Don't get discouraged.

Lets talk about stock. Making your own stock is easy, and cheaper than buying in the boxes. You can make a semi big batch and freeze it. Stocks are a great thing to have on hand to help you layer on flavor into any dish, not to mention soup. Making a well prepared stock  is a good foundation for anything you wanna make down the road.

First a white stock, the basic stock. Start saving scraps during the week, like onions, celery, carrots. If you've made chicken, save the bones, you can even freeze them. Place your bones in a large pot and cover with COLD water then add your vegetables -leeks onions or anything you want, that is what is so great about stock. Then as its cooking the impurities will rise to the top it will looks like foam, skim it off. You want your stock to stay clear, thats the trick to a great stock. you dont want it to be cloudy. 

Add a bouquet garni to your stock, you remember what that is, fresh herbs, parsley stems, bay leak, peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth. After about 2-3 hours your stock should be done. Think about the process with me for a minute, we have basically just made a reduction, where we have reduced the liquid with all these flavorful ingredients. 

Strain your sauce. If you dont have a fine mesh strainer, line your strainer with a cheesecloth, you may need to strain it twice. 

So now lets talk about a brown stock. With brown stock we brown the bones and mirepoix before adding liquid. I like to use beef, lamb, or veal bones, you dont typically use chicken for a brown stock. 

Roast your bones in a single layer in an oven set at 425 degrees., get the bones nice and dark. Then brush your bones with tomato paste and turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 5 more minutes, careful not to burn the tomato. 

In a stockpot cover your bones with water impurities will rise, just keep skimming, keep your stock at a simmer. While that is coming to a simmer get you roasting pan hot again and roast your mirepoix, scraping up that yumminess on the bottom of the pan. Don't be afraid here, your vegetables will be really dark and caramelized. Add them to your stock.

Return your pan BACK (yes for the third time) to the heat and deglaze with red wine, water, stock whatever flavor you wanna add. Add the liquid to the stockpot as well. Add your bouquet garni and simmer for hours, upwards of 4-5. Strain, same as above. 

Again, I'm giving you the tools, now i wanna see you experiment with vegetable stock and fish stock and different liquids.

Be sure to post questions and concerns you have. Happy Cooking.