Creamy Turkey (or Chicken) Noodle Soup

After all the hard work of planning and preparing the Thanksgiving feast, the "gift" that keeps on giving is the leftover turkey. Depending on the size of the turkey you cooked and the leftovers you have, you can create some great meals.

Grandma usually started the morning after Thanksgiving by making turkey broth using the leftover carcass. She would pull out her biggest stockpot, throw in the carcass, cover it with water and add onion, garlic, and whatever other vegetables she had on hand. She didn't peel or chop anything, she just washed it and threw it in.  Today we might add in some of our own rosemary and thyme growing outside our kitchen door (if it has survived the chill winter air), otherwise we use the dried variety. These wonderful herbs add flavor and depth to the broth. Here's the process (which can be used for either leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken):

Chicken or Turkey Broth

Turkey carcass with enough water to cover it in the pot

Vegetables (like onion, garlic, celery and carrots)
Herbs (like rosemary, thyme or sage)

Salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for several hours (2-3 hours is best). After it has simmered, remove the carcass, strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a sieve so you end up with plain broth. Remove whatever meat is left on the carcass Store broth and meat in a separate containers in the fridge or freezer until use.

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After all the hearty eating on Thanksgiving, Grandma would prepare something "light" and usually a turkey noodle soup with a green salad and some leftover bread or rolls satisfied what little hunger remained the day after the big meal. This recipe even uses the leftover mashed potatoes, if desired!  The recipe can also use leftover chicken any time of year, plus it's a healthier alternative to the ubiquitous canned cream of chicken soup.

Keep in mind, if you're "turkeyed out," the broth and meat will be safe in your fridge for a couple days until you're ready, otherwise try this creamy turkey noodle soup. It's delicious!

Creamy Turkey (or Chicken) Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ dried thyme
¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
5-6 cups turkey (or chicken) broth
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes* (or whisk in 1/4 cup flour)
2-3 cups cooked turkey (or chicken) cut into chunks
1 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
salt and pepper to taste

*If you do not use the mashed potatoes, whisk in about 1/4 cup flour to the broth to thicken things up.

Heat up the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add in onion, carrots and celery and sauté 3-4 minutes until softened and golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook about 1 minute. Stir in oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning for about 1 minute until blended.

Slowly pour in the turkey (or chicken) broth then add in mashed potatoes (or whisk in 1/4 cup flour) and heat mixture slowly to boiling.

Reduce heat and add in the turkey (or chicken) and half & half (or cream) until heated through, then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. 6 servings.

3-Can Silky Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without the desserts and other temptations that come to our holiday tables.

Pumpkin pie, of course, is one of our favorites. Some variation of it may have been served at the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving table, having been introduced to them by the Native Americans. Perhaps it was a sweet potato or squash pie. Either way they are delicious desserts on their own or with a dollop of real whipped cream on top.

This particular pie was one Grandma discovered in a newspaper and once she got a hold of it, she was hooked (and so were we).

For this pumpkin pie recipe you'll need only need one No-Fail Pie Crust, so you can make the full recipe and put the other one in a freezer bag to store in the freezer. Then you can make this again for Christmas (or for the day after Thanksgiving)!

3-Can Silky Pumpkin Pie

1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks

1 cup canned evaporated milk

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

9-inch prebaked pie crust

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300F.

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the pumpkin, salt, and spices to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Add milks; cook until heated through.

In a blender or large food processor, purée eggs and yolks.  With the blender running, add pumpkin filling—a spoonful at a time at first, then more quickly as the eggs heat up. Blend to form a silky texture. Pour warm filling into a prebaked pie shell. Bake until a thin-bladed knife inserted near the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing

Lessons in Thanksgiving preparations...

Grandma told us about the differences between stuffing and dressing very early on. She used to cook one of each to accommodate our various tastes, but it was the stuffing that always won us over. There is nothing like stuffing the turkey and letting the juices do their magic. Grandma always used Mrs. Cubbison's cornbread stuffing in the big box. Now this is no advertisement for Mrs. C's, but I will attest that theirs is the best (unless, like Martha, you bake real cornbread rather than buy store bought).

Here is Grandma's recipe for Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing. This particular recipe from the newspaper about 10 years ago was identical to hers. She would typically have the potatoes peeled, the casseroles prepared, the pies made, and salads chilling the night before, so her Thanksgiving day wasn't fraught with frenzy. 

The turkey was fresh, so there was no need to thaw, but she would take it out of the fridge to sit at room temp for about an hour before putting it in the oven, remove the wrapping and giblets (or "innards" included with the turkey) and put these in a pan of water to simmer all morning--except the liver, which was bitter. She would then use this simmered water later in her gravy roux.

The stuffing was the first thing Grandma made on Thanksgiving Day. This was strategic on her part, because if it was made the day before the bread would be soggy--and you can't have that! She would also never consider stuffing the turkey the day before either--mainly because raw turkey is known to cause serious illness if not properly dealt with.

Once the stuffing was prepared, she would place it loosely (loosely being the key word here) into the turkey so it didn't end up as a blob of bread and/or be difficult to remove once the turkey was cooked. That being said, there was always plenty to make a side dish of "dressing." It just was never as good as the stuffing!

This truly is a winner and you and your guests will love it!