The Road to Bowling Green, OH

It’s Monday morning and after a hectic Sunday (the day before leaving). My goal was to be on the road by 6am. I wanted to get out early since Monday rush hour traffic can be brutal. I pulled out of Big Rock campground at 550 and headed to I-88. The traffic wasn’t too bad and even I-355 was moving well.

Then it happened, the dreaded beeping noise which generally means the leveling jacks are not up or low on fluid. I knew the jacks were up so that left low fluid in the pump. The beeping can drive you nuts, so I thought since I was just traveling on 80 for a short time then getting off and traveling east on route 30, I would wait and stop. I got over at route 30 and found a shopping center with plenty of room to maneuver. At 7 am, it was empty. I stopped, figuring it would be a quick fix: just put a little fluid in and off I would go. And then…ut oh! I couldn’t find any fluid. Crap.

So I pulled out of the shopping center thinking, “I can find a truck stop on the way that has the fluid I need.” I couldn’t just pull into an auto parts store with a 40ft coach and towing the Xterra — I’m about 56 feet long.

Route 30 going east in Indiana isn’t as popular as I imagine it use to be. I finally saw a sign that said Hank’s Truck Stop: Best Fried Chicken in Indiana, 2 miles. Bingo! That’s the place. I pulled in and turned around, finding a nice spot in the gravel drive. I went inside, purchased some fluid and filled the pump tank up. WHEW! that’s done. I started up the coach and no beeping sound, what a relief. By now it was about 9:30 am and I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. So I started the generator and had me a breakfast sandwich, then walked Chloe.

Route 30 improves further east: not the rough road it was through IL and into Indiana. You can generally tell the repressed areas by their roads and buildings. They don’t have the money to fix the roads, so sometimes they are pretty rough.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. In fact it was a pleasant drive. I had called the fair grounds to let them know what time I would be in. We pulled into the fair grounds about 3 or so. Right on cue one of the maintenance guys met me. I was getting ready to unhook the truck. He said we are going to park you over here behind the grandstands this year on the blacktop.

image of motorhome park at the fairgrounds
Where I parked at the fairgrounds

So I followed him to the spot they wanted me in and started to setup.

image looking out of the front of motorhome at the fairgrounds
Looking towards the front at the fairgrounds
image of motorhome parked at the fair grounds
Looking from the grandstands at the fairgrounds
image of the grandstands at the fairgrounds
Parked near the grandstands.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Final day at Big Rock!

Today is Sunday and originally I had planned to leave today. But sometimes the list of prep work is so long that it can not be accomplished in one day. Or rather I did a little procrastination. The day was filled with putting things away and taking some things to storage which do not go with me during the winter. My mind was filled with thoughts of what needs to be done and what can wait till another day.

The last day at Big Rock is always a sad day. I will miss my fellow employees, Anthony the ranger who was in charge of the park. Also the campers. Camping is such a diverse group of people, young couples, families, weekend campers and full timers. Working here for two years, you get to know some of the regular campers. Yes during the winter months I miss them. But I know the new season is coming and they will be back.

Over the last two years I became friends with one camper in particular. He and his family are great people. He sets up a huge kitchen for his family and cooks his heart out every weekend they come out. From BBQ grills to Ronco rotisserie cookers he has it all in his kitchen. Sometimes I would just stop by when I was working and he would always offer me something to eat. I can tell you all of his food is great.

One weekend George came in on a Thurs night to start setting up as sometimes he did. He said to me I have something for you. I said what did I do to deserve this? He said just because of how you treat me and my family. He gave me a Ronco rotisserie image of ronco rotisseriecooker! I was blown away by his kindness. So look for some articles about me using the famous Ronco!

 

 

Getting back to the last day, George had invited us for dinner. It was hard to say no to a friend. So I told him I didn’t know when as we had to run to storage to put stuff in there. We ended up having dinner about 9 and George cooked steaks on the grill with a rice dish that was out of this world good. My steak was cooked to perfection! We chatted with them for a bit then it was back to work.

I pulled the coach out so I could get the truck hooked up and then when I left in the morning it would be ready to go. Just one more thing that doesn’t have to be done.

There was so much more that happened on the “last day” but I think I have rambled on enough.
Thanks for stopping by!

Look for the Ronco posts, because I am so excited about cooking in the “set it and forget it” cooker!

Richard

Columbus day weekend

As a workcamper, you know holiday weekends can be busy or not so much. Generally, Columbus Day is a busy weekend.  Families wanting to get that one last camping time in or couples just wanting to sneak away for a quiet weekend. Perhaps grandparents wanting to take the grandkids out for a weekend of camping enjoying the benefits a smore or hot dogs on the open fire.  I worked Friday day shift and it was busy. My boss was mowing the trails watching the parade of trailers, motor homes coming into the campground. Sometimes groups of 3, other times 2. I was getting slammed with people. Some were regular campers which we are always happy to see. Some idle talk and then on to the next one to get that person registered for camping. Wood sales were going crazy. People buying wood for the long weekend at a record pace, one bundle, two, three ,four and a few six bundle sales. I was so busy I didn’t even get a lunch. 

Shift change is at 3 pm but I stayed on until 5 pm. This time of the year we all have to watch our hours because the county only lets us work 600 hrs in a season. Come October most of us are getting close to maxing out on hours so the boss has us watch how close we are. Hence the reason I only worked till 5pm.

Columbus day weekend holds some special memories for me. We have a family vacation cabin in northern Wisconsin and  we would close the cabin up for the winter. This would entail pulling the pier out of the lake and putting everything away in the garage including the boat. I won’t bore you with the little details we would do all weekend. We would have a great cookout dinner on Saturday night with some steaks to finish out another season in the Northwoods.  It was a great family time but now it’s just another weekend since mom and dad are gone. 

To finish up here at Big Rock we ended up breaking some records for the number of campers for the weekend. We had 73 units in the park for Columbus day weekend! WOW, people are finding out about this little gem in Big Rock, IL. So there you have it another Columbus day weekend in the books and another day closer to my travels south for the winter.

 

Be safe out there! 

 

 

 

Crock Pot Stuffing

 

Crock Pot Stuffing
Great easy stuffing that you use a crock pot and keep more space open in the oven!
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Prep Time
1 hr 30 min
Cook Time
8 hr
Total Time
9 hr 30 min
Prep Time
1 hr 30 min
Cook Time
8 hr
Total Time
9 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 c. butter
  2. 1 1/2 tsp. sage
  3. 2 c. chopped onion
  4. 2 c. chopped celery
  5. 1 tsp. thyme
  6. 1/2 tsp. pepper
  7. 1/4 c parsley sprigs
  8. 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  9. 1 (28-oz.) can mushrooms
  10. 3 1/2 c. chicken or turkey broth
  11. 12 c. day-old bread, cubed (I use different types)
  12. 2 eggs, well beaten
  13. 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  14. 2 lbs bulk or link Italian Sausage. (if links remove the casing after cooking and cutting in to small bite size pieces)
Instructions
  1. Cook the sausage until done (this can be done the night before)
  2. Melt butter and saute onion, celery, parsley and mushrooms.
  3. Pour mixture over bread cubes in large mixing bowl.
  4. Add poultry seasoning, sage,thyme, pepper and garlic powder.
  5. Toss well.
  6. Pour enough broth to moisten. Add eggs and mix well.
  7. Pack lightly into slow cooker and cover.
  8. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Notes
  1. Keep an eye on the stuffing to make sure it doesn't dry out and you may have to add more broth.
Lost Rambler https://lostrambler.com/hodor/

Fall is upon us as another season comes to a close.

 

The days of summer seem to be gone now. The temperatures have changed once again. The leaves are starting to change colors. Farmers are picking corn and beans hoping for a good plentiful harvest. Last fall when arriving in Texas, seeing green corn was weird in December. Not that it should be but it just was to me being from Illinois where the corn has long been harvested by then.  It truly amazes me how fast the summer sped by again. We gain knowledge over the years but time just keeps gaining speed so it seems.

20160821_1948501

As I reflect of this camping season, so many things have changed. I did enjoy seeing the campers which I enjoyed visiting with last year. I did miss the ones who never came to camp this year. I do wonder what happened to them? Did they move or did something change in their life that camping was no longer a priority or perhaps ……

Now we come into the Columbus day weekend, the last hurrah for most. They come to camp and then winterize their units. I feel sorry in a way for them because they only have snow along with the coldness of mother winter to look forward to now. With the brief glimpse of spring way on the horizon. When they can get out again to enjoy the wonderfulness of camping again.  While they are planning their weekend and returning the camper into a sleeping mode. I am trip planning and scoping out new campgrounds to explore. The thought of warm weather and another enjoyable winter without the threat of snow and the coldness that Illinois bring upon us during the season called winter. I am thankful for the lifestyle I have chosen.

As the time winds down to I leave IL the project list is still long. I guess it’s time to re-prioritize the list. I know what has to be done and I know what I want to be done.  I realize that some projects will get pushed to the bottom of the list. I am okay with that.  I am looking forward to my yearly visit with friends. Friends and family are important even tho sometimes we just take that for granted.

It is a cloudy gloomy day which has been filled with rain. I am expecting a delivery from UPS with some of the things needed for projects. Chloe is asleep on her usual place the couch.

Reflection is good sometimes, it helps us remember what is important in life.

So there we have it! Another day closer to wrapping up another season in the campground.

Take care and have a great day!

 

Richard


 

 

Reuben Casserole with Thousand Island Dressing

I love Reubens of all variety — classic Reubens with sauerkraut, alternate Reubens with coleslaw (which is called a Sycamore at the fantastic fast food restaurant, Tops, in the Pasadena, CA, area), and slightly more healthy Rachels with coleslaw and turkey instead of corned beef.

But Reubens can’t be found everywhere, so when I found myself with left over sauerkraut from Sunday’s dinner, I searched around and found this recipe on Betty Crocker. It’s not perfect, so I’d love to hear how you’ve modified it. Richard and I thought it was good, but a little too liquid. I think using leftover home-made mashed potatoes instead of instant might fix the problem. I’ll update when I cook this one again after St. Patrick’s Day.

Reuben Casserole with Thousand Island Dressing
Serves 6
Try this tasty casserole when you're craving the flavors of a Reuben sandwich but you can't find a good deli nearby.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 hr
Total Time
30 hr 10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 hr
Total Time
30 hr 10 min
For the casserole
  1. 2 cups water
  2. 3/4 cups milk
  3. 3 tbsp butter or margarine
  4. 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  5. 1 pouches (4.7 oz each) Betty Crocker™ sour cream and chive mashed potatoes
  6. 1 cup corned beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  7. 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) sauerkraut, drained well (rinse to taste)
  8. 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  9. 4 teaspoons caraway seed, if desired
For the dressing
  1. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  2. 1/4 cup ketchup
  3. 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
  4. 1/4 cup dill pickle relish
  5. 1 pinch salt
  6. 1 pinch ground black pepper
Directions for the casserole
  1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease or spray 2 1/2-qt baking dish.
  2. Heat water and butter to rapid boil in 3-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in milk and mustard. Stir in 1 pouches potatoes just until moistened. Let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed. Whip with fork until smooth.
  3. Spread about 1/2 of the potatoes in baking dish. Top with corned beef. Spread sauerkraut over corned beef and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons caraway seed, if desired. Spoon remaining potatoes over top; spread gently. Sprinkle potatoes with cheese and remaining caraway seed.
  4. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until cheese is light golden brown.
  5. Serve with Thousand Island dressing on the side.
Directions for the dressing
  1. Combine all dressing ingredients and mix well. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.
  2. Can be made in advance, but should be well chilled before topping casserole.
Notes
  1. Remember to drain your sauerkraut well to prevent excess liquids.
  2. I don't like my Thousand Island dressing too sweet, so I use dill and sweet pickle relish. Dill pickle relish can be hard to find in some parts of the country. You could try using mustard relish, or just use the sweet pickle relish and omit the dill. You could also add a squeeze of lemon juice to cut the sweetness as well.
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Lost Rambler https://lostrambler.com/hodor/

Gooey Holiday 7 Layer Bars

This recipe is based on one from the 2015 Betty Crocker 24 Days of Cookies. The original calls for white chocolate chips, but I wanted something a little richer, but less sweet, so I went with semi-sweet chocolate chips. When I got everything home and started the recipe, I realized I had picked up evaporated milk instead of the condensed called for. Oops! So I replaced it with a substitute I found on Just a Pinch (I’m not going to include a link here because there is a script on that site that isn’t functioning and crashed my browser…).

To my delightful surprise, they turned out amazing! Like ooey-gooey brownies, but gingerbread flavored. Enjoy.

Gooey Holiday 7-Layer Bars
Yields 32
An awesome ooey-gooey mix of gingerbread, brownies, and 7-layer bars.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
33 min
Total Time
2 hr 50 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
33 min
Total Time
2 hr 50 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 box (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ gingerbread/cookie mix
  2. 2 Tbsp butter
  3. 1/4 cup water
  4. 2 eggs
  5. 1 cup brown sugar
  6. 4 Tbsp flour (divided)
  7. 1/2 tsp baking powder
  8. 1/4 tsp salt
  9. 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or bittersweet chips
  10. 1 cup chopped pecans
  11. 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  12. 1/2 cup flaked (unsweetened) coconut
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom of 13x9-inch pan.
  2. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, water and 2 Tbsp flour until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. It will be sticky.
  3. Bake 15 minutes.
  4. While the crust bakes, whisk brown sugar, remaining 2 Tbsp flour, baking powder and salt until smooth. Make sure to get any lumps from brown sugar into the mix.
  5. Pour down sugar mix evenly over surface. Sprinkle chocolate chips, pecans, cranberries and coconut evenly over top. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until bubbling along edges and coconut is lightly toasted. For my tiny gas oven in the RV, it took 18 minutes.
  6. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.
Notes
  1. The original calls for sweetened flaked coconut, but a lot of the commenters talked about it being too sweet, so I tried it with unsweetened, and found it just right for my tastes. If you have trouble finding unsweetened, try the natural or organic food section of your grocery store, it's often there.
  2. The substitute for condensed milk I used here is 1 cup brown sugar whisked with 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Omit these ingredients if using a 14 oz can of condensed milk.
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Lost Rambler https://lostrambler.com/hodor/

Fresh homemade polish sausage! (White)

Fresh homemade polish sausage (White)
Yields 10
Our family handed down recipe.
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Ingredients
  1. about 10 lbs of pork shoulder
  2. 12-16 cloves of fresh garlic or more depending on how much garlic you like
  3. 1-1.5 cups of ice water
  4. 4 tsps of kosher salt fresh ground
  5. 1-2 tbsps of fresh ground pepper or more depending on your taste.
Instructions
  1. Cut the meat into 1" strips for grinding. Do not cut off any fat.
  2. Keeping the meat cold at all times (we use a bowl with an ice bath under it)
  3. Grind your meat using the large blade and then mix in all ingredients. Mix well. It should be a bit sloppy.
  4. Fry up a small patty to taste seasonings and you can adjust if needed.
  5. Place it in the fridge overnight.
  6. The next day soak casings in warm water 1-3 hrs.
  7. Rinse the casings.
  8. Some people cut them but I just fill the horn up and then cut the casing.
  9. Stuff the sausage into the casings. We do long links or coils that are prolly about 2-3 lbs a piece.
  10. Place the sausage in the fridge uncovered over night to dry a bit.
  11. Then wrap to freeze or cook up.
Lost Rambler https://lostrambler.com/hodor/

Turkey Tetrazzini

Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves 8
Quick and easy (and huge!) recipe for using leftover turkey, ham, or chicken.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  2. 2/3 cup milk
  3. 1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (I like Bertolli)
  4. 3 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey, chicken, or ham
  5. 12 ounces egg noodles, cooked
  6. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen petite peas, thawed
  7. 1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
  8. 1 1/2 cups shredded baby Swiss cheese
  9. 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  10. 1/2 cup crushed garlic-and-butter seasoned croutons
  11. 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
  1. Whisk together soup and milk in large mixing bowl; whisk in Alfredo sauce. Stir in chopped turkey, next 4 ingredients, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch baking dish.
  2. Stir together remaining Parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, and paprika; sprinkle evenly over casserole.
  3. Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 more minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
  1. Okay, so this makes a HUGE casserole. Too huge for Richard and I to eat, too huge to fit in my RV's oven or convection oven. So what I do is make it in two casserole dishes and freeze one for later. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  2. If you want to "healthy" this up, use low fat/low salt replacements for everything you can except the milk, but as usual, don't expect it to be as rich. Skim does not perform well in casseroles I've found, but then I use 2% milk for everything since it lasts longer in the fridge compared to less fat milks. I don't like drinking full fat milk, but that has the longest shelf life of all fresh milks.
  3. Also, I do not salt this casserole, since the Parmesan cheese is salty and the cream of mushroom soup, Alfredo sauce, and garlic-and-butter seasoned croutons are already salted.
  4. Crushed seasoned croutons make great toppings for other casseroles too!
Adapted from Southern Living, November 2003
Adapted from Southern Living, November 2003
Lost Rambler https://lostrambler.com/hodor/

Two-Day Turkey Soup

First off, I should say that soups are one of my absolute favorite things to cook and eat. Not sure if this dates back to eating out with my father who would order soup and salad for dinner many places, or because soup is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet, but why-ever, I love soup. Good soup is an easy but time consuming process, however, but it’s one I enjoy.

This recipe is not going to be your typical recipe card type thing, and you won’t find specific ingredients or amounts listed here. Just a description of the process. This can be adapted to almost anything you have on hand. It starts with a good bone stock.

Bone stocks are awesome. First off, they allow you to get every bit of nutrients out your meat purchase, so they are economical. Secondly, they’re healthy, because they capture many of the nutrients (like calcium) from a meat product that you wouldn’t normally get unless you like to crunch down on bones.

I use my Nesco cooker on slow cook to make broths, since it doesn’t take a lot of electricity compared to cooking the stock on the stove and using propane. In this instance, I break the turkey carcass down so that it fits. This is a messy job and requires confidence with your knife skills. Just make sure your chef’s knife or butcher’s knife is good and sharp for this. A dull knife will slip off some of the cartilage or small bones and frustrate you, and possibly cut you.

Add the carcass to the slow cooker along with some aromatics like carrots, celery, onion, and garlic (if you want a garlic broth). You could also use leaks, shallots, or roasted garlic; fennel; or daikon radish. I wouldn’t replace the root vegetable (carrot) in this recipe with other root vegetables like turnip, unless you roast them first and really like the taste of turnip.

You can, before adding to the slow cooker, roast off all the vegetables with the pieces of the carcass for a more intense flavor. It all depends on how intense you’d like the stock to be. Try it both ways and see how you like it. For basic turkey or chicken soup, I don’t typically roast the carcass or vegetables, because I like a slightly milder stock for these soups and my carcass has already been roasted once. If you’re using beef or pork bones (neck, thigh, etc.) that you bought raw, you’ll need to roast them off first, so add the veg in large chucks to the pan as well.

At this point you can add spices (but not salt yet). I like peppercorns and bay for turkey or chicken soup, but you could add star anise, whole coriander, or just about any whole spice you so desire. Woody herbs like rosemary or thyme can be added here too.

Turn the slow cooker on and go about your day. You can leave this to cook overnight, but at least eight hours is what works for me, but the longer you cook the stock, the more nutrients you’ll get. Remember to give yourself time for the stock to cool after cooking when planning this out. You don’t want to add a container of hot stock to your fridge, because it’ll throw off the interior temperature, especially if you have a smaller RV fridge.

A note about time when cooking stock. Some folks cook their stocks for less time, because the shorter your cook time the clearer your broth will be. If you want a clear stock (for an elegant consommé or a savory gel, for instance), then don’t cook it for more than four hours. But there is a catch to those clear stocks. You won’t get all those good nutrients I mentioned. Particularly, you won’t get a good amount of calcium if you don’t cook it long enough for the bones to become a little soft.

Cooking for a long time does produce a cloudy stock, but it’s a super-flavorful stock packed with nutrients, so it’s your call. I always cook my stocks for as long as I can because I’m not really one of those folks who buy into the “food must be beautiful” theory. Some of the best food I’ve ever had could be considered “ugly.”

Strain the soup once it’s cooled enough to handle. If you’ve got a lot of meat on the bones, save it and separate the meat the next day. Once the stock is room temperature, put it in the fridge overnight. This will allow the fat to separate off. I often incorporate the fat into my soups, because I like the mouth-feel and flavor and I’m not afraid of fat. But if you’ve been advised by your doctor to go on a low fat diet, or if you don’t like the taste, make sure you skim the solidified fat from the stock before using it. This will be easy if you’ve cooked your stock for at least eight hours. Why? Because the stock will gel in the fridge from all the collagen in it after the long cook time.

After you’ve skimmed the fat, you’re ready to make the soup. For my traditional turkey soup, I use carrots, celery, and onion. I use a medium dice for these because I want them to have their shape in the finished soup and be a good size on the spoon. You could go smaller if you like, but don’t cook the soup for too long, as a smaller dice will break down.

I soften the veg in the soup pot over medium heat in either olive oil or olive oil with a little butter. I don’t use straight butter because it can burn/brown. This could be good for some soups, a brown butter base, but I’ve never tried it. Might be good for a soup with a nutty profile, such as a squash soup. Let me know if you’ve tried it!

Once the veg softens, add the stock and cubed or shredded turkey. Let this simmer for as long as you like, or until an hour to a half hour before dinner, depending on what else you’ll have in the soup.

Now for the add-ons. I like turkey soup with egg noodles, rice, potatoes, or barley. This year I made it with egg noodles. I added the dry egg noodles and simmered for about an hour, which resulted in noodles with just the tiniest bit of toothsome-ness but not mushy. The noodles were nicely flavored by cooking in the soup, but FYI, they will thicken the stock a bit while they cook, since they will give off starch. If you don’t want this, pre-cook your noodles and add at the last minute.

Adding uncooked rice will always thicken the soup, sometimes to the point of it not being a soup anymore! So I use pre-cooked or par-cooked rice. Barley takes a long time to cook, so I pre-cook my barley as well. Add these at the end, bringing the soup back to a simmer before serving.

Finally, right before serving, add any fresh leafy herbs you like and the salt. I like parsley, dill, marjoram, sage (cut very fine), or basil here. If you want to use a woody herb to flavor the soup, like thyme or rosemary, you’ll want to actually add this to the stock with the aromatics the day before.

Salt your soup to taste. I tend to under-salt my food and let my eaters salt at the table. If this is the first time you’re making soup, you may be shocked at the amount of salt you’ll need to use. But remember, you’re talking about salting, at minimum, 6 cups of stock! It’ll take a lot, but go in small increments, because once it’s too salty it’s hard to go back. Adding some canned stock (not broth!) if it’s too salty can help bring it back into balance.

I will occasionally, if I want a very rich broth, add about a quarter cup to a half a cup of homemade gravy to the soup. On other occasions I’ve brightened the soup with the juice from half a lemon right before service.

Ultimately, making this soup is about love and fun. It’s never the same year after year, and I always enjoy approaching it with a free hand. It’s a lot of labor, but I enjoy it since I know I’m bringing a delicious and nutritious meal to the table for my loved ones. Enjoy! And of course, if you have any questions, please ask below.