Legit Chicken Stock

I call this "Legit" Chicken Stock, meaning it's made from scratch.
Not from a can.
Or a box.
Or a bouillon cube.
I'm not bashing these at all.
I just learned recently that the real thing is heavenly, and now that I've had it, I don't think I'll ever go back to box, can, or cube.

Chicken Stock is awesome. You can use it for so. many. things.
I cook pasta in it.
I cook potatoes in it.
I cook risotto with it.
I dream of it.
This has gone too far.

A few weeks ago, I bought a roasted chicken from United Market street.
I made a chicken pot pie out of it.
I froze the carcass and bones of the chicken. And the skin.
I heard somewhere that when you pay for something, make sure and get your money's worth.
That means, don't toss the parts of things you think you can't use.
Google a use for it.

So, the carcass and the bones and skin of the chicken is what makes this stock the bees knees.
Keep that in mind next time you're working with a whole chicken.
Please and thank you.
Don't waste that part.
It will make me sad.

Here's the run down of this simple and amazing creation:

1 chicken carcass...this includes the bones and skin, and any pan drippings you may have
1 onion, chopped
1 handful of baby carrots, chopped
1 bunch of asparagus, ENDS ONLY. (Another example of getting your moneys worth! Don't throw those away after you break them away from asparagus tips! Freeze them and throw 'em in this pile.)
salt
pepper
2 to 3 bay leaves, depending on their size
Various spices you can add to your liking. I chose basil, oregano, and garlic
Cold water

Are you ready for my directions?
Put the bones, onion, carrots, asparagus and spices in a crock pot. Cover with cold water. Turn the crock pot on low. Cover. Walk away.

Phew. That was rough.

Let it go overnight.
Turn on your scentsy if you're weird about food smells during the night.
Freak.

But in all seriousness, I did this one morning, only I turned my crock pot on high instead of low, and as far as I can tell, it makes absolutely no difference, aside from cook time.
I did end up turning it to low around 2PM.
Then I left to do grocery shopping.
Then I came home and it looked like this:

 Which...okay...doesn't look very appetizing. But let's be real here: you're not eating this stuff. You're using it to make your food...amazing.

When it looks like this, grab a large pot and a strainer. Put the strainer inside the pot. Pour the contents of the crock pot into the strainer.
Then?
Lift the strainer.
The liquid will be left in the pot.
That liquid is gold, my friend.
Toss the rest.
It has fulfilled it's destiny.

Here's what I did next:

I added a good amount of stock into a tupperware dish and threw it in the freezer.
I left the rest in my big pot and made potato soup with it.

Easily the best potato soup I've ever consumed in my whole life.
Okay, that's not true.
But it's the tastiest healthy(ish) potato soup I've ever consumed.
Seriously.
Recipe to follow.
It has like...three tablespoons of butter in the whole pot, and I used skim milk.