Freezing Leftovers

Leftovers get a bad rep.

Unfortunately for me, so do girls in their twenties who can vegetables.

And, just because I like my garden, putting food not flowers in Ball jars, and cooking more than going out to eat doesn’t mean that I am not like other twenty-somethings.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t like cocktails downtown with my girlfriends. Or Taylor Swift. Or Instagram. Or fun sparkly shoes.

But, because of my few “old-er lady” tendencies, I have made a conscientious effort to avoid things that might further drive this case home.

Potential Tweets about loving my vacuum and being really excited about my organized spice cabinet have been censored. I try not to let it be too well know that I belong to the library and use it… often. And blog posts with topics like freezer meals have been avoided… until now.

Freezer Meals have a reputation for being a busy mom’s BFF. Carting kids from one activity to another is apparently easier when dinner is already made at home in the freezer and just needs to be heated up.

I am not carting kids around yet, but I do have evenings where meetings go late and I still need to hit the gym. I have days where I have traveled for hours home from a university and have no plan for dinner. And, in the winter, there are plenty of evenings where the last thing I want to do is leave the house to deal with the grocery store.

Story of my life, I am here to break down the reputation: Freezer meals can be anyone’s BFF.

Soups are one of my favorite things to freeze. They defrost well and I also love how well soup stores in the freezer. I typically put the finished soup in a gallon freezer baggie and freeze it solid, flat on it’s side… so that I can save space and stack up even more meals.

Four days past Thursday, I am getting to the point where I am kind of over turkey. So, I decided to make this hearty turkey and rice soup with our left over Thanksgiving turkey so that I can enjoy it some other time when I am not on tryptophan overload.

It will be perfect for a cold January day. Maybe there will be snow on the roads and I won’t be able to go anywhere. Then, I can be thankful for this turkey twice.

And my new BFF.

Turkey and Rice Soup

2014-11-30 14:48:45

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Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
2. 1/2 cup diced onion
3. 1 cup sliced carrot
4. 8 tablespoons flour
5. 6 tablespoons butter
6. 2 cups milk
7. 5 cups turkey broth
8. 3 cups diced cooked turkey meat
9. 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
10. 1 tablespoon dried herbs like oregano, thyme or sage
11. Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Add oil and a little broth to a skillet with onions and carrots. Saute over medium high heat until nearly tender, but carrots retain a bit of their bite.
2. Using a large stock pot, melt butter with medium high heat.
3. Add flour to melted butter and whisk until combined.
4. Keep whisking and add a quarter of the broth until mixture thickens.
5. Still whisking, add remaining broth and milk and bring liquid mixture to a boil.
6. Remove from heat when mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon.
7. Add carrots, onions, diced turkey, and rice to liquid mixture.
8. Stir, adding seasonings like salt, pepper, and herbs.

To reheat

1. Let thaw in refrigerator over night and then heat in the microwave or on the stove.
2. OR,
3. Cook frozen in a large saucepan adding a 1/4 cup water so not to burn over medium heat until warmed through and bubbling.

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