that wants a little more yum. It makes me feel like I'm in the kitchen with my dad and grandma. At a nice restaurant, it's fun to ask them to wrap up the bones and when they ask if you have a dog, look them dead in the eyes and say "No."