Favorite Ingredient Friday - In the Aftermath of Thanksgiving

I was out of town, for Overwhelmed with Joy’s Favorite Ingredient Friday, so I am posting mine now! After a few days, or more spent in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving the last thing that I want to do when it is over, is get back in there to cook again. I need a break, but my family needs to eat, so - we compromise - and have leftover turkey soup. Normally, it’s pretty cool around Thanksgiving so a pot of soup is nice and it gives me a way to use up all of the leftover turkey and veggies crowding my fridge. I don’t get fussy over it – I just throw everything in to one big pot – if you injected your turkey with something, no worries – it will give your soup flavor too, and when I wind up with leftover soup? I freeze it! Your Christmas baking and shopping is coming up, so your time in the kitchen is probably limited. Just pop this in the microwave to thaw out, and heat it back up on the stove and wah-lah – many meals off just that one turkey!

Not sure how to go about freezing soup - no worries - just visit The Gracious Bowl.

Leftover Turkey Soup

Ingredients:

• Leftover Stock from Thanksgiving
• Leftover Turkey, broken into pieces
• 2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
• 2 Cans of Cream of Celery Soup
• 1 family size bag of boil-in-bag rice (this is approx. 3 cups of rice)
• 1 bunch of celery, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• Sliced carrots (canned, or fresh - whatever you have)
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

• In a medium skillet, sauté the diced celery and onions in the butter, until tender.
• In a small pot, boil water and cook boil in bag rice (according to directions on package).
• In a large stock pot, bring the stock to a low boil. Add all the cans of soup and stir to incorporate.
• Add shredded turkey, carrots, celery, onion and rice.
• Stir all together and serve hot.

If you don't have any stock leftover - shame on you. Kidding - just throw some water in your pot and a few chicken bouillon cubes, or chicken stock from the can or box.

You can add corn, or hominy or noodles - whatever you have in your pantry. Again, this is not something I get fussy about - if you don't have an ingredient - don't worry about it - use something else, or just leave it out.