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The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

It's been a long holiday season, with family commitments greater than anticipated, and I never seem to get the 12 Cookies of Christmas out before the 25th. I should rename them and just call them the Cookies during December.

My normal assortment of cookies was lacking this year because every time I had a spare moment I would make one specific kind of cookie. When giving out platters, if there isn't an assortment, you tend to use more of one or two kinds. This leaves that situation of no assortment and constantly running out of one or two varieties of cookies. At this point I am down to having two batches of cookies left, Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies and Angie's Ricotta Cookies.

This recipe is from my friend, Diane Dias. Diane owns a company called Our Good Dog Spot, the premiere online shopping destination for your classic, glamorous, preppy or trendy pup. Her daughter, Emily, and my son, Brian, have been friends since junior high school and are freshman at the University of Missouri. It's nice to have a familiar face at college when you are a 3-hour plane trip from home. When I was visiting Diane recently, she shared a favorite cookie recipe of Emily's called Dipped Gingersnaps. I was so excited about the recipe, I went home that night and made a batch. (See that gorgeous photo above!)

I was excited as well as disappointed when I made them. Excited because these cookies were delicious...chewy, yet crunchy and the spices were perfect. They are dipped in white chocolate but it tastes more like a rich vanilla icing which was perfect for me. My disappointment...I like them better than my favorite Ruby Warner's Ginger Snaps.

So, in my rush to get another batch done before the holidays, I half read the directions and ended up putting 4 teaspoons of baking powder verses baking soda in the recipe...what a disaster! They came out like chunky doughy balls...not good. My fault though, I rushing to get them finished before the holiday, but as soon as I am done posting this article, I'm heading back into the kitchen to make a batch. I need to be prepared for New Years!

Dipped Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup of molasses

5 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of salt

Additional sugar for rolling (I use demerara sugar)

12 ounces of white chocolate chips (or vanilla flavored chips)

1/4 cups of shortening

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. (I used my mixer)

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Stir in molasses.

4. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.

6. Shape into 3/4 to 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cookie springs back when touched. (It will be crackled, too)

8. Melt chips and shortening in a double boiler over low heat. Dip cookies half way, shake off excess and place on lined wax paper until hardened.

Makes between 8-10 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies

 

Before you start reading this article about my girlfriend Stephanie's Orange Chocolate Cookies, PRINT THIS RECIPE. This is (hands down) my FAVORITE cookie this year. Stephanie and I went to middle school together at Quincy Point Junior High School in Quincy, MA. It's funny that 25+ years later, we end up living in the same community and her husband coached by son's basketball team. 

To start, I love oranges, whether juice, rind or jelly. I also love bittersweet chocolate, so when you combine these two ingredients, it's an amazing flavor and taste. Add a shortbread base and you finish with the most delicious, thumbprint style cookie. 

I wanted to tell you a bit about what transpired during and after the cookie swap.

1. Jeff declared them his new favorite cookie. 

2. The girls thought Stephanie's cookies were amazing.

3. I decided to make a set of cookies (see below) and realized the recipe is versatile. I didn't have orange marmalade so I substituted raspberry jam and dipped the cookies in both bittersweet chocolate as well as white chocolate. BIG HIT!

4. After bringing these cookies to 3 parties, I have had 5 request for the recipe. People were excited to make these cookies for the holidays

The shortbread is buttery with a hint of orange. The marmalade brings sweetness and the bittersweet chocolate brings balance. Over the past year, I have been using bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in many of my cookie recipes. I find that cookies are sweet and the bittersweet chocolate complements the cookie.

I am so glad...

1. I had a cookie swap this year because it has given me some great new cookie recipes.

2. That Stephanie was able to come and share these buttery orange chocolate cookie with the girls as well as my foodie following.

Thanks, Stephanie, truly appreciated!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated white sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons of finely grated orange peel

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of marmalade

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon of shortening

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Beat in egg and orange peel. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using 1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut into rounds. Press your thumb into the center and fill with 1/4 teaspoon of marmalade.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a small sauce pan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. 

Dip half of each cookie in chocolate mixture. Place cookies on rack to set. 

Makes about 48 cookies.

Note: I used raspberry jam rather than marmalade and made the white chocolate dip by substituting white chocolate for bittersweet chocolate.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

 

These cookies were made after the cookie swap so none of the girls got to taste them. I made them after having a conversation with my mom about Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. My mom was reminding me of a chocolate coconut meringue cookie which my grandmother used to make. She didn't have the recipe so I searched the internet and was able to find these Chocolate Coconut Macaroon which seemed pretty close. I found this recipe on the Joy of Baking site.

These macaroons were extremely easy to make and within 30 minutes they were mixed, cooked and cooling on the racks. The cookies are slightly dense, very sweet and extra fudgy. My kind of chocolate cookie. I brought them to work and they were thoroughly enjoyed by co-workers as well as clients. As I am writing this article, I am wishing I had a few.

A quick and easy macaroon recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Whip up a batch, and hide a few because they will disappear. 

Ingredients:

4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 large egg whites

1/4 cup of cocoa powder 

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2-1/2 cups of sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut and melted chocolate, making sure the coconut is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the macaroons are shiny. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Yields 20 - 24 macaroons.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

I can't believe it is Christmas this Sunday. Some family issues and my having to bake the entire weekend has put me a bit behind with some of my cookies. I am going to write up some quick information about the next few cookies and my girlfriends who brought them to the cookie swap.

These white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies came from my girlfriend, Jen Osojnicki and she got the recipe from Paula Deen. Jen is an amazing photographer who owns Jen Osojnicki Photography in North Attleborough, MA and works in a marketing strategy group with me. Not only does Jen take beautiful wedding photographs, but she has a rockin' Facebook "Like" Page which highlights all her wedding sneak peeks and family portraits.

Jen's cookies were absolutely delicious. I call them my "guy" cookies. I make a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie that always disappears at a gathering. Most times, it is the men who enjoy this cookie. There is something about white chocolate and macadamia nut that the male population enjoys. What I loved about this cookie was the chopped candied cherries. They added that little bit of tartness to this deliciously sweet cookie.

This is a great staple holiday cookie that will definitely disappear from the cookie tray and leave a few for Santa. Rumor has it Santa likes white chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of  butter, softened

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of milk

1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup of candied cherries

1-1/2 cups of white chocolate chips

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375. 

1. Using a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. 

2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.

3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. 

4. Add the milk to the butter mixture and then the dry ingredients.

5. Mix until just combined. (The batter should be stiff.)

6. Add the nuts, cherries and white chocolate, stirring until just blended.

7. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. 

8. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kisses

Have a chocolate kiss with these delicious Thumbprint Cookies - Day 6 from The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Kim, made these cookies for our cookie swap. Kim is a long time (really good) friend of mine, having gone to Archbishop Williams High School, then Stonehill College together. We always hung around in both groups. We also have daughter's who were born 6 weeks apart and have enjoyed each others company outside of our school connections. 

When Kim arrived, she brought this adorable snowman ornament. I thought this would be great when I showcase the cookies. I'm always looking for some creative ideas when I am doing food photography.

So far, I have highlighted a few shortbread style cookies but none have been made with brown sugar. They remind me of my thumbprint cookie recipe, a bit more dense with a hint of caramel. The chocolate kiss is always a wonderful addition; add chopped pecans to the thumbprint base and it could give you that "turtle style" cookie flavor.

Everyone loved the cookies and they were the first ones to disappear from my house the following day. They were buttery with a smooth chocolate finish. There is something festive and delicious about a cookie with a chocolate kiss. 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of butter 

3 large eggs- separated

1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1-¾ cup of brown sugar      

3 cups of flour       

¾ teaspoon of salt       

Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375°

1. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg yolks, mix.  Add vanilla. 

2. Mix dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. 

3. Roll into 1 inch balls.  Dip in slightly beaten egg whites. Place on greased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan and press thumb into each cookie. Return to oven and cook for 8 minutes.  

Immediately as cookies come out of the oven, press one kiss in the center of each.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

A lemony sweet treat on Day 5 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas. 

As I mentioned in the Brownie Almond Biscotti recipe, I purchased a Taste of Home- Cookies and More booklet which I used to find some of my recipes for my cookie swap. This is another recipe from that book. 

As I was flipping through (a half dozen times), I kept coming back to these Lemon Drop Cookies. I make a few different lemon cookies, one being a Lemonade Drop and the other being the Lemon Ricotta Cookie and wasn't sure if I wanted a lemon cookie to the swap. The ingredient that kept pulling me back was the lemon drop candies. Jeff's dad, Joe, passed away in August and he was one of our biggest foodie fans. He had a sweet tooth (like mine) and enjoyed Lemon Drops. The cookie reminded me of Joe. So, I decided he would attend the swap in a different presence. 

This recipe has a sugar cookie flavor but has a delicate lemony crunch from the candy. Jeff's mom really enjoyed the cookies, this being her favorite one to date. I loved the sweet and tartness of the cookie and at one point thought of dipping them in confectioner's sugar, almost like a lemon cooler.

These are a delicate, delicious cookie which would pair well with a glass of Riesling, some hot tea or even a glass of limoncella. Flip it to summer and it would be fantastic with an ice cold lemonade. Either way, this is a great addition for this year's Christmas Cookie list.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon of half-and-half cream

1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel

1-1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of finely crushed lemon drops

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg, cream and peel.

3. Combine the flour, lemon drops, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets.

5. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

6. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Welcome to Day 4 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

So far, we have showcased 2 wonderful shortbread recipes and a delicious chocolate chip meringue. Now it is time for some really easy chocolate biscotti that are made with a brownie mix.

No, you say, a boxed brownie mix. Yes, I cheated, it was easy and very tasty.

Around the holidays, I tend to purchase some of the holiday cookbooks put out by various cooking magazines. This recipe, called Brownie Alpine Biscotti, came from the Taste of Home Cookies and More Booklet. I was looking for something chocolaty for the cookie swap and figured the fudginess of a brownie may make these cookies a big hit. I was making three different cookies for the swap and this recipe was very easy with the most effort going into grinding the almonds. The Brownie Alpine Biscotti recipe also called for almond extract. After I put it in and tasted the batter, I wasn't sure if the almond extract would be too strong. After the biscotti was cooked, the flavor definitely mellowed.

This biscotti has a nice mellowed chocolate taste with the almond flavor taking center stage. I wasn't sure I liked them, but as we discussed the biscotti at the cookie swap, biscotti are great for dipping, whether in coffee, tea or hot chocolate. If you are having biscotti for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack, it complements, not overpowers your drink.

The night after the cookie swap, I sat enjoying a cup of coffee and began dunking the biscotti. It really was delicious. It was nutty and sweet and was a great pairing to the cup of coffee. I started to laugh. At every cookie swap, or party you bring cookies, there are the cookies that get eaten immediately and those you save and eat the next day. I am a "next day" cookie eater. That's when you get to sit and savor, sometimes the best cookie...or in this case, biscotti.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package of fudge brownie mix

3/4 cup of ground almonds

1/2 cup of flour

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1 egg plus 3 egg whites

1 teaspoon of almond extract

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Preparation:

1. Combine the brownie mix, ground almonds, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk egg, egg whites and extract. Add to brownie mixture; stir until combined.

3. On a greased baking sheet, shape each portion into a 7-in. x 3-1/2-in. rectangle.

4. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven; cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

5. Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets.

6. Bakreduce oven to 325°, and bake the biscotti for an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen. 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

It's Day 3 of The 12 Cookies of Christmas.

My girlfriend, Dotty Wyman, is an interior designer and owns Dotty Wyman Designs. Everything with Dotty has great style, presentation and taste. Dotty has helped with some of the design in my house, helping with fabrics, color and curtains, which she makes herself. When Dotty arrived with her cookies, they were in a 24" clear glass vase. She had put the green cookies at the base, 3/4 of the vase was filled with red cookies and she topped it with a green cookie. I wish I had been taking pictures when people arrived. The presentation was extremely creative and festive.

The glitter ball cookies were perfectly shaped and looked like beautiful ornaments, hence the photography of the cookies in the (artificial) tree. These cookies have ingredients almost identical to Jen's Shortbread Cookies, but in different combinations. The frosting and decorative sugar bring more of an upfront sweetness verses the melt in your mouth flavor of Jen's. I'm always a fan of crunchy cookies, especially those rolled in sugar.

Dotty makes her cookies with a vanilla frosting. I'm interested in trying the ginger frosting which is part of this recipe. We have recently been using fresh ginger in some of our recipes (to be posted after the 12 Cookies of Christmas) and I think this dessert could complement some of the meals and appetizers we have been making. What is a good meal without a great dessert...especially a cookie!

Find some really festive sanding (or decorating) sugar and let's get rolling. We've got glitter balls to make.

Thanks, Dotty.

Dotty found this recipe on Martha Stewart; Glitter Ball Cookies.

Ingredients:

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour

Sanding sugar, in assorted colors

Creamy Ginger Filling

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

2 teaspoons of finely grated, peeled fresh ginger

1 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon of honey

Preparation:

Cookies - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down side of bowl as necessary. 

2. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour, and mix just until combined. 

3. Shape into 3/4-inch balls (chill dough if too sticky). Place sanding sugar in shallow bowls. 

4. Roll each ball in sanding sugar, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. 

6. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Spread 2 cookies with just enough filling to allow them to stick together.

Frosting

1. Beat all ingredients by hand or with an electric mixer on medium high speed until smooth.

2. Filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

3. This is the official filling for the cookies.  I used butter cream frosting with vanilla.

(For vanilla butter cream frosting, use ginger frosting recipe, omit the ginger and honey, replace with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1-3 teaspoons of milk to get to a frosting consistency.)

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies

Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Cookies of Christmas.

These cookies are called Jen's Shortbread Cookies. They were made by my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink, who owns a coaching company called Life Simplified. She writes a great blog, Appetite for Life - A Blog About Life, Love, Laughter and the Lessons Along The Way, also. I have been fortunate to work with Jen in different capacities over the past 3 years and enjoy her business expertise as well as her passion for cooking and baking. I was excited when Jen said she would attend the cookie swap, I knew she would arrive with some delicious cookies.

When I asked Jen about her cookies she explained, "These shortbread cookies were a "by accident find."  I was looking for something different than a sugar cookie which our family always found too sweet.  These actually were supposed to be sandwiched with chocolate in between (which isn't a bad idea either).  Instead we use these as our basic decorated cookies for the season.  Now, I can't leave home without them."

The evening of the cookie swap, my daughter was heading to a friend's house, so we loaded her up with a sampling of all the cookies. When she arrived home the next day, she said, "Everyone loved those snowflakes!"

What I like about this recipe is the use of confectioner's sugar, my shortbread recipes are all made with granulated sugar. There is a buttery smoothness to this cookie that is different from my shortbread. These cookies melt in your mouth. I will admit, I'm looking forward to making a batch of shortbread cookies myself. I'm even thinking of adding some fresh lemon rind with a lemon icing...YUM!

We've given you some ideas...go forth and bake! Thanks, Jen.

Ingredients

3 sticks of butter (1-1/2 cups)

1 cup of confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla

3 cups of flour

Preparation

1. Blend butter until smooth.  

2. Add sugar and blend.  

3. Add vanilla and blend. 

4. Add flour, half at a time.  Mix thoroughly.  

5. Refrigerate dough for about 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is (I usual make another batch of cookies while these are firming up).  

6. Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness.  Cut with cookies cutters.  Bake until edges are just golden.  
Preheat oven to 325.  

You can decorate the with an icing made of confectioner's sugar and milk or lemon juice.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 1- Aunty Anita’s Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Last Friday, I hosted a cookie swap with some neighbors and friends from home, home being Quincy, MA. I wanted something quick and easy that allowed us to taste everyone's favorite cookie as well as help me create a recipe list for The 12 Cookies of Christmas. This is year three and I was looking for some cookie inspiration. 

I am a cookie fiend. I'll pass up any dessert for a good cookie...especially a chocolate chip cookie. Is it any surprise that I started with a Chocolate Chip Meringue cookie? This chocolate chip meringue cookie was created by Susan Finn, who is a neighbor of mine and owns a company called Buttonwood Originals. She makes the most beautiful memory quilts out of t-shirts or a loved one's clothing. These are custom quilts incorporating the fabrics of your life or someone special to you.

She brought these cookies in a big container, perfectly rounded and delicately placed. They looked amazing and tasted delicious! They were crunchy and a little chewy, yet melted in your mouth. The chocolate chips gave a great texture and finish to this sweet cookie. Truthfully...they were the best meringues I have ever tasted. I proceeded to eat them for breakfast (on Saturday and Sunday) and finally had to share them with others. They made it to my office on Monday and today there is nothing left. 

These cookies will take some time to make, but I'm sure you could get a batch in the oven and then let them set while you finish your holiday shopping.

Two thumbs up for a chocolate chip twist on my favorite type of cookie. Thanks, Sue!

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

¾ cup of granulated sugar - place in food processor for 30 -60 seconds in order to make it finer

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

½- ¾ cup of chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 250 °

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they reach stiff peaks. Be patient.

2. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, very slowly.  Add the vanilla extract. Gently fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

3. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto foil or parchment lined baking sheets.

4. Bake in oven 250 ° for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for 2 more hours.

5. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container.

 

Southwestern Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

 

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey. How many dishes of turkey did you eat over the past week?

We enjoyed a non-traditional Thanksgiving and ate at Latitude 41 in Mystic, CT. Jeff's daughter is a nurse and was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving. We drove down to CT to enjoy a quick lunch with her and didn't cook our turkey until last Sunday. We went with a small 14 pound turkey, compared to our normal 26 pound bird, and enjoyed a mini Thanksgiving. It was missing some of our favorites but it had the good old-fashioned staples - garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread stuffing, cranberry sauce and an awesome turkey gravy.

Once we had all the turkey removed, we put the remainder into a large dutch oven, cooked down the bones and made a delicious broth, that yield about 6 cups of turkey, too. I knew I would make a turkey soup as a second meal along with turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey from our Sunday dinner. As I said...turkey, turkey, turkey.

I was getting ready to make the soup and turkey with wild rice was my first thought. But, we had just finished a homemade chicken and rice soup last week and I thought any type of soup with rice might be repetitious.

SIDE TRACKED THOUGHT- I promise to showcase the chicken and rice soup the next time I make it. It was made and consumed so quickly, I never got to take pictures or blog about it.

I started looking up some southwestern versions of turkey soup. Progresso makes a southwestern soup with corn, beans, tomatoes and spices. I found this Southwestern Turkey Soup through Taste of Home and began grabbing ingredients from my pantry. Some black beans, diced tomatoes, chilies and corn...I was ready to go.

The best part of any soup is a homemade broth. I cooked the turkey bones with garlic, onions, carrots and celery. I strain my broth with a fine sieve so the broth is clear then I use some of the cooked carrots and celery to add color and flavor to the soup. 

Having the turkey and broth ready to go made this soup easy to put together. Within 10 minutes I had almost everything in the pan. With some increased heat and the cooking of the wild rice, start to finish was about 45 minutes. 

Results: DELICIOUS! First, I loved that we were able to use the turkey (for a third night) in a way that you didn't feel like you were eating another turkey meal. The soup had lots of flavor, some heat and a heartiness that made the soup a meal. I love any combination of tomatoes, corn, beans, cumin and chili pepper - part chili, part soup. Our family devoured half of the soup and I was able to take leftovers to friends and co-workers. So far, everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. (And all the containers have been returned empty.)

Tomorrow is game day, the cold weather is finally setting in (at least in New England), this is a great "end of the weekend" soup that will clean-up the last of those turkey leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 medium onion, chopped

3 tablespoons of olive oil

8 cups of turkey broth (we used the broth from cooking down the turkey, use can use chicken broth, also)

4 teaspoons of ground cumin

1-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

6 cups of cubed cooked turkey

2 can (15 ounces) of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 ounces) of fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice

1 can (4.25 ounces) of diced green chilies

1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen corn (we used a yellow and white corn combination)

1 cup of wild rice

tortilla chips and sour cream, optional

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, place oil and onions in a large dutch oven and saute until tender and translucent. (about 5-7 minutes)

2. Add the broth along with the cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt.

3. Once blended add the turkey, black beans, tomatoes, green chilies and corn.

4. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Allow to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

5. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Serves 10-12 people.

Adapted from Taste of Home - Southwestern Turkey Soup