Two Soups for Thurday

Plan now for your turkey leftovers.  Purchase the ingredients now such as pearl barley or wild rice.  You are sure to use all your turkey leftovers up using one of these soup recipes.  These two soups are healthy and easy to stick into your crockpot the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and by lunch or dinner you'll please any crowd.

1.  Turkey Barley Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
1 to 2 cups diced cooked turkey
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 celery, stalks, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.  Combine broth, turkey, barley, onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper in slow cooker. 2.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.


2.  Turkey Minnesota Wild Rice Soup 

Boil one small box 4 oz. wild rice which takes about 45 minutes to cook and then drain it. (Save the wild rice because you will add to soup when you add the turkey stock later.)
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In a soup kettle melt one stick of margarine.
Into the melted margarine or butter. put 1 clove garlic, chopped 3 TB onions, minced,
3 stalks of celery, cut small 3 large carrots, cut small
Cook (but don't brown) on very low about 2 minutes.

Then add one cup of flour. Stir and cook about two minutes on low, but don't burn.

Add
1.  Three quarts of water with turkey bouillion cubes OR 2 boxes of turkey broth OR make your own.
2.  The wild rice that has been cooked and drained earlier
3.  Two cups of cooked turkey, diced small.
4.   Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir well and pour into slow cooker Simmer on low for at least 6-8 hours.

When you are ready to serve add 2 cups milk or 1 cup cream and then allow the soup to heat up again for thirty minutes in the slow cooker.

Serve with a few silvered almonds on top for a great texture contrast.

 From my cookbook, Creative Slow-Cooker Meals: Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty and Easy Dinners by Cheryl Moeller