Leftover Turkey Soup

We've all been anticipating it, and it has finally arrived. For some, you have been dreading this moment hoping that it would never happen, while for others like me, you have been anxiously awaiting the first snowfall. The cold has seeped into the air, chilling us to the bone. I love the cold and snow as it is the perfect excuse to stay inside, put on some sweat pants, and try out my cooking skills. Plus, what better way is there to warm up than a warm bowl of homemade turkey soup?

Today, I stepped out of class and could not believe that in a few short hours the weather had turned from sun to light flakes of snow drifting through the air. By the time I walked home I was chilled and in need of something to warm me up. This is when it occurred to me that I still had some left-over turkey from Thanksgiving, and since I had already had my fill of turkey sandwiches, I should make something with it, and that something should be turkey soup! I raided my cupboards in hope that I would have enough ingredients to make this possible. Luckily for me, I did! This is what I used:

1/2 cup of rice

3 slices of left over turkey

1/2 a red pepper

3 bay leaves

Rosemary

Basil

Peppercorn

Chicken Stock

So I got to work. First, I put the rice, turkey and about 5 cups of water into a large pot on the stove. Then I added one cube of chicken stock and bay leaves. The rosemary, peppercorn and basil I added to taste- by the time I finished the soup it ended up being about 1 tsp of each. Next, I waited. While the soup cooked, over low heat I might add, all the flavours commingled together, filling the air with a savoury aroma; it was hard to resist not eating it right out of the pot. After about a half an hour, when the rice was cooked, it was finally ready to add the chopped red pepper and eat. I left the red pepper out until last because I like when it is a little crunchy.

I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the final product turned out, given that it was a last minute concoction. The peppercorn gave it a bit of a "kick", while the red pepper and rosemary gave it a combination of  a sweet and savoury flavour.

Instead of keeping this as my "secret recipe" I thought I would share with you, in hopes to challenge you to raid your cupboards and see what kind of soup you come up with. However, I know that my recipe is a little vague so here is another soup recipe that is fairly similar to the one I have created. This might give you a better idea for the amounts for the ingredients. I am going to give it a try perhaps after Christmas when I have some more leftover turkey. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Is there anything I could add to make it better? What do you put in your soup?