Food Fodder: Turkey Noodle Soup

One of my very favorite things about Thanksgiving is cooking.

I just love donning my pink apron, getting out my favorite recipes, and preparing a delicious meal for my family to fawn over.

My other favorite thing?

Leftovers!

Some people can’t fathom anything beyond turkey sandwiches for Thanksgiving leftovers. I’m here to tell you, the culinary world is your Oysters Rockefeller.

Last year at this time, I was strapped to machines, willing my blood pressure to go up, and cursing Nurse Masshole. My anger over this incident has risen considerably in recent months knowing what could have been had my doctor not called on his day off to check on me. Thank God someone cared about ME. Yes, the babies are important, but they were healthy and perfect. I was not. I couldn’t cook Thanksgiving, much less eat it, and though that was the least of my worries, it still sucked all the fun out of the holiday for me. So this year, I went wild!

I try to always make stock out of my bones; poultry, beef, or otherwise. It’s the easiest thing in the world that will save you so much money. Really, you’d cry if you knew how much we waste on crappy stock from the store. (If you use stock as much as we do.)

Here’s what you do:

Put your turkey bones in a pot. (Don’t worry if there’s meat still on them, just put them in the pot.)
Slice an onion in half, add that to the pot along with a few carrots, a couple stalks of celery, the parsley stems leftover from your feast, and a tablespoon or so of black peppercorns. Cover (or at least try to cover) the bones with water. Let it all simmer for a few hours. Skim off the goo. Strain through cheesecloth twice. Voila. Stock. Let it cool and store in the freezer in plastic quart containers.

It’s going to be gelatinous and that’s *perfect* stock. You want it to have some body and flavor. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Now, who wants warm, cuddly soup?

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
4 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
4 c. leftover turkey (more or less, if you like)
1 bag egg noodles (I used whole wheat.)
14 c. turkey or chicken stock (homemade is BEST!)
Palmful of dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent.

I love the smell of cooking onions in my kitchen.

Try to chop everything the same size. It'll help the veggies cook evenly. Chop them small enough that everyone can take a ride on the spoon together.

2. Add carrots and celery. Cook for five minutes, until vegetables are heated through.

Carrots and celery joining the party!

3. Add stock, bring to a boil.

I like a lot of soup, so I can freeze some for later, if you want less, use less stock and half of the turkey and noodles.

4. Simmer vegetables until soft.
5. Add noodles and use cook time according to package directions. (I swore I took a picture of this. Oops.)
6. Add turkey and parsley. Cook until turkey is hot.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley and a big spoon!

Mmmm... soup!