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80 | MACON MAGAZINE DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017 I t's that perfect time of year for sweaters, cozy fires and hearty, homemade soups. Soups are such a creative, interesting dish to cook. There are a million recipes using leftovers- turkey, ham, chicken, vegetables -- whatever suits your fancy or happens to be filling your refrigerator. But there are a few easy staples to keep around to create your own concoction. Boxes of chicken, beef and vegetable stock, not broth, are all good starters for soup. Kitchen Basics is a brand carried by most stores and works well if you don't feel like making your own stock with a chicken carcass, beef bones or chopped vegetables and spices. Fresh rosemary, onions and garlic go in almost every soup using leftovers. Dried bay leaves, thyme, sea salt and freshly ground pepper are also basics. Fresh lemon juice is often a nice addition, too. Use 3-4 boxe of stock to begin your soup venture. Add fresh onions, fresh chopped garlic, dried bay leaves, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper to the stock and simmer for 30 minutes before you add other ingredients. That gives you the perfect starting point for adding leftovers. Vary the ingredient amounts depending on your taste and amount of stock. Add your leftovers, simmer slowly and keep taste testing. It's truly a hard dish to mess up. Your imagination is the key. If you are in the mood for soup from scratch without using what you already have, here are a few favorites from the Macon Magazine library. Enjoy! Holiday Guide Soups to warm your soul