Jackson Free Press

Thanksgiving is a time to relax, enjoy a good meal, and make new memories with family and friends. Alas, this warm and fuzzy feeling is soon dispelled once the guests have gone home, and you are left with enough leftover food to feed Santa and all the elves. Turning your leftovers into homemade soup may save you from eating a week's worth of turkey sandwiches.

Consider making a healthy vegetable soup and tossing in leftover green beans, carrots, okra or cabbage. Potatoes serve as an excellent thickener for soups without having to use a lot of cream. Enjoy making bread? Mix a cup of mashed potatoes into the dough for a crusty, chewy accompaniment to your soup. You can turn turkey meat and sweet potatoes into an excellent, hearty chili for cold nights. The sweet potatoes will thicken the mixture and won't add a lot of sweetness when mixed with chicken broth and other savory ingredients֖just be sure to leave out the marshmallows.

Even turkey bones can be recycled. Once the meat has been cleaned off, toss the bones in a large stockpot, add 3 to 4 quarts of water, a sliced onion, a couple bay leaves and a few teaspoons of Italian seasoning. After simmering for an hour, season with salt and pepper, and you have delicious homemade soup stock.