The weeks and months fly by, and before you know it, another year is behind you. I think that is why I am a firm believer in making every minute count—you never know how many more you have left. When I turned fifty, I told my sons and their families that the extravagant Christmases were over. The best gift I could give to them, and that they could give to me, was time. Time spent together is not something you can buy. It is not something that will break and be discarded with yesterday’s trash. It is, however, something that can live on in memories, and photographs, to be cherished forever.
The holiday that I treasure the most is Thanksgiving. While there is so much to be thankful for all year ‘round, it just seems to me that Thanksgiving Day gets lost in the hectic craziness of the Christmas season. This time of year the earth is alive with color and fragrance; and all we have to do is sit back and drink it all in and be reminded of the beauty of the world. However, that is primarily in September and October. The meaning and purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving Day gets lost in the hectic craziness of the Christmas season. You can’t walk into a store in September any more without seeing displays of Christmas decorations, hearing Christmas music, and listening to people brag that they have already finished their Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving Day has actually become Christmas Bargains Day Eve. Instead, shoppers lose site of the purpose of Thanksgiving Day, anxiously anticipating the bargains and good buys they will find at the opening of stores in the wee hours of the Friday morning after. This year, stores even started opening at 8 o'clock in the evening, to enable shoppers to beat the Black Friday rush. My grandson had to be at work at 11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving because his store opened at midnight. He worked until 4 p.m. the next day. What ever happened to letting the employees have a day off to share with their families, for which I am sure they are grateful.
Perhaps we should move Thanksgiving to another month, June for example. June is a much better month for a Thanksgiving celebration. We can be thankful that we and other elderly family members and friends have made it through the winter in good health. We can be thankful for the graduations and weddings of our loved ones, the joy of watching children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren thrive in the sunshine and fresh air, and for the birth of babies after difficult or seemingly never-ending winter pregnancies. We can be thankful for the warmth and beauty that surrounds us after a bleak, cold winter, and for the miracle of the land bearing fruits and vegetables when only a few months ago it looked so barren we thought nothing would ever blossom and grow again. Yes, I think June is an excellent choice for celebrating Thanksgiving. Don’t be surprised if you smell the aroma of turkey coming from my kitchen or grill in that month.No matter in what month you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, don't let that turkey carcass go to waste. Turkey Soup with Danish Dumplings tastes just as good in the summer as it does in November. I can't recall where I originally found this recipe. I know that it was back in the 1970s though, and it was probably in some magazine. It called for turnips and bay leaf and tomatoes, and that just didn't sound good to me. Also, I like a lot of parsley. So, of course, I altered it to my taste. Let me know what you think. And if you do celebrate in June, you'll have fresh parsley from the garden to use in it!
©2012 Kathy Striggow
1 meaty Turkey Carcass
12 cups chicken stock OR
12 cups water with 1/2 cup chicken broth base
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced (2 cups)
2 medium parsnips, sliced or diced
2 medium carrots, sliced or diced
1/2 cup snipped parsley (or more to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 recipe Danish Dumplings
Directions
1. In a large soup pot, combine carcass, water and chicken stock. Bring to boil then simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until meat falls freely from the bones. Place on a plate and allow to cool.
2. When the turkey is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and set it aside, together with any juices that have drained.
3. Add the onion, celery, parsnips and carrots to the stock. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Return the meat to the broth. Taste to determine if the stock is properly seasoned. If necessary, add additional stock (or dry stock base) and salt.
6. Add the parsley and stir well to incorporate.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes. In the meantime, make the Danish Dumplings.
7. Drop the dumpling dough by tablespoons on top of the bubbling soup.
8. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid until 20 minutes have passed. Remove from heat.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 8-12.
Danish Dumplings:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. snipped parsley
1. In a medium saucepan combine water and margarine; bring to boil.
2. Add flour, baking powder and salt all at once, stirring vigorously.
3. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
4. Add eggs, one at a time beating after each until smooth.
5. Add parsley. Drop by tablespoons into bubbling soup. You should be able to make 12 dumplings of this size. If you like smaller dumplings, use a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon.
6. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Then enjoy!
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