Turkey Soup and Pesto Olive Grilled Cheese

The Date: 28 November 2011, but we ate the leftovers tonight.

The Occasion: Nabbed some leftover turkey from Aunt Ruth's on Thanksgiving.

The Recipe: From foodnetwork.com, this recipe for Turkey Soup with Egg Noodles and Vegetables.

How it Went:
I thought it was a success. I love anything made with thyme and bay leaves, so this was a sure winner for me. Soup is so easy and flexible. This one is definitely worth making again.

What You Need:
cooked turkey (or chicken), shredded
olive oil
onions or leeks
carrots
celery
garlic
bay leaves
thyme
salt
pepper
chicken broth
egg noodles

Your Turn:
Heat about 2 tsp olive oil in a large soup pot. Saute in the oil

• 2 leeks (or 2 small yellow onions), chopped
• 2 carrots (or a handful of baby carrots), chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced

until they are soft.

Add

• 3-4 C cooked leftover turkey (I added some chicken I had too)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6-8 C vegetable or chicken broth 

and stir to mix well.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 10 minutes, partially covered.

Return to a boil and add 6 oz of egg noodles.

Let simmer just until egg noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard bay leaves.

Enjoy!

This is quite good with sandwiches. Tonight I made Pesto Olive Grilled Cheese.

Butter one side of each slice of bread, as for normal grilled cheese. 

Place bread butter-side-down and spread a bit of pesto sauce on one slice.

Place a piece of provolone cheese on each slice of bread.

On one, spread a layer of thinly sliced olive pieces. 

Now, put the slices together. Your sandwich should be stacked: butter, bread, pesto, cheese, olives, cheese, bread, butter. 

Grill over medium heat in a skillet for a few minutes on each side. Slice to serve.