Turkey Vegetable Soup

My Mom is always telling me to use the turkey carcass to make soup. So, when I was done with my Thanksgiving turkey I decided to give it a try!! I found a recipe for Turkey Vegetable Soup and tweaked it a little bit. The result was a great soup. I might add more barley (and water for it) and not use beans next time around. The thing I did differently was to strain all the solids out of the broth and then add more veggies when I added the turkey. So, the result was the broth had good flavor, but not the chunks of onion, etc. I would definitely do this technique again. I didn't have enough celery, so next time I would use more. I experimented with which potato would be the best, but I added them too early and they all got mushy. I think one good-sized Russet would work (peeled).

Turkey Vegetable Soup

1 turkey carcass (approximately 2 1/2 lb.), cut in half [I forgot to cut it in half]
2 1/2 quarts water
2 ribs celery (with leaves) cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces [I didn't use parsnips]
1 ripe tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped [I used some sun-dried tomatoes & paste]
2 medium-sized onions, quartered
3 whole cloves of garlic, bruised [I used chopped]
6 whole black peppercorns
1 t. coarse salt
4 whole sprigs of fresh dill [I used some dried dill weed]
2 T chopped dill
1/4 c. uncooked pearl barley

1. Place the turkey carcass, water, celery, carrots, parsnips, tomato, onions, garlic, peppercorns, salt, and dill sprigs in a large, heavy soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the carcass, celery leaves, garlic cloves, and dill sprigs from the soup. Add the barley and simmer for 40 minutes more, stirring occasionally, adding the 2 Tablespoons of chopped dill during the last 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Fajitas

Fajitas

4 chicken breast halves
3 bell peppers
2 medium onions
2 tomatoes
cilantro
juice of 4-5 limes
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T light molasses
1 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1 T oil
orange juice
white wine
flour tortillas
toppings (grated cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, sliced green onions, etc.)

1. Slice the bell peppers, onions, chicken, and beef into long strips. Chop tomatoes into cubes and chop the cilantro.
2. Mix together the next eight ingredients for the marinade. Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Add bell peppers and onions. Stir fry for several minutes. Add the meat and marinade to the pan and continue stir frying. As soon as the chicken is done, add the tomatoes, orange juice, and wine. Cook another minute until warmed and serve.
4. Turn off the heat and cover the fajitas. Set up your toppings and heat up the tortillas with a damp paper towel in the microwave, using a tortilla warmer container works well.

Note: I tried this recipe with beef (London broil) and red wine, but it wasn't as good as the chicken version. The amount of orange juice and wine will vary, but be careful not to use too much.