Thanksgiving prep has begun in earnest. The notebook is out. The lists are made. Donna Abernathy is in full operational mode and nobody should make eye contact or sudden movements.
The timeline, as dictated by Mom on Monday night while I took notes like a dutiful aide-de-camp:
- Wednesday morning: make the pie crusts (two: pecan and pumpkin). Let rest in fridge.
- Wednesday afternoon: prep the stuffing bread (cube it, let it dry). Make the cranberry sauce. Brine the turkey.
- Wednesday evening: make the pies. Make the green bean casserole topping (fried onions, homemade, because 'the can ones are trash, Rachel').
- Thursday 0600: turkey in the oven.
- Thursday 0800: start the sweet potato casserole.
- Thursday 1000: make the mashed potatoes. Start the gravy.
- Thursday 1100: stuffing in the oven. Green bean casserole in the oven.
- Thursday 1200: everything on the table. Dinner is at noon on Thanksgiving because that's when Dad's family always ate and you don't argue with tradition.
Megan arrives Wednesday with Grant. I am prepared to be civil about Grant. I am prepared to make small talk about consulting (whatever that is). I am prepared to not roll my eyes when Megan talks about their apartment in Arlington or her job or her life that is shiny and organized and exactly what she planned.
I went to the commissary with Mom today. The commissary before Thanksgiving is a war zone — shopping carts bumping, people arguing over the last can of pumpkin, a woman in the produce section having what appeared to be a crisis over the size of the sweet potatoes. Mom navigated it with the precision of someone who has done this in five states. She had her list. She had her coupons. She moved through the aisles like a shark through water — purposeful, efficient, predatory.
Total cost for Thanksgiving dinner for five: $67. Mom was pleased. I was impressed. Sixty-seven dollars for a meal that will include turkey, three sides, two pies, rolls, and cranberry sauce. That's budget cooking at its finest.
Tonight, as a warm-up, Mom made her turkey soup from last year's leftover turkey that she froze (she freezes everything; our freezer is a museum of meals past). Turkey, egg noodles, carrots, celery, onion, chicken broth, thyme. It's essentially chicken noodle soup with turkey, and it's the kind of thing that reminds you that Thanksgiving isn't just one day — it's the whole week leading up to it, the anticipation and the preparation and the smell of the kitchen when the work has begun.
One week. The notebook is on the counter. The lists are on the fridge. The turkey is ordered. Donna Abernathy is ready.
God help anyone who gets in her way.
Mom’s turkey soup that night was simple and restorative — exactly what you need when the week ahead promises to be a logistical marathon — but it got me thinking about something a little more substantial, something that felt like a celebration of the season rather than just a use for leftovers. Creamy turkey wild rice soup is everything her version is, only richer and heartier, the kind of pot that earns its place on the stove during Thanksgiving week. Here’s how I make it.
Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half for a lighter version)
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Saute the vegetables. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Build the base. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- Add broth and rice. Slowly pour in the broth, stirring as you go to prevent lumps. Add the rinsed wild rice blend, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30–35 minutes, or until the wild rice is tender and the soup has thickened slightly.
- Add turkey and cream. Stir in the cooked turkey and heavy cream. Let simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until heated through. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or Parker House rolls if you’re in full Thanksgiving mode already.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 520mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 34 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
