My children have not always been soup eaters. As youngsters, they would have the occasional bowl of canned chicken noodle soup but that was about it. Now that they are older teenagers, their tastes are “maturing” as well and now a big pot of soup is likely to get scarfed down. In fact, it felt strangely ritualistic and almost “cultural” to make the big pot of turkey vegetable noodle soup this past weekend and share the last of this year’s Thanksgiving turkey with my teens…
Even though we’ve had our Christmas decorations up for over a week and are definitely getting into the holiday spirit, it just doesn’t feel “official” until the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers have either been consumed or tossed out. The bowls of soup with fat egg noodles, a salty broth and the few wayward turkey bones signify another milestone, another tradition, and another opportunity for family bonding and memories. And here all I meant to do was use up the last of the turkey carcass and create a healthy, thrifty and savory soup.
My daughter and I stopped and had two steaming bowls each last night after a couple hours of sewing lessons and holiday projects and I’ve got a jar full to heat up for lunch today. It used to be a big pot of soup would last me a couple weeks with some to freeze for later, but we’ll finish this big pot off in a record two days. Now it is official—Thanksgiving 2007 has passed—maybe even my last Thanksgiving with my oldest daughter living at home—and now it is on to chocolate fudge and fruitcake. Time passes, kids get older (and they even start to eat homemade soup), the seasons come and go. Ah, the unending cycles of family life!
Also: On to the Next Holiday
The Importance of Family Traditions