October 28, 2009

On October 28, 2009, there was a shoot-out with federal agents at a warehouse in the city of Dearborn, Michigan, a suburban city on the outskirts of Detroit. You may have seen something about it on CNN. All of the cable channels were abuzz about it. Here in the metro Detroit area we got our coverage from our local channels, as well as the local newspaper.

Initially, the feds said they raided the warehouse because of terrorist plots. It eventually became known that was hogwash. The people targeted in the raid, both at the warehouse and at their homes, were Muslims. I guess any more anything to do with a Muslim makes it terrorist.

Anyway, these Muslims were black, as in African-American. Not Muslims from Iran or Yemen or any place overseas. Us citizens born and raised here.

A number of them were ex-cons. US ex-cons. Men who had converted to Islam while doing time in our prisons. Men who, once released, began attending the mosque led by Luqman Ameen Abdullah.

The economy here in Michigan is very bad. I believe the national unemployment rate is maybe 10% right now. In Michigan I believe it's closer to 20%. In Detroit it's guesstimated to be close to 50%.

Because these men, many of them anyway, were ex-cons, their chances of finding gainful employment were slim to none. Why would any business hire an ex-con when there are so many people out of work in this state who have never committed a felony?

My friend, HSM, says any Muslim who is committing crimes, no matter what they are, is not a Muslim because that type of behavior is forbidden in the Holy Quran. She says to commit a crime, even if it is to put food on your table, shows a lack of faith in God to provide for you.

I'm not a hard liner like that. I believe that any one--you, me, your neighbor, your mom and your dad, etc.--when faced with poverty-no food to eat, no money for rent, etc.--will do whatever they have to do to provide for their families and loved ones.

The feds now say they raided that warehouse because of weapons they believe were being bought and sold.

I don't know what those folks were doing. Maybe they had a little criminal enterprise going on, I don't know. Would it totally surprise me? shock me? Hell no. They were ex-cons and ex-cons and their families have to eat, too.

What I do know is that the people in his neighborhood loved him. I'm talking about Luqman Ameen Abdullah.I have yet to hear a bad word spoken about him or his followers. And it's not just his neighbors, or the people in Detroit who loved him. Nope. The man was loved and respected throughout the entire Muslim community--black, white, Pakistani, etc.

It has been said that if you came to him and needed food, he fed you and your family. If you needed rent money, he gave it to you. He was a charitable man.

Anyway, on 10-28-09 the feds raided that warehouse in Dearborn where the Iman (Luqman) and some of his people were. Shots were fired, say the feds. The police dog the feds sent in was shot, by the Iman according to the feds. And the feds shot and killed the Iman.

The police dog was air lifted somewhere and later died.

There was outrage from Iman Luqman Ameen Abdullah's followers at his death. The entire Muslim community was upset. Al Jazeera, the Arab tv network, has been to the metro Detroit are several times, as recently as a week or two ago, reporting on the event.

Followers of Iman Luqman say that a white man, a white man purporting to be a Muslim, joined their mosque some time ago. The day of the federal raid on the warehouse was the last time any one saw the white guy. A couple of minutes prior to the raid he said he had to get a drink of water. And he disappeared. Common sense says he was the federal informer.

Anyway, Luqman's autopsy was never released despite the act that the local newspapers, the Muslim community, etc, were filing FOIAs (Freedom of Information Act) to obtain copies.

Last night on the Detroit local Fox channel affiliate (channel 2) they broke the story on Luqman's autopsy results.

The Iman had been shot 21 times. All of the shots were either in his chest or below, many of them in his genitalia. At least one shot was to his back. He was found handcuffed.

The tv reporter relayed this information to the head of a Muslim orhganiztion in Dearborn, Dawud is hs first name but I can't recall his last name, while he was on camera. Dawud looked as though he took a physical punch to his stomach when he heard it. And his eyes filled up.

The police dog had not been autopsied, apparently. The feds say Luqman shot the dog but with no autopsy, well, who is to say that the feds didn't accidentally shoot their own dog and then used the dog's shooting to justify killing Luqman.

It has been said that Luqman and his followers were entrapped, is that the word? That they were getting along just fine and someone--more than likely the white guy who infiltated their mosque--offered them a deal or a plan and they foolishly took it.

That wouldn't surprise me. In fact, it's been alleged to have happened numerous times around the country over the years. Often times it's the result of a snitch (someone who has gotten arrested for something) making a deal with their arrestors to give them info on something in order to get themselves out of their own mess.

Whatever happened, however it happened, it's still all wrong.

By all reports fom those who knew him, Iman Luqman Ameen Abdullah was a good man. And now he's dead. Shot 21 times. At least once in the back.

And this is America.


Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net





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TV Benefit Concert For Haiti

Did you watch the benefit concert for Haiti on tv tonight? It was on a gazillion channels, even Canadian tv, from 8pm est until 10pm est

I watched it. I loved most of the musical acts.

Mary J. Blige was amazing. That woman has a voice. She was dressed really nice, too. Properly dressed for her age. I love to see that on people. And I think I really like her because she was once a crackhead. A crackhead that got off the pipe and that's not an easy thing to do.

I also enjoyed Jennifer Hudson. She's another one gifted with a voice. I almost didn't recognize her though. She's lost a lot of weight and she looks beautiful.Truth is though, she was beautiful when she was a big girl, too.

The show opened with Alicia Keys. You know, the very first time I ever heard Alicia Keys sing was on the tv benefit for Hurricane Katrina. I had to ask someone who she was. I've bought ever single one of her cds since.

And did you see Kid Rock? He sang with Sheryl Crow and Keith Urbam. I really like Kid Rock.

Hope you caught the show and enjoyed it as much as I did.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net
www.tawnyford.com


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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Before I Forget

I'm starting to feel like an old timer with a case of alzheimers with the way I preface so many sentences with 'before I forget'. I don't know if it's a result of just too much stuff in the memory banks, lack of sleep, improper diet, chemicals in the atmosphere, etc. Whatever is causing it,it wouldn't hurt my feelings if it went away.

Anywy, before I forget, do you get the Create Network/Channel (it's a Public Tv station)? If you do, and if you or a loved one like to knit and/or crochet, they're supposed to be running those types of shows all day this Saturday, January 24th. I'm looking forward to it.

Lack of sleep, at least for the past couple of days, could be contributing to my forgetfulness. For some reason I have been plagued with insomnia-like symptoms the past two nights. I have never had a problem sleeping, never, so this is all foreign to me. And I'm not liking it.

Hope all is well at your end of the world. Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Haiti

I've been trying not to watch the horror that has been Haiti for the past week. It quite literally hurts my heart to see the people and what they are enduring. On the news tonight they estimate that there are at least 100,000 known dead--so far.

I saw film of people--the tv people called it looting, not me--looting stores in Haiti. So what? Why is that a crime? Those buildings, and their inventories, are going to be bulldozed, destroyed. Why can't the people help themselves to what is left?

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Saturday Yawnings

I've got a severe case of the yawns today. I stayed up much too late last night watching a movie on cable. 'Day Of The Dead', have you seen it? It's sort of an in color version of 'Night Of The Living Dead' but not as scarey. Much gorey-er though, and pretty funny.

Because I stayed up so late I over slept this morning. I don't mind sleeping in, that's all good. What I mind is, because it was an unplanned sleeping in, everything I had planned to do today is waaaay behind now.

For the crocheters and knitters in your life, www.knitandcrochetnow.com It's the companion site for the show by the same name that runs on some Public TV stations. I watch the show when I am able and I always learn something from it. The website is good, too, and will only get better as they keep adding content to it.

I've been struggling for days with a new (to me) crochet pattern for a shawl I want to make. The pattern is named 'tranquil shawl'. Yeah, right. For some reason I can't 'get' the pattern right. I can do all the stitches called for, I know how to count, but it still keeps turning out messed up. I am so far from feeling tranquil that I find myself talking to my yarn and I'm not saying anything nice either (smile).

I'm still reading that Stephen King book. I think I'm about halfway through it. Only 600 pages to go.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@webtv.net
www.tawnyford.com

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Frozen River

While I have a number of the premium movie channels as part of my cable package, unless I'm watching Big Love or one of the other series that I like, well, I often times forget that there are good movies on these channels, too.

Tonight, while I was clicking through the channels, trying to find something to watch, I discovered the movie Frozen River. I don't recall which one of the channels it was on although I'm pretty sure it wasn't HBO.

Anyway, it was pretty good. If you run across it you just might like it.

Be good and be careful,take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net


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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

S.O.2

Funny thing, although not in the traditional sense of what most folks consider funny, remember my blog yesterday about sex offenders? Well, last night one of my cousins called and said that another one of our cousins got sentenced yesterday to 15 to 60 years for 1st degree criminal sexual conduct on a female under 13 years of age.

I had heard rumors that the cousin had done 'something' to'someone', but they were just that--rumors. While I've never been fond of that cousin, in fact always did my best to avoid being around him, you never want to believe something, good or bad, unless it's been proved to be so.

Well,it's proved now.

It's not like he was out on the steet some place and he grabbed a little girl and dragged her into the alley. That would be bad enough. This was worse. He knew this girl. She was a relative of his wife.If sexual assault/rape/pedophilia can be made worse, this was. He knew her, over time he coerced her, and he not only took her virginity, but she became pregnant (and is now raising the baby). He used his 'power' of influence over her. He misused her trust. He did a very bad thing.

You would think with a sentence of 15 to 60 years it would mean that he would be gone away to prison for a very long time. Forever really. Nope.

He'll end up doing at least 14 years. And while 14 years is nothing to be sneezed at, its not a for ever.

At the end of 14 years odds are good he'll get a parole. Why? Because sex offenders are, generally speaking, model prisoners. They do their time, they don't give anybody a difficult time, they work hard to make their first parole date. Why? Because then they get back out on the street and are able to almost immediately endulge in satisfying their lust for young/improper flesh.

Remember what I told you yesterday? A stint in the joint is merely a break, a respite, a mini-vacation for a sex offender. They know if they behave while in prison they will soon, rather than later, be able to get back to having their fun.

People always say 'yeah, well rapists get fucked with when they get to prison!'. Maybe back in the day. Certainly in the old black + white movies. But today? Nope. Why not? Because there's too damn many of them in prison.

Unless of course the family of the girl knows someone doing time. Unless they have a connect with a prisoner. Then, sometimes for a few dollars, they can get that prisoner to beat-up, stab, kill the prisoner who raped their loved one.

More than likely what's going to happen is my cousin, who is a very weak and pitiful fellow, will have to find a 'man' to protect him while he does his time. My cousin will end up being a gumpie, someone's bitch, for 14 years.

And he'll be squeezing his sisters and brothers and mother--actually, his 'man' will be doing the squeezing through him--for money. Money for a tv, a radio, a mp3 player. Money for the prison store so he can buy zoo zoos and wham whams. Money for everything and more under the sun.

Before the 14 years are up, more than likely, his immediate family will have grown to hate him. Right now they hate what he did, but they love him. Pretty soon they won't love him anymore. They're all fixing to do the bit with him whether they realize it or not.

So it's kind of funny that I was talking about sex offenders yesterday and now it turns out my cousin is a convicted one. But I still stand by what I said yesterday. Every single last word of it.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Sex Offenders

I heard something on the news the other day about one of the states, can't remember which one, trying to find a way to keep sex offenders locked up after their court-appointed period of incarceration is completed. You know, like let's imagine they got a sentence of 5 to 10 years and, after they completed the full 10 years, rather than release them--just keep them locked up for ever.

If I'm not mistaken, other states (again, which ones I can't remember) have attempted to civilly commit (I hope that's the right term) sex offenders after their maximum sentence was completed. Like, put them in a mental health facility, for ever.

I'm against keeping people locked up in prison past their sentence out date. It's illegal. If you want to keep them incarcerated for ever, then give them a for ever sentence.

I'm not so sure how I feel about civil commitment. It's a nice idea, but again, if you never want them to hit the streets of the free world, then give them a for ever sentence and you won't have to worry about it.

Personally, and I hope you're sitting down while you're reading this, I think sex offenders should be killed. Not by standard execution methods--no gas chamber, etc. That's just too far removed and remote and abstract to make a difference.

The sex offender, the ones whom I think should be killed--and I'm identifying 'him/her' as someone who has committed a sexually predatory act more than once--should be taken to a major league baseball stadium or football stadium, a crowd assembled armed with rocks, and everyone throw the rocks until the predator is dead.

Harsh? Do you really think so?

I see it as fighting fire with fire.

Sexual predators don't stop at one offense. They don't 'just' rape Susie. They rape Susie and Sally and Mary and......until they are caught. Rapists are predators until they're dead. Pedophiles are predators until they're dead.

Let justice be handed out to them in a public, some may say brutal manner, and the remaining predators in the world will take notice. And, I'm willing to bet, after a short while there won't be any more sexually predatory behavior.

Why? Because as it stands now all the predator gets is x-number of monthes or years in prison. Then they are released. Then they commit their acts of foulness again and again until they are apprehended and sent off to prison. And the revolving door cycle continues on and on and on. More innocent victims preyed upon while the predator gets a slap on his hand. And a few years in the joint is a slap on the hand for someone who knows he/she only has to bide their time until they can get back out and continue on with their foul ways.

I don't care what the shrinks say, sexual predators never stop. There is no fool proof therapy to make them 'right'. Maybe through medicine and counseling you can hold them at bay for a while, but it's only a while and then their urges manifest. And the revolving door of prison......


On that cheery note, be good and be careful, take care stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Till The Wheels Fall Off

Happy day, the www.T9space.com is still up and running and working for me!

Have you been paying any attention to that stuff Harry Reid supposedly said pre-election? About Obama (and I'm paraphrasing here) being a viable candidate because he's light-skinned and able to talk 'white' and "black' both?

Reid has (supposedly) apologized to Obama for saying it, and apologized to Al Sharpton, too. Both of whom have accepted hs apology.

The Republicans, however, are calling for Reid's head. They want him to step down from his post. The Republicans are comparing Reid's remarks to Trent Lott's. If you'll recall, Lott was forced to step down.

Maybe I'm missing something here, it's always possible.

Trent Lott got in trouble for praising Strom Thurmond (on his 100th birthday) for Thurmond's decades-ago racist-based presidential campaign. Not merely mentioning that Thurmond once upon a time ran for president, but praising the racist nature of his campaign.

Reid has said what we all know to be true. In fact, Reid said the same thing that I said in this blog. Gee, do you thnk Reid reads my blog (smile)???

I said Obama had it going on for him because he wasn't a child of slaves. No one in the US could ever say they used to own Obama's family members. His wife Michelle, yes. Her ancestors had been slaves. Obama, no. And because of that he had a good shot at getting elected.

I also believe Reid used the (dreaded?) word 'negro' and the Republicans want to hang him out to dry for that,too. I find that interesting because Congress approved use of the (dreaded?) word 'negro' on the US census papers.

I'm conjecturing here that the Republicans are using this Reid stuff to improve their numbers in Congress. And to derail health care.

I'm a major fan of health care. I believe we all have a right to health care, ever single last one of us whether we can afford it or not.

I don't know if the health plan they're working on now is good or not. They worry me by saying it's affordable. What they feel to be affordable I may not be able to afford. Personally, I'm more for a free health care plan. Like what some of the other countries have. And yes, I realize nothing is free. Taxes would have to pay for it.

But hey, if we can afford a war in Iraq, a war in Afghanistan and a secret war in the Sudan, hell, we can afford to give us all free health care!

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.
I'm posting on my own until the wheels on the wagon fall off!


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net


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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

Twofer Sunday

It finally happened! HBO ran the first episode of the new season of Big Love this evening at 9pm est! I LOVE this show! Are you watching it? If not, why?

Another exciting thing--and I'm hoping it's a lasting one--I'm posting this all by myself. Not at the library, not on a friend's computer, not by having someone else repost it for me. I found a site T9space.com that seems to be a work-around-site (for want of a better way to explain it) that enables you to do things that your system won't let you.

Cross your fingers, let's hope this posts for me.

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

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Sent on a phone using T9space.com

In The Kitchen With Tawny!

We had so much fun the other day making soup that I figured what the heck, it's a cold snowy day, let's make something else (smile).

This is so easy it's cheating. Brownies.

Sure, you could make a brownie batter from scratch. There are many wonderful recipes out there. And if you find one you like and decide to use it, well, good for you. But me, I'm going the easy route this time.

Buy a box of brownie mix. I have a box of Betty Crocker brownie mix. I got it on sale for $1.00 the last time I was at Wal-mart. Follow the directions on the back of the box for the water, oil and eggs. Mix it well, just like how the box says to.

Now get some Snickers candy bars, or Milky Ways bars. If you use the little personal sized ones, maybe a dozen of them. If you use a regular size bar, use maybe three of them. And then cut them up into little pieces.

Mix the cut-up candy bar pieces in with the batter. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake it at whatever the temperature says on the box for the fully allotted time for your size pan.

When it's done, set it on a rack to cool. When they are cool--cut and eat them. They are so good! The candy bar addition makes them even better. The Snicker bars make it kind of extra chewy, and the Milky Ways make it caramely.

Now if you don't want to use candy bars, get some orange juice or chocolate milk or even Kahlua. How much water does it say to add to the mix? Okay, let's pretend it says 3/4 cup of water. I'd add 1/2-cup water and 1/4 cup orange juice (or Kahlua or chocolate milk), which would give you the 3/4-cup of liquid, and add some interesting taste to the brownies.


Me, I have a pan of brownies sitting cooling on the kitchen table right now. I added some Kahlua to the batter this time because I was too lazy to cut up candy bars. And I tossed in 1 cup of finely chopped pecans. And I'm contemplating, once they're completely cooled, putting a ganache on top.

What is ganache? It's sort of like a frosting.

GANACHE
--------
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or the equivalent in chocolate chips)

3 tablespoons room temperature butter

2 tablespoons whipping cream


Whisk all three ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium low heat until melted and smooth. Pour evenly over the brownies in the pan.

Chill brownies until ganache is set, around 2 hours. Then cut and eat.

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Let's see, what else? We ended up with about 5 inches of snow from yesterday's storm. And it's still cold, but supposedly getting much colder over the weekend.

Oh well. It's almost spring!

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


Hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com
tawny_ford@webtv.net

Nobody Is Out Today!

The tv weather people are talking snow for here for tomorrow into Friday. Depending on how close you live to the Ohio border, they say, determines how much you'll be seeing. I forget what they predict for here, maybe two inches, maybe more. But because whenever snow is predicted, suggested or even whispered about, well, people flee from their homes as if marauding armies were marching towards us. And they barage the grocery stores, stocking up on everything white---toilet paper, eggs, milk, bread. So when I ventured out this morning I was mentally prepared to 'dance' around oodles of people as I took care of my errands.


Imagine my surprise when there's, like, nobody out here!


I'm not complaining. Oh no. I really really really dislike crowds. I mean I really dislike them. It's just that it's more than a little spooky when the stores are empty, there's parking (and an available computer to use) at the library and no line at the post office.


And you know what else? It's not realy cold, either. It's somewhere in the 20 degree range and I don't think there's any wind chill because there's no breeze. Okay, if you live in Alabama or Mississippi you're shivering just reading 20 degree temps, but for up here in the winter this is down right balmy! I didn't have to wear a hat, a scarf or my gloves!


I'm still reading that new Stephen King book and since it's mega in size I think I'm going to be reading it for a week. And I'm starting work on a shawl, too. Very soft yarn in a really pretty shade of purple.


And I'm going to make turkey vegggie soup when I get home. Like I showed you how to make the other day.


I had intended to make soup yesterday but there was a water main break down the street and my house was water-less for most of the afternoon. You gotta have water to make soup!


Hope all is well at your end of the world. If you feel like yakking, give me a call. You know I always love hearing from you.


Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.


hugs, Tawny
www.tawnyford.com

Some Of This, Some Of That

It just dawned on me that I didn't tell you yesterday how to know when your soup is done! Okay, when your vegetables--your carrots, your sweet potatoes--are tender, then your soup is ready to eat. But you probably already knew that, right?

Do you get TRUTV on your cable? If so, have you seen 'Conspiracy Theory/J. Ventura'? Yes, that's Jesse the Body, the former governor of Minnesota, hosting it.

I've seen one episode so far. And I really liked it. New episodes are Wednesdays at 10pm EST. They repeat episodes throughout the week, too.

I read a lot all year round, but even more in the winter because, well, it's often times too cold and too miserable to go out. The last two books I've read have been incredibly good:

James Lee Burke "Rain Gods"
Sara Paretsky "Hardball"

I don't think I've ever read anything by either of these two authors that I didn't like.

So now I'm reading Stephen King's "Under The Dome". I feel like I'm lugging Webster’s Dictionary around with me, as King's book is a thousand pages!

And I'm crocheting a hat. After I 'lost' my winter scarf and had to make a new one, well, I decided to make three so I'd never be at a loss again. And a scarf needs a hat, right? I have two done, a pink one and a green one, and now I'm working on an orange one.

While my hats and scarves match perfectly, my gloves are another story. I bought a new wickedly warm pair prior to realizing my old scarf was history. The gloves are bright fuchsia. Oh well, any one can match (smile). It takes a very confident person to wear conflicting colors (smile).

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong.

Hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@yahoo.com
www.tawnyford.com

Winter Wonderland

Wherever you are, I hope you're keeping warm. It's cold here in the metro Detroit area, but nowhere near as cold as it is almost every place else. I saw cities on the news this morning where it was 25 degrees below zero!

Compared to every where else, where I live it's almost like a protected pocket. I mean, okay, it's cold. We were in the minus single digits with the wind chill yesterday. And yes, we got some snow. Maybe half an inch over night. But I'm seeing video on the news showing blizzards almost everywhere, white-out conditions in Indiana, etc.

Before April I'm sure we'll have some of that here, but so far so good. I haven't had to use the snow blower yet, not even the shovel. Any snow that's landed here has been get-rid-able with a broom. And, while I'm almost daily wearing a long underwear shirt, I haven't had to break out the long john bottoms. Yet.

And while winter has so far been okay here, I've still been doing winter-like things in the house.

I've made a couple pots of chili so far. In fact, I have a dozen of those small freezer bags filled with chili out in the garage in the big freezer just waiting for a day I don't feel like cooking but want a hot meal.

And I've got another dozen or so freezer bags filled with homemade turkey/chicken vegetable soup. And, since I roasted a turkey this weekend, and have a turkey carcass that HSM gave me, another huge vat of turkey veggie soup is looming large in my future. Not only do I love homemade soup, but also it's so incredibly convenient to make lots of it, freeze it, and then pull it out when you've got a hankering for it.

Odds are really good that you already know how to make turkey/chicken soup but just in case you don't, well, it's time for another cooking lesson!

Okay, you need either a carcass left over from the last time you roasted a turkey, or you need some chicken. Sometimes I use a whole chicken, sometimes I use chicken parts. If you have a Wal-Mart near you, and if you aren't boycotting Wal-Mart because of their questionable business practices, they almost always sell 10 pound bags of chicken leg quarters for something like 49 to 59 cents a pound. Soup is a wonderful use for those parts.

Get out a big pot. I mean a BIG pot. The biggest one you have. And if you don't have a BIG pot then either borrow one or get off your wallet and go buy one. It's a good investment. If you have a Sam's Club membership, over in the part of the store where they sell restaurant equipment, they have a huge pot for under $35.

So you break down your turkey carcass (so it'll better fit in your pot) or you take and rinse off at least 6 of those chicken leg quarters, then put them in the BIG pot and cover them with water.

Bring them to a slow boil and then, as they're cooking, skim off the gunky stuff and throw it away. I don't know the exact name for the gunky stuff but you don't want it in your broth. I let this cook for a couple of hours.

Then take it off the stove and remove the turkey/chicken bones—the solid stuff--from your broth. I always strain it just to make sure I got everything out. Then remove the meat from the bones and add it back into the pot. Throw the bones out in the garbage, you don't need them any more.

This is where I add the vegetables.

I like sweet potatoes in my soup. Not the ones from the can! 'Real' sweet potatoes that you have to peel. I peel them and then cut them into chunks. Not only do they make the soup a nice color, but also they add a wonderful flavor. Trust me. I cut up a bunch of them.

I also add onions. I like onions a lot and they're good for you so I use a couple big ones cut into slices/rings (they look like onion rings).

Corn and green beans, too. I'm not wild about canned vegetables, but that's just me, so I use frozen corn and green beans.

I'm not crazy about carrots but I know they're good for me so I (grudgingly) add them, too. Because I'm weird and think that carrots cut in circles look like eyes and I can't stand to have my dinner looking at me, I cut mine in long strips.

Sometimes I add celery.

Whatever veggies you like, use them. It's your soup, you're the one who is going to be eating it.

I bring the soup to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. I add salt, pepper, dill (the dried stuff) and sometimes celery seed.

While the soup is cooking I boil some rice or some noodles. Rice is my favorite. I cook it separately and then add it because otherwise it sucks all the liquid out of the soup.

And right towards the end, when the soup is almost done, I squeeze the juice from one (sometimes two) fresh lemons into it. FRESH lemons, not that vile crap in the bottle.

What you won't be eating in the next few days, freeze. I use those small freezer bags. I put the soup in and then squeeze out the extra air, then seal it. I lay them flat in my freezer so they don't take up too much space

Now you have homemade soup for dinner and some for later. How wonderful is that?!

Be good and be careful, take care, stay strong. And wear a hat and gloves when you go out!


Hugs, Tawny
tawny_ford@yahoo.com
www.tawnyford.com