Everyone loves a homemade turkey or chicken soup recipe.

Whether it's to warm up your insides on a cold day, help cure the common cold or provide a welcome steaming bowl of comfort, chicken or turkey soup fills the bill.

There are a surprising number of ways to flavor this chicken soup and I have suggested several variations below the basic recipe.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 teaspoon oil
leftover chicken or turkey carcass or 3 pounds of chicken pieces
1 or 2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup rice or 2 cups noodles

Directions:
Heat oil in large pot. Place chopped onion, celery and carrots into pot and fry gently for about 5 minutes, until they are soft but not carmelized.

Add chicken or turkey carcass or pieces and bay leaf. Add water to cover, about 2 quarts, but this varies with the size of the carcass or amount of meat you use. Just make sure it is covered.

Add salt to taste. Boil for 2 hours, checking near the end of the cooking time to see if you need more salt. Add pepper at that time.

Remove meat and bones. Add rice or noodles and cook for about 20 minutes more. Cut cooled meat into small pieces and add back to the pot.

Makes about 8 servings.

Tips and Variations:

• For chicken broth: Do not add rice or noodles. Strain out all vegetables and meat. Try freezing it in ice cube trays. Just take out the number of cubes you need for a recipe and it is ready to go.
• Try adding 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme to the basic chicken soup recipe for added flavor.
• To kick it up a notch, grate fresh ginger into the soup near the end of the cooking time. Omit the pepper.
• Add a bouquet garni of fresh herbs to the pot. Try a mix of fresh thyme, the 2 bay leaves from the basic recipe, 2-3 cloves of garlic and a handful of Italian flat leaf parsley tied together in a bit of cheesecloth. Discard after cooking.
• For a different but delicious flavor sensation add 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar (yes - vinegar!) and 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley to the basic chicken soup recipe. This gives a lovely fresh flavor to the broth.
• Add 2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped, instead of the rice or noodles.