leftover turkey soup

I hope everyone had a delicious and joyful Thanksgiving ! The kids made THE most wonderful desserts (apple pie, pumpkin-chocolate brownies, and a wonderful cranberry upsidedown cake from an Alice Waters recipe), and an amazing amount of conversation was centered around either food, recipes, or Top Chef favorites. I am so pleased to see two more great cooks carrying on the tradition in our family.

As usual, I'm making the Day After Turkey soup - and I wait all year for this. It's a lovely soothing, hearty ( but not heavy) soup that efficently uses up many of those leftovers.

Today, I'm giving you a general recipe, so you can adjust it according to how much turkey and trimmings you have.

First, I make a quick turkey stock:

Cut the useable meat off the turkey and set aside.

In a stockpot place:

turkey bones and carcass, broken up

a little browned turkey skin

cut up onions

mushrooms

cut up carrots and celery (include some leaves)

thyme

fresh rosemary

bay leaves

Whatever else (small amounts leftover squash, roasted potatoes, etc.)

Cover with water, or part water, part chicken or vegetable stock.

Bring almost to a boil, then simmer for an hour.

Strain the stock and taste. If it's too watery, reduce the stock by simmering until you feel it tastes right.

Add:

Carefully cut up turkey meat ( no bones or tendons, please)

a bag of baby carrots (or more)

a few chopped onions (or more)

sliced celery

salt and freshly cracked pepper

more thyme and rosemary

a handful or so of brown or jasmine rice (or more)

a handful of finely chopped parsley

Simmer until the rice is done and the vegetables are soft-tender. Taste again and adjust seasons, then serve with a little more chopped parsley.

Here is the blessing we read yesterday, with thanks to Ralph Waldo Emerson:

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

May this Thanksgiving blessing bloom in your life all year.

thanksgiving countdown: creamed onions

Heaven help me if I forget the creamed onions again! The last time I forgot them my kids gave me no end of grief, so I made sure they were at the top of the shopping list today.

When you shop, the sign usually says "white boiling onions" - and pick through for the smaller ones , which are preferred. They're also a pain to peel, but I can deal with it once a year for my beloveds.

I won't give any amounts, since it's the process that matters, rather than the weight. Take a small onion and, using a sharp knife, shave off most of the stem end ( not the twisty Hershey's kiss top), then trim the top. Cut one onion layer through the onion, then peel away the top layer with the onion skin. Continue until all the onions are trimmed.

Place the trimmed onions in a large saucepan with a bay leaf. Fill with water, so the onions are floating with about two inches of water below them. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the onions are tender, but not falling apart.

Using a strainer, drain the onions but save the onion water. Rinse out the cooking pot, then melt a tablespoon or more of unsalted butter. Whisk in a few tablespoons of flour, then add a cup or so of the onion water to the mixture, whisking all the while. Add a teaspoon or so of thyme, and whisk , whisk, whisk in some lowfat milk ( surprise! No cream!) until the mixture is creamy but thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the onions and gently stir them so they're coated. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve alongside the turkey. Delicious!

thanksgiving countdown: two dairy-free treats for kids

It seems to me more and more children are being diagnosed with food allergies. At holiday time, especially, it's difficult to know what to make or serve to kids when you hear the words "dairy free". And this year, you also need to be aware of the H1N1 flu that targets children from infant to 5 especially, so try to avoid the communal bowl. Here are two great healthy choices for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner snack, or to offer as a dessert that's worry free. Arrange a serving tray with single serve cups, glasses, or bowls with these delicious treats , complete with spoons, and relax. And they're so pretty, aren't they? I'm sure several adults will be sneaking over to sample these goodies.

The creamy coconut dip with fresh fruits is just wonderful! Use a melon ball cutter for any melon you like, or cut up strawberries or bananas to dip in the smooth coconut milk sauce.

The Rosy Applesauce is made from fresh apples and tart cranberries, with just a little honey for extra sweetness. Who can resist it?

Wishing you a peaceful, happy, and delicious Thanksgiving Day!

my little marmalade tree

Nine years ago, I bought an indoor orange tree about a foot and a half high. It's a Calamondin. and every winter ( sometimes Fall) it makes lots of little, bright, sour oranges over the period of a few months. It has beautiful, fragrant white flowers that make you forget winter is happening just outside the window.

For the first few years I might nibble on the inch-sized oranges, but usually I ended up throwing them away. Then a few years ago I suddenly wondered: what about making marmalade with them? Well, I did, and it's wonderful. Because the fruit is so sour, you don't even need pectin or lemon juice, and the skins are soft and thin, so you just slice the whole fruit up, throwing away the random seed or two. The marmalade is somewhat soft, and easily spreadable.

A note : Before you run out and buy a Calamondin, be aware that nurseries and greenhouses use poisons on their plants, so you need to wait a year before eating the fruit: use organic or natural liquid fertilizer and you can be assured the fruit is safe.

To make the marmalade:

Gather up the little oranges and wash. Slice very thinly, discarding any seeds you come across. This recipe is for 2 cups of sliced oranges, so adjust if you have more or less.

Simmer four or five jamjars and lids in boiling water, then let drain on a fresh, clean dishtowel.

Place the 2 cups of sliced oranges in a heavy bottomed pot, along with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil.

Add 3 cups of sugar and stir, turning heat down to a high simmer.

Continue to stir marmalade for approximately 25 minutes, stirring quite a lot, until it reaches around 230 on a candy thermometer, or drips thickly from a wooden spoon. This is just around soft-ball stage.

Ladle marmalade into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom, then place the lids and rings on and tighten. You should hear them ping about a half hour later as they seal. If they don't seal well, just keep in the fridge, where, I assure you, they won't last long.

And to folks in warmer areas, I envy you! These can grow outside as long as the temperature stays above 20F.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you're using a different citrus, like clementines, unless they are marked "organic", make sure you rinse the citrus well in a vinegar bath of 2 tablespoons vinegar (any kind) to a quart of water. Rinse again in clear water, and pat dry before slicing. I do think clementines with 2 tablespoons lemon juice would approximate the taste of the Calamondin oranges - the peels are thin with very little pith. I'll let you know when I try it.

Featured on TasteSpotting!

thanksgiving countdown: two soups

Even with a feast like Thanksgiving, there are some people who like to start the dinner with a light soup. I'm definitely one of them. I don't use cream in these smooth soups, preferring to simply use more vegetables before pureeing. I doubt you'd ever notice the difference. And because there's no cream, the soups are less heavy and filling. And (pssst), they're healthy, too!

At the top, there's the Spicy Mushroom soup, with toasty sauteed mushrooms and lots of thyme.

At the bottom, the gorgeous Spinach soup, with handfuls of baby spinach pureed to that beautiful bright green.

Serve with some of those Portuguese flour rolls, or a few crackers and enjoy!

thanksgiving countdown: two pretty salads

Both of these salads add a burst of color to the overloaded Thanksgiving table. The roasted butternut with pomegranate dressing and arugula has a lovely zest to it, while the watermelon salad with gorgonzola is a real stand out!

thanksgiving countdown: simple cakes

There's always someone who doesn't like the pumpkin pie. For those people, and for extra rations for company, I've included several unfrosted cakes that can be made ahead and frozen. The silly 3-minute microwave cake-in-a-cup is included , simply as entertainment for the kids. It's not bad, either, especially if you drizzle a little chocolate sauce on top after it comes out of the microwave.

From the top, there's the lovely spiced Pumpkin Cake with sugared ginger, then the Orange-Scented Olive Oil cake, and then my current favorite, Fresh Apple Gingerbread.