Happy Monday, how is your 2015 going so far? Ours has been a little busy with my step-daughter's move, which is why I haven't had too many new posts. She is starting to get things in order now and has most of her boxes unpacked. She also purchased a few kitchen items she needed and a few furniture pieces. 

So now that those crazy two weeks are over, it's time to get back to blogging more! From a chair makeover to homemade turkey noodle soup, that's why I named my blog The World Around Her! 

Look at all that yummy goodness! {Note: I had my husband's help with this shot so I could show off all the tasty ingredients!} Not sure if I've actually mentioned his name before or just use husband, hubby, or the hubs all the time! However, Mike {my hubby} was the one who made this recipe so I have to make sure to give him full credit on that part! 

For Christmas we hosted a turkey dinner and he came up with the idea to save the carcass for homemade turkey noodle soup!  It doesn't need to be a holiday to have turkey, but you may want to have family and friends over to help you eat. You'll need to purchase a 15 to 20 pound bird so you have enough meat left on the carcass for your leftover turkey soup! Or you could always purchase sliced fresh turkey from the butcher and use chicken or vegetable broth.

Okay enough from me, on to the recipe...

Soup Ingredients: 

• 5 qt Stock Pot 
• 4-5 qts of water
• Leftover Turkey Carcass from 15 to 20 lb turkey
• 12 oz bag Egg Noodles {We used No Yolks® extra broad}
• 3 large carrots {diced}
• 3 Celery Sticks {diced}
• 3 large Potatoes {diced}
• 1 Large Onion {chopped}
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay® seasoning

Directions:

• Add 3 quarts of water to a stock pot.
• Boil turkey carcass until all of the meat falls off, leaving the cartilage on. Add water as needed while boiling to keep the carcass submurged. 
• Reduce heat to medium. Remove the carcass and strain any remaining bones from your broth.
• Add a quart of water if need then add in diced carrots, celery, potatoes, and onion. Stir and cook on medium high for 10 mins. 
• Add egg noodles and spices, and cook for another 10-12 mins until noodles are tender. Stirring occasionally. 
• Dish out soup and enjoy! 

I was really excited to taste this soup. I loved how the trukey carcass, vegetables, and spices turned the boiling water into a savory broth. No need to purchase broth from the store when you can make your own! 

 Luckily we haven't had too many snow storms just yet {this time last year we already had three or four big ones}, however the temperatures and wind chills have been pretty dangerous. This soup was so nice to have during those chilly nights, and hopefully my husband will be making it again as the season has only begun! 

I hope you're staying warm. Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!  

Meatball Tortellini Soup - A Hearty Holiday Recipe in Minutes

Thank you Mezzetta for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to make a new holiday twist on an old classic recipe!

I'm so excited to share my very first soup recipe with you guys today, especially since my mom makes one of the best homemade chicken noodle soups around. But this isn't mom's soup, this is a new take on an old classic and a new holiday recipe I'm making with Mezzetta. Do you guys think it will beat out mom's chicken noodle?! 

How gorgeous are the bright colors of Mezzetta's products, they're so pretty to look at just sitting in the jars! I love roasted bell peppers so I grabbed those right away, then I called my husband to find out if it was green or black olives that he liked, and as you can see he likes the green ones! I was intrigued by the peperoncini and decided to grab those as well!

When I looked at the peppers and olives I purchased, the first recipe that came to mind was a pasta salad. But that just didn't strike me as a cozy and warm holiday recipe that I would want during this time of year.

Winter always reminds me of mom's chicken noodle soup, but that takes too much time to make when you have guests over for the holiday season. That's when I thought of the frozen meatballs and tortellini I had in the freezer....and on came the light bulb! 

Holiday celebrations and holiday family gatherings usually last more than one day, especially when your guests have traveled far to visit. So that means you're going to need more than a day's worth of food to feed them. Luckily I'm here to save you and your hungry guests with my meatball tortellini soup featuring Mezzetta roasted bell peppers, peperoncini, and olives! {Not the typical ingredients for meatball tortellini soup, but I was excited to experiment and make a Mezzetta twist on an old favorite!}

If you love making holiday soups, platters, and dips for your family, and have tons of holiday memories filled with good food, stop by Mezzetta to enter their daily holiday memories gift basket giveaway.  

Bonus: Before you go shopping to gather the ingredients for my meatball tortellini soup, stop by the Mezzetta website and grab yourself a coupon! 

Recipe Ingredients: 

2 cups of frozen meatballs {thawed} 

3 cups of tortellini 

4 cups of beef broth {you can also use chicken or vegetable broth}

1/2 cup of green olives {sliced or diced}

1/2 cup of roasted bell peppers {diced}

1/2 cup of peperoncini {sliced}

1/2 tsp. of parsley 

dash of salt & pepper 

Directions: 

• In a large pot bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the meatballs. Turn down the heat and let simmer for five minutes. 
• Add in the green olives, roasted bell peppers, and peperoncini. Simmer for another three minutes. 
• Stir in the tortellini, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer for another three to five minutes. 
• Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy! 

Mezzetta has a meatball tortellini soup on their website featuring their hot cherry peppers and garlic everything spread that I can't wait to try next time around.

You really can't go wrong with adding any of your favorite vegetables to meatball tortellini soup, or even using chicken sausage instead of meatballs.

Do you have a favorite soup recipe that you make during the holiday season?