The Last of the Turkey Soup

I don't bake. I stir-fry, make soup or use the crock pot. My neighbor convinced me to go to the grocery store on Christmas Eve to score a few bargains at the last minute, like turkey. Why not?? I semi thaw it, hack it into pieces with my cleaver, cook the parts I want right now & bag the rest for the future. I love turkey thighs.

This time around I filled the crock pot with thighs, legs, wings and gibblets. Added a little garlic, some onion, a pinch or 5 of salt,  a couple of cups of water and let it simmer on LOW all night while I slept. Late in the morning, I took out all the meat which I stripped off the bones except for the neck which went back in, added more water,  some celery and let it simmer most of the day. The legs and thighs were delicious.  Half the leftover meat went back into the crock while the rest hit the fridge. I left it on LOW overnight and added dried tortellini the next day. While it simmered, I chopped kale and Bok Choy tops to stir in just before serving with crusty bread that day for late lunch and dinner. Couldn't finish it all so I added more water, more pepper, some barley, baby carrots and the rest of the leftover meat and let it simmer all night on LOW. Had it for breakfast and dinner again.  Best Damn Turkey I ever had!!  And the breast is still in the freezer.

The Crockpot is a lifesaver for the Single person! I didn't get dressed for three days over Christmas & enjoyed several of the marathons that ran day and night. I discovered 'The Amazing Dr Pol' on the National Geographic channel. A lovely show about the comings and goings of a modern day vet in the farmlands of Rural America. I watched Fred and Ginger cavort on the stage in several really old black and white movies on Turner Classics - it isn't really Christmas without them. This year, I did NOT watch 'A Christmas Carol' or 'It's a Wonderful Life' in any incarnation. Why? I don't know - I guess I just wanted something new for a change. 'Hawaii Life' seemed a better option this year, somehow. And while I watched, I knit.


I finally finished the socks in size 12 for the Dental Assistant I see in the spring. I have another pair to knit for her in pink - Pink Frankensocks! But I'll do them later in January.


I decided to knit a coat of many colors for myself. I knit several swatch strips about three feet long with two to eight colors on each to see how I liked the effect. A friend has one that she found in a Thrift Store which I really like but it's basically 5 or 6 colors in big blocks that are pulled from a multicolored yarn that makes up a couple of blocks in the sweater. The multicolored block ties the other colors together nicely. My bag of leftovers ranges from orange to pink, all in solid colors. The pinks and purples sort of make up one lot and the oranges, yellows and  greens make up the other with the tans and one ball of grey working with either lot. And I don't think there's enough of either group to make a sweater for me. I think it would look silly to put all the colors together unless I knit an Adult Surprise Jacket which is designed to use all the leftovers. Or maybe, a jacket with one side going horizontal and the other vertically so it doesn't look silly.


I made the only decision I could and threw it all back into the bag and cast on for a Wonderful Wallaby in blue. I have enough skeins of the Anniversary Twist from Briggs and Little to knit one for myself. Just a simple pull over to keep warm while I sit outside Starbucks with a tea or pound on the keyboard in my cold cold office.  And, by the way, toddle on over to Chez Lizzie @ blogspot.ca and take a peek at her new jacket.