Breakfast

We bought a freshly baked crusty loaf of seeded bread from Whole Foods yesterday. I stood in front of the open fridge and perused shelves and veggie drawers for the freshest ingredients I could find….and there they were...several different herbs and some ricotta left over from making lasagna a few nights ago.

A crostini for breakfast…always good! I did something similar on this post here (umm, guess I could expand on my repertoire of crostini ingredients like this or this).

Delicious!!

Ricotta and Herb Crostini

1 slice of rustic bread

1 cup ricotta (I had whole on hand, but would be just as good with part skim)

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh thyme

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh parsley

1 packed and heaping TBL (or to taste) chopped fresh basil

A decent squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

Mix ricotta, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper by hand until well combined.  Set aside.

Brush both sides of bread with a little olive oil.

Broil in oven on both sides until toasted.

Remove toast from broiler and let rest for a minute.

Pile ricotta mix on top of toast.

Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle on a little more salt and pepper (if desired).

Eat it all up. 

In the summer this goes great with fresh fruit and works well for an easy brunch.

Rustic Turkey Soup

How was your Thanksgiving, my friends?

We spent a quiet day at home cooking, eating, relaxing, and engaging in an abnormal amount of food-related conversation. Our rotation of Christmas DVDs played on (didn't always watch, but it was nice to hear them in the background anyway). We called family members and a few friends to catch up. In between we drank cappuccino and hot chocolate. Nice.

We were kind of sneaky and munched as we cooked, so by the time the table was set the hubs and I were not that hungry (which didn't stop us from eating a little more anyway).

Besides turkey, we roasted carrots and parsnips, and brussel sprouts. We made dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and apple pie.

We had a lot leftovers!  As usual, even before the meal was over, I was thinking of ways to use all the savory sides and turkey in other yummy comfort dishes. I have an aversion to discarding food, so I always try to reinvent leftovers.

Each year most of the Thanksgiving leftovers make their way into a savory, herb soup for a lighter day of eating. Besides breakfast made with leftovers this year (a modified version via this Pin), the soup is pretty much all we eat the day after (and the day after that). It's so good with the caramelized and crusty roasted veggies.

Oh, and after the soup we have a little apple pie, of course!

Rustic Turkey Soup

(I didn't give specific quantities for every ingredient.
Use what you have in the quantities you prefer.
Cooking is all about improvising!)

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.
Add 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup water. You may have to add more liquid later, depending on the quantity of your turkey meat and veggies.
Add any leftover gravy (this is what makes the soup rich and flavorful!).
Bring to boil.
Add leftover veggies (add fresh too if needed).
Add shredded turkey. We like a lot of turkey here.
Bundle up a thick bunch of your favorite fresh herbs in cheese cloth and tie off so they don't escape.
Submerge the herb bunch in the soup.
Season with salt and pepper to taste (we didn't add salt because the herbs pack a punch).
Bring to boil again.
Turn down heat and let simmer until thickened a little.
Remove herb bundle.
Ladle into bowls and while soup is still hot, top with crunchy home made croutons, shredded cheddar cheese, and springs of herbs (herb sprigs are optional, but they look pretty, don't they?)

Enjoy!!