Sentimental

After a jam-packed day-and-a-half in Albuquerque, I was back in L.A. Since I decided to join my brother and his family in New Mexico sort of at the last-minute, I ended up taking a different flight back that arrived an hour before they did.


While waiting at the curb for my brother to pick me up, I noticed all the other people who got picked up too. The anxious faces of the drivers as they slowly drove along the curb and then their faces lighting up when they see their loved ones. The hugs and hand shakes that signified either close or just friendly relationships. As happy as those meetings are, I think the curbside pick-ups today pale in comparison to the meetings at the gate of before.

Years ago at O'Hare International Airport while waiting for a flight, I remember observing a young woman fluffing her hair while waiting for passengers to disembark from a flight. Then she decided to sit up high on the back of the chairs, the better for whomever she was waiting for to see her. She nervously crossed and recrossed her legs.

Was the reunion worth all that primping? I don't even remember. The anticipation was what lingered with me. To have someone that excited to see you, to be that excited about seeing someone. That was always the best part of being at the airport.

Turkey Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Now that you've made Turkey Stock, you can make soup. I've made Turkey Vegetable Soup plenty of times, but decided to go a little fancy by adding quinoa and some of my favorite vegetables such as, chayote squash, turnips, and leeks.

Quinoa, the Bolivian grain that's gained popularity, is packed with protein so you won't even miss the meat. You can swap out the turkey broth for vegetable broth and easily make this vegetarian.

I chop vegetables and add them to the pot as I go along, so the key is to start with harder vegetables that take longer to cook first. Then by the time I add in the tomatoes, I can enjoy a bowl of soup while waiting for the rest of the pot to cook.

Turkey Alphabet Soup

There's something so comforting about a bowl of turkey noodle soup. With alphabet noodles, of course. Sometimes stars too. I would say it hearkens back to childhood, but my childhood soups were mostly Vietnamese broths with leafy vegetables.

Sure I've blogged Chicken Noodle Soup before, but this is turkey. Totally different! :P