leftovers

I'm sure you have some.

And - I know there are tons of recipes and ideas out there.

But, if you don't make stock with that turkey carcass, you're missing out! Big time. I'm not kidding.

It's so simple too - I use this method whenever we have leftovers from a roasted bird.

Get out your crockpot, fill it with all the bones and bits and drippings (our bird was 14 Lbs*), add 2 carrots, chunked (I didn't peel mine this time - sometimes I do), 1 medium yellow onion, quartered (don't bother to peel), 2 stalks of celery, chunked, 1 tsp. of peppercorns, 1 Turkish bay leaf, and a handful of parsley (if you have it). Fill the pot with fresh water to cover the carcass. Then set it on low and let it go overnight (or for about 8 hours, more or less). It will fill your house with the most tempting aroma! In the morning (or when it's finished), turn it off, let it cool just a bit and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or stockpot. I then use my fat separator to remove the fat and pour the stock into 1-quart freezer containers. You can also chill the stock and scrape the fat from the surface - assuming you want to remove it... (At this point, you may want to season it with salt, if needed). I generally get 2 quarts - sometimes more if the bird was smaller.
*If you have a smaller bird (say, a 3 or 4 Lb chicken), you might double the carrots, celery and onion to boost the flavor a bit.

Now you can do all sorts of delicious things - like make this excellent turkey and rice soup:

(insert photo of steaming bowl of beautiful soup here - still no photos...)

Or, you can freeze the stock for later use - and it does come in handy, especially in these coming cold, winter months...