On starting an e-book

Quite a while back I started saving my "recipes" for the things I make from leftovers.  I've got a few of them tucked away now and I thought about that again today when I made this soup.  I'm wondering if it would make a good e-book to market on the web.  I have a ways to go with more variety and it needs some basics in it but I think someday I will have it ready.  It's intriguing to me because so many people can't believe the things I feed them without any planning.  They stop in, I open my fridge, what's there I use.  The result is Yummmmmmm!

We had a roasted turkey breast the other day, a real one, not one of those pressed rolls.  It cost $9.30.  I want to factor price per meal and price per serving for two people. (us two) or (we two) whichever is the proper way.  I am getting three meals from this one purchase, that makes the cost $3.10 per meal.  I am feeding two people so that is six servings @ $1.55 per serving. That makes it a very reasonable purchase.  You can't buy that kind of nutrition at fast food places.  The other ingredients are very minimally priced and I have them on hand all the time and use them for five or six different meals before purchasing more. 

Start of the leftovers:  Turkey Dumpling Soup  I always told the kids growing up that if they wanted to be prepared for drop-in company to always have on hand...... Celery, Carrots, Onions and eggs.   You can make almost anything with those as a base. 

So here's the generalized soup recipe.  Chop two small onions, four stalks celery including leaves, and two medium sized carrots.  Put a couple of Tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a 6 quart pan and heat over medium. Add the chopped veggies and stir and cook til onions and celery are translucent. 

Add some kind of chicken stock, either from a box I really like Kitchen Basics brand, or bouillion cubes and water, or stock in jar like Penzey's which I always have on hand. I add a bit of water to the boxed stock if I feel it is too salty for our taste.  While the mixture is simmering I stir up the dumplings.  Here's the story about the dumplings.  Way back when I was first married and working there was this little restaurant we girls from the bank would bring soup back to the auto-bank caboose we worked in.   It was called "Dinos" I think.  Anyway, I took Gilbert's mom there for lunch for the specific purpose of feeding her the dumplings in their soup and have her eat them and tell me how to make them.  She did good.  Here's what she told me. 

Egg Dumplings

One large egg beaten

Stir in 1/2 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

just a couple of shakes of salt

Now stir in the dry ingredients till it looks like this. It needs to be a little thinner than muffin dough .  At this point I usually add about three Tablespoons of  fine chopped parsley if I have it. 

Now starts the fun stuff.  Take a small metal spoon.  I use one of those baby feeding spoons.  Not the big ones like they have now.  Dip the spoon into the hot broth and then into the batter.  Then put the spoon with the batter on it into the hot broth.  The batter will slide off.  Dip the spoon again and repeat until all the batter is gone.  This will make about twenty -two to twenty four tiny dumplings.  But....be prepared, they will surprise you and puff up to the size of walnuts in the shell.  Let them simmer for ten minutes.  Now add as much chopped up cooked turkey as you would like and add just a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and some black pepper.  If you have some Chablis wine on hand add a Tablespoon of that and let it simmer for about five more minutes.  That cooks off the alcohol and leaves you with a wonderful tasting soup.  I've found if you add a bit of sherry or chablis to anything turkey based it improves the flavor. 

Now add a fresh green salad and you are ready to go.  And if company is there, you will get rave reviews. Bon Apetit!