Leftover Leftovers

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are still eating and eating and eating the remnants of the day. A person can only eat so much turkey and dressing and green beans and pecan pie and roasted vegetables and, and, and, until you just want to quit eating anything  to have some relief from the same food.  Right  when I was cleaning the kitchen after Thanksgiving, I did what I always do:  removed all the meat from the turkey then boiled that carcass.  This year I got well over 20 cups of fantastic turkey broth which was deposited directly into the freezer in 5 cup bags.  Today I grabbed one so it would defrost in time for supper.  Most of the leftover turkey was frozen in individual packs with just enough in each  for a single meal for 2.  We will have it at least once a week until Christmas, at which time I will NOT cook another bird.   Even with the individual meal packs we still had enough left to eat about 4 times since Thursday.  I noticed there was about 1 cup of very scrappy bits left in the bottom of the zip lock bag.  Broth, turkey bits, leftover roasted carrots, mushrooms and onions,  and a few sweet potato slices.  Sounded like a soup night.

Leftover Leftover Soup

5 cups turkey broth
1 cup leftover turkey bits and pieces
1 cup leftover roasted vegetables ( I had carrots, mushrooms and onions)
1 small leftover baked sweet potato cut in slices
1/2 cup leftover cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste
Few shakes, thyme, parsley and a pinch of ground sage
1/4 cup pearl couscous* ( also called Israeli couscous)

Toss everything but the couscous in a large pot and bring to a boil.   Turn heat to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Since everything is already cooked, the simmer just allows the flavors to meld.  After 30 minutes put the couscous in the pot and cover it.  Keep it on low for about 5 minutes and then cut the heat off but leave the cover on the pot.  Serve immediately with or without oyster crackers.  As you can see  in the picture I added a dollop of fresh leftover cranberry relish to mine.  The Hub decided to leave it off his.  I thought it added some flavor but I am a sucker for fresh cranberry relish.  He liked it fine as it was.

The only downside is now I have about 2 cups of  soup so tomorrow I guess I will eat leftover leftover leftover soup for lunch.


* I used the couscous because I bought it on an impulse and served it one night like regular couscous. We really did not like it at all but it is perfectly fine as a soup filler.  I am going to have to make a lot of soup because I have about a pound and a half of it to use.