Turkey Vegetable Soup

I've never done this before; traditionally we make Tetrazzini with our leftover turkey but this turned out delicious and made just over 3 quarts of soup - enough to have now for a few meals and also to freeze for a meal later. 

In a very large pot, over medium heat, add 2 TBL Olive Oil and sweat 1 Medium Sliced Onion and 2 Stalks of Celery, rinsed with the ends cut off and cut into 1" lengths.  Break or cut Turkey Carcass (hopefully with some meat left on it) into 3 or 4 peices.  Add the pieces to the pot.  Add Approximately 3 Quarts Chicken Broth until covered.  I topped with water so I didn't have to open another quart of broth.  Simmer with the lid off for around 35-45 minutes.  Strain the broth into a smaller pot.  Let the turkey cool so you can handle it and remove all the turkey from the bones and place in the broth.  Disgard everything else.  

You can freeze some or all at this point and you will finish it when you are ready to eat.  It was cold out, so placed my pot on my porch in order to cool quickly and to remove some of the fat, then froze some of the soup for a later meal. 

If having now (and when you thaw to use), simmer pot of Broth and Turkey.  Add 3/4 Cup Basmati Rice for 2 quarts of soup and let it cook in the broth til almost done.  In the meantime, rinse, remove ends and cut 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans into 1" lengths and add these to the pot.   Peel and cut 2 Large Carrots to a 1/4" dice and add these to the pot.  Add 1 Cup of Frozen Peas to the pot.  Season with Salt and Pepper.  Really you can add what you want in the quantities you prefer.  

Once the vegetables are done serve with a Salad and Warm Crusty Bread or a Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  

Tomato Basil Soup

Lately, I have eaten Tomato Basil Soup but have never attempted to make it ~ until today.  I found a nice recipe in my California Fresh Cook Book published by Jr League of Oakland-East Bay.  If you are a vegetarian, on a tight budget, or just like fresh homemade food, this is a recipe for you!

What made this particularly special is that I made it with my son, whom I homeschool and we served the soup in warm Panera Bread Bowls.  

Preheat a large pot over medium heat.  Once hot, add 1/4 C Butter, 1 Medium Coarsely Chopped Vidalia Onion, 2 Medium Diced Carrots.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile, rinse and quarter, 8 Medium Vine Ripe Tomatoes.  Coarsely chop 1/4 C. Fresh Basil.  Add Tomatoes, Basil, 1 tsp Salt, 3/4 tsp Sugar, 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper to the pot and stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add 2 Cups of Chicken Stock (use Vegetable Stock for a vegetarian version).  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  

At first we both thought the soup looked a tad bit thin, probably on account of my increasing the tomatoes from 5 to 8, so I added 1 Tbl uncooked Basmati Rice to the soup and once it was cooked, I blended it in for a heartier version.  That is an option for you depending on your tastes.  

Either using a blender in batches, blend soup until smooth and return to a clean pot or using a hand blender, whirl until the soup is blended.  The hand blender will not make a completely smooth soup.  If you want a silky smooth soup, use the blender method.  

While soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 300 and add the desired number of bread bowls and bake until crusty.  Remove a circular top and hollow out the bowl.  Turn off the oven, but return the bread bowls to the warm oven until ready to serve.

Once soup is done, season if necessary and serve in the warm bread bowls.  What a delicious lunch we had!!

Creamy Broccoli Soup for Two

We woke to very cold temperatures, my personal favorite kind of late fall day.  It's chilly in the house and I have a cold.  My husband mentioned wanting to go out for broccoli soup.  Lucky for him, I bought a crown of broccoli yesterday...

...going back 6 months ago, this summer I was at the CIA for lunch with my sister and we shared the most silky Cream of White Asparagus Soup.
I have been dying to make something like it since.  About a year ago, I bought a Viking Hand Mixer at half price because they were discontinuing the color red, my kitchen accent color.  I decided I would put it to work on my Creamy Broccoli Soup creation today.

Peel and dice 1 Large Carrot into 1/4" Dice, about 1/2 Cup.  Ciseler 1/2 of 1 Medium Vidalia Onion, about a 1/2 Cup.  Rinse and cut up 1 Broccoli Crown into pieces that will require about the same cooking times.  Heat over medium heat, a tall narrow saucepan.  Add 1 Tbl Olive Oil and 2 Tbl Butter.  Add carrot and onion.  Saute while stirring for about 5 minutes.  Add broccoli and continue to cook for another 5 minutes stirring frequently.  Season to taste with White Pepper and Kosher Salt.  Add (1) 14 1/2 oz of Canned Chicken Broth.  Add 1 Tbl uncooked Barley for a thickener.  NOTE: You can use 1 diced potato or 1 Tbl of uncooked Rice instead.  Cook at a low simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Using the hand blender, blend the soup until is is creamy.   If you don't have one, add soup to a blender in batches and blend until smooth.  Add back to the pot.  Add 1/4 Cup 1/2 & 1/2 and 1/4 Cup Milk for a creamed version.  Heat until hot but don't boil the soup after adding the milk and cream.

Ladle the hot soup into large bowls and garnish with grated cheese and (crumbled bacon if you have some on hand)! I checked my receipt, the broccoli cost about $.50, so all in all, this soup cost approximately $1.50 and took about 30 minutes to make.  Compare that to going out, sometimes you just have to stay in.

It's October 2019.  I made this again last month top left hand photo.  I had a bag of Pumpkin Seeds as well as Pumpkin Oil.  I decided to roast a handful of seeds in the oil and and top with the crunchy flavorful seeds as well as add a few drops of the oil here and there!  Compared to my original presentation, wow, upped the game.  Delicious results.

French Onion Soup

 From this.  Buy 6 Large Fresh Onions.






To this.  Slice thinly.  Preheat pot over medium heat and add 4 Tbl UnSalted Butter.  Add sliced onions increase to medium high and cook uncovered, stirring frequently.




To this.  After 10 minutes they begin to lose moisture and will reduce in volume.






To this.  Continue cooking and stirring often for an additional 50-60 minutes until onions begin to turn golden brown.  Reduce heat slightly to avoid burning if needed.

To this.  Measure 3/4 Cup Madeira and add it 2 Tbls at a time.  Continue to cook and stir until deep brown.  Start to finish, the onions cooked for 1 hour 10 minutes.  Add 2 Cups Chicken Broth and 3 Cups Beef Broth.




To this.  Ladle into bowls, top with Sliced French Bread (for gluten free use gluten free bread) and top with Grated Gruyere Cheese.






To this.  Broil until the cheese melts and is golden brown.  Serve at once.

Chicken Noodle Soup

In my opinion, the simpler the flavors, the better the chicken noodle soup. To make this soup you will need: 1 1/2 Lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs (for lighter version use boneless chicken breast), 3 diced Carrots, 5 Pearl Onions sliced thin, 2 very small ribs of peeled diced celery, 1 C. very small dried Pasta, I used stars.
Preheat large (8qt) pot over medium heat. Add 1 Tbl oil. While heating, rinse thighs in cool water and place on clean plate. Season with S&P. Add chicken to pot, seasoned side down. Season the other side. Let cook for about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the other. You really don't want to carmelize the outside but are more locking in the flavor and moisture. Remove chicken from pot and place on a clean plate.
Some bits will remain in the pot and that's ok for both flavor and a bit of color. Add vegetables and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken back to pot and add 6 cups of cool water.
Season with S&P and ground sage and poultry seasoning to taste.

Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and and let rest on plate. Once cool, cut and return to pot. Add pasta and simmer til just about done, about 10 minutes. Don't overcook the pasta. Garnish with celery leaf. Serve at once.