the bird soup

all the work....

   which I LOVE....

that goes into the the Thanksgiving meal

and one of my favorite parts....

my own personal holiday tradition

....the day after soup!

the recipe in a nut shell

Bird Soup

1 turkey carcass or a a few of the larger bones

lots of water

    you can skip the bone boiling stage if that grosses you out and just opt for chicken broth

2 lb bag of carrots, peeled and chopped

entire bunch of celery ( washed and chopped, don't throw out those celery leaves...they have amazing flavor to add to any soup!)

1/2-1 whole chopped onion

any other veggies you want; corn, green beans, broccoli, peas (save the peas till the end), potatoes, brussel sprouts, etc....

a 'dollop' or 2 of gravy

2 scoops or 7 of mashed potatoes

bay leaf

salt and pepper

rice or noodles (optional)

yep, I'm a bone boiler...

we save the turkey carcass (could there be a grosser word?)

and I boil it for hours the next day...

just water 

and bones 

and whatever meat the vultures family didn't pick off 

all go into a pot

bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 1 hour, but 5-6 is great!  just keep adding water when it starts to get low.

then the hour before you're ready to eat, grab another large pot, and put your colander/strainer in the top, pour the boney water through catching all the wonderful broth in the bottom pot,

now return the broth to the stove and add whatever veggies you want (if you have some leftover from a veggie platter that's wonderful to use), I usually put in the 'soup trinity' (carrots, celery, & onions), then add some turkey...lots and lots of turkey (the small stuff that isn't good for sandwiches)... a few dollops of the leftover gravy helps make the soup creamy, leftover mashed potatoes are great (I like to leave the potatoes out and then heat a scoop up in the microwave and scoop the soup over the top of the spuds in the bowl...yummy!)...toss in some salt and pepper to taste and a bay leaf or 2...

if you want rice in the soup toss in a handful about 20 minutes left in the hour, if you prefer noodles toss them in the last 10 minutes....

happy bird soup!

other leftover turkey ideas

turkey salad (like chicken salad...but with turkey...so yummy with cranberry sauce)

turkey pot pie

turkey tortellini salad

turkey enchiladas

creamy turkey spinach & pasta 

what do you do with your turkey leftovers?

the Bird

I've 'hosted' most of the Thanksgiving meals since we've been married...

so, 14 years turkey feast and maybe 5 of them have been elsewhere....

I love it...and really it's not something to stress over...

    ....or maybe it's because my family (in-laws included) 

     are low key, roll with the flow, kind of people

...yes, I'm thankful for our families...them are good people!

our menu this year...

the bird

mashed potatoes and gravy

stuffing/dressing

green bean casserole

salad 

cranberry relish

rolls & butter

(no yams or sweet potatoes, none in attendance this year really like them)

and then the desserts

pies; dutch apple, pumpkin, & chocolate

molasses cookies

easy peasy...

I wanted to share a family secret recipe to make your Thanksgiving center piece, the bird, low-no stress and perfectly moist and juicy!

ready for it...

it's all about the bag...

the Reynolds, turkey size oven bags...so simple!

make sure the bird is defrosted 

take out all the innards

stuff it if you stuff your bird

butter it up

toss a few tablespoons of flour and some salt and pepper into the bag

place the turkey in the bag

if you're feeling festive and creative you can put some rosemary and thyme on the top of the bird or even some lemon or orange slices

close up the bag

poke some holes in the top

and cook it according to the baking table inside the box...

no need for basting throughout the process

no need to add anything to 'brown-up the bird'

you can use a meat thermometer if you'd like 

     sometimes I have.... 

          sometimes I haven't, GASP!

the bird is always perfect

don't ya just love stock turkey feast photos...?

does anyone really sit down with the bird whole!

I searched the intra-web and not one photo could I find of the feast with the bird all carved up and on the table...so funny!

have a great day...now off to do some 'cooking' with the kids!

Could it Get Any Easier?

Okay, I've already shared my crazy Wednesday's with you and that I the only way that Wednesday's are manageable are with wonderful throw-down meals....I also love a great crock pot meal and when the two become one and you have an throw-down crock pot meal, well, I just love those days...

here is a recipe that my friend Jennifer Lorenzen shared with me via facebook...

Cheese Tortellini with Meatballs

24 oz frozen meatballs ( I used turkey meatballs)

26 oz tomato basil pasta sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

9 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped

Put meatballs, cheese, pasta sauce in crockpot. Cook on low 8-10 ho urs. Put pasta in 1 hour before done. Top with basil and serve.

This was SO good...and Beau finished up the leftovers today for lunch, not even heating it up..

Serve with Garlic Cheese French Bread (just discovered wheat French bread...just as good and better for us!) and steamed asparagus.

Thanks Jennifer, my family LOVES this recipe!