It feels like it’s been a lifetime since we had thanksgiving up here in the great white north. Life has been pretty crazy as well so I haven’t had time to write much. I have made a point to cook though.

One of my goals this year was to try to make a turkey soup from scratch. It seems like such a simple concept but for a long time it has always been a daunting prospect for me. After having a great thanksgiving with some of my friends, I managed to score the big prize. The turkey carcass. This is it! this is my year! I will finally tackle this beast.

It didn’t take long before I ran into my first hurdle. How on earth am I going to get this entire bird into my pot?!

You know how they say that “Your mom will never stop being your mom?” This is a saying that I will admit, I resented in my younger years. But now that I have gotten older I’ve come to realize just how lucky I am to have my mom around and only a phone call away.

Panicking, with the bird half way in the pot, I broke down and called my mom. She was nice enough to walk me through getting the rest of it in and getting the soup base started.

This is probably one of the longest ventures in the kitchen that I’ve taken at around 5 hours to complete, but the reward is definitely worth it.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• Turkey Carcass (leave meat on)
• 1 large onion
• 1 head of garlic
• 5 large carrots
• 5 celery stalks
• 3 medium potatoes
• fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• Rice/Pasta to add later

The Steps:

1. Break up the turkey carcass into a large soup pot.
2. Cut onion into quarters and put in the pot with thyme and garlic cloves.
3. Fill pot with water to just cover the carcass.
4. Bring the pot to a boil and then cover and simmer for 3-4 hours.
5. Pull out the bones and pull the meat off of them. Strain the broth through a mesh strainer. (Use a coffee filter if you would like a clearer broth)
6. Add meat and broth back to the pot.
7. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, more garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil until vegetables are cooked.
9. Add rice or pasta to enjoy right away. Or leave to the side and freeze soup for a later date.