Smoked Turkey Soup

Our lunch today was so good!

For Thanksgiving, my family was at our home. I did a lot of the cooking and my brother brought a big smoked ham and smoked turkey. The meats were cooked at a restaurant on the campus of the university in our town and were both delicious. 

I've made turkey soup a number of times but always with a baked turkey, never a smoked one. 

The Thanksgiving turkey came with a recipe to make soup so I wraped up and froze the carcas after my husband carved it.

I did not read the recipe until after I had already simmered the carcus with water and celery, then strained and chilled it so I could de-fat it. According to the recipe, I was supposed to sauté onions and cook the turkey with onions and spices.

I ended up just heating the broth and cooking 1 cup of rice in my 2 quarts or so smoked turkey broth. 

Then I added 2 jars of Red Gold brand medium salsa (I bought it really cheap about a year ago and still have 8 jars) some leftover smoked turkey from our Christmas Eve turkey that my husband smoked, some frozen corn and a can of drained pinto beans. 

We ate it with a little grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. 

From now on, I will save all turkey bones, whether baked or smoked, to make broth.  

This smoked turkey soup really tasted good on this cold, windy Sunday. It was thrifty, easy and had a lot of good nutrition in it too.

In the top picture is the leftover soup in a half gallon jar- I think I can have smoked turkey soup for lunch all week! 

Verse from Today

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, (Exodus 34:6 ESV)

Christmas Highlights

My sons showed up in matching sweaters, but not matching hairstyles or

Matching boots. 

Fun gifts

Sweet family time with great grandparents and great uncles and lots of cousin playtime too.

Christmas Day food 

7 layer bean dip, fresh fruit platter, veggie platter with dip, triple crock pot filled with Rotel Velveeta dip, meatballs, and little smokey sausages in barbecue sauce

And of course, lots of cookies, some candy and a pound cake. 

After Christmas

My daughter got this gingerbread house kit on clearance at Walmart for $3. My brother, the wreath maker, put it together with his great nieces, Elizabeth and Andie. Elizabeth was interested in making the house look pretty but Andie was just interested in eating the candy trims.

Old Santa and New Santa

My mom made the felt and cloth Santa about 50 years ago, he looks pretty good after all this time I think. 

This year, she crocheted the outfit for a new Santa doll. He is plastic and I bought the undressed doll at Hobby Lobby at a clearance sale. 

Mom made his outfit with supplies she had on hand. Can you see Santa's rhinestone belt buckle? New Santa has a bit more bling than old Santa. He also has eyeglasses.

That's how we had our family time here in Oklahoma. Our decorations are still out and will probably stay out for another week or so. 

I hope you all a happy Christmas, however you celebrated. 

Cut out Christmas cookies

That sugar cookie recipe I mixed up and goofed up over the weekend was baked today, the recipe called for 3 cups of powdered sugar but I didn't read the recipe right and put in 2 cups of table sugar. 

They turned out just fine- I may even just change the recipe and make them this way every Christmas, 

Trees and Santas

Cutters are by Aunt Chicks - an Oklahoma company now called Grammas Cutters

We like our sugar cookies with lots of homemade frosting and coconut.

My helpers- almost 5 year old Gavin was a help, spreading frosting and dipping the cookie tops into coconut and sprinkles. 17 month old Braeden kept us company and sure enjoyed his cookie, but he wasn't much help this year- in time I think he will though, 

My mother and aunts first made these cut out cookies more than 50 years ago. We have them every year and I hope we always do. 

I have posted lots of desserts and sweets lately, but this will probably be the last sugar laden post for awhile.  Once Christmas celebrating is over, we will back to eating lots of salads and fruits. 

Merry Christmas everyone!