Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Creamed Turkey Wild Rice Soup

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Hearty creamed soups full of veggies are what I crave on those crisp fall or winter days. This one satisfies that craving and provides a good dose of fiber, protein and veggies without a whole lot of fat. It's also perfect for using up those never-ending turkey leftovers. This year I whipped up a batch of this soup after Thanksgiving with every intention of freezing some for later in the season. But there was none left! Although cream soups aren't always the best for freezing, this one should do just fine as the actual milk product is minimal--most of the creaminess comes from stock thickened with a roux. I worked off this recipe from Allrecipes.com, but I increased the veggies and omitted a few ingredients which were unusual to me such as lemon juice and almonds.

Creamed Turkey Wild Rice Soup
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2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
2 cups water
6 TBS butter
1 med onion, chopped
1-2 rib celery, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 cups chopped cooked turkey (or chicken)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
3/4 cup half-and-half

1. Bring wild rice and water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender but not mushy, about 40 to 45 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, fluff the rice with a fork, and cook uncovered 5 minutes more. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a medium dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour, and cook until it turns a pale yellowish-brown color, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Gradually whisk in the stock until no lumps remain. Add carrot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook, whisking constantly, until the stock is thick and smooth and the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes.

5. Stir in the cooked wild rice, turkey, salt, and pepper. Return to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes.

6. Stir in half-and-half and bring soup to a near boil. Adjust seasoning, as necessary.

Serves 4-6

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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Crushed Red Velvet Cookies

Happy New Year! If you're looking for a fun and tasty holiday treat, these cookies may fit the bill. While visiting Pittsburgh, I discovered that Panera Bread had released a new holiday cookie, the Red Velvet Crinkle. I was fascinated with it as I've come late to the red velvet band wagon. It was very yummy, especially with the cream cheese chips, though a bit too crunchy for my liking. I scoured the net for a similar recipe and found this one from a website/blog called Granbaby Cakes and another from Cooking Classy. Success! What I came up with is a loose combination of the two.

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Crushed Red Velvet Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp red food coloring
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, if desired
Apprx. 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Beat in food coloring.

Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in nuts and chips.

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a prepared cookie sheet, spaced about 1 1/2"-2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until no longer moist to the touch.

Let rest for a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack. Let cool slightly (room temperature is your goal) before dusting with powdered sugar.

Makes 2-3 dozen

Happy New Year!

Well, 2012 has finally wound down. I scheduled a couple of posts for later this week and made a good deal of progress cleaning up the Recipe Index. Goals for 2013 include making this website more user-friendly, posting at least 2-3 times per week, and improving my food photography skills.

Best wishes for a health and happy 2013!