Make your own cooking soups

I have recently discovered a money saving and simple home solution to buying soups that I use for cooking. 
It started because I was making a recipe that called for cream of chicken soup, which I thought I had.  I called down the street to my trusty friend and sure enough she didn't have any either.  So rather than make the ten mile trip to the nearest grocery store I decided to scour the Internet and my pantry for supplies and recipes to make my own.  What I discovered was that I could make and freeze several kitchen staples for a fraction of the cost of buying canned (we all know that soup coupons are few and far between!)
So I now have a freezer stocked with cream of chicken soup, french onion soup and chicken stock.  The next time I make a roast I will be making beef stock as well!
So here are my finds, I hope you will love them as much as I do!

CHICKEN STOCK

1 chicken carcass with some meat remaining 6 cups water 1 onion, quartered 1 large carrot, cut into about 12 pieces 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon ginger 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon celery seeds

Place chicken carcass in medium sized pot and just cover with water (about 6 cups), bring to boil and then simmer over a low heat for one hour. You may need to keep adjusting the temperature from time to time as some liquid evaporates. Skim fat from the top of the broth. Add onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf and celery seeds and continue to simmer for 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Allow stock to cool uncovered. Strain into a storage container and either use immediately or freeze for later use. This one is great for putting the tidbits of meat left on a baked chicken to good use! CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP 4 cups milk 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Make a white sauce of milk, flour and oil. Add chicken and mix together. Add sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder (more or less to taste). Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. If soup is not as thick as desired, mix a small amount of cornstarch with a small amount of water and add to soup, simmer for an additional 10 minutes. FRENCH ONION SOUP 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, sliced 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 (10oz) can beef bouillon 1 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add onion and sugar. Cook and stir 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add bouillon, water and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer 10-15 minutes. This one is super good for making homemade Salisbury steak! Happy souping!