Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the season, the food (on that day anyway), spending time in the kitchen with my kids, and sharing a traditional meal with family.

This holiday, like many others, begins with traditions. Growing up in Michigan and Ohio, much of my extended family was in India. So, we did what many immigrant families do – we created our own family. Most Thanksgivings were spent at the home of our dear friends the Bakshi’s – where they provided a traditional spread (turkey and fixings) and the Aunties (friends of the family) would plan a lovely Indian menu for the vegetarians.

When I had children, we were blessed to have family living close by (or at least in the states, only a plane ride away!) So we decided to hold Thanksgiving at our home. Each child has their ‘specialty’ they are in charge of – my older daughter makes the sweet potato casserole recipe given to her by a favorite teacher; my middle child makes a fresh cranberry sauce; my son is always in charge of the pies – apple, pumpkin and pecan. The meal is rounded out by a brined turkey (my responsibility), buttermilk mashed potatoes, lemony green beans and mushrooms and last but not least – fresh rolls. With a nod to the tradition of my youth (and the vegetarians in our family) – we always have a vegetarian main – although now-a-days it tends to be a baked italian casserole of some sort.

Although I did manage to get a few snaps – I forgot to pull out the camera at dinner itself – I did capture these lovelies…..

Another tradition we have is to pull out the good china – yes we use the good stuff when we can! When they were really young, we all dressed up….but now things are much more casual.

My favorite part is spending time in the kitchen with each child – remembering Thanksgivings past, the recipes we used and perhaps the ‘improvements’ we made. These memories will be cherished always!!

For dinner – we try to invite whatever family is in town – this year the number came to 17 people, including the 5 of us. We are so blessed to have these people in our lives!

I do come from a long line of cooks that ALWAYS make more then enough food – so leftovers are a given. Friday is usually spent eating at least one or two repeat meals – but after that  I struggle with what to do with all that turkey!

This year I made this fragrant and comforting lemon-orzo soup. Since it is broth/water based, it is very light – just perfect after the heaviness of the meal on Thursday!

And as always – please let me know your thoughts!

Enjoy,

Shruti

Lemon-Orzo Turkey Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup carrots, chopped
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small bunch thyme*
• 7 cups water (or a combination of water and broth)
• generous grind of fresh black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• juice of 1 lemon **
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped ***
• 2 cups assorted vegetables (napa cabbage, or peas and corn – your choice)
• Optional garnish – chopped parsley

Method

1. Heat oil in a stock pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat
2. When hot, put in onion, carrots and celery and garlic. Saute until soft – about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add water, thyme, black pepper and salt. Bring to a boil.
4. Now add orzo. Allow to cook for 8 minutes – or until pasta is cooked.
5. Add vegetables and turkey. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until turkey is heated thru.
6. Garnish with parsley (if desired), serve hot and enjoy the lemony flavor of the soup!

Notes:

* Be sure to remove thyme before serving!

** In our house we like our food really lemony – so I keep lemon halves on the table so that the family can add more lemon juice to their bowls.

*** You can make this soup vegetarian by substituting the cooked turkey with cooked chickpeas.

*** You can also use cooked chicken instead of cooked turkey.