indigo pears

We are winding up our Christmas with a party tonight.
This is 12th Night and it falls on a Saturday!
Here is the background of the celebration.....from Wikipedia:
Some believe Twelfth Night (or the following day Epiphany) is when all Christmas decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. In colonial America, a Christmas wreath was always left up on the front door of each home, and when taken down at the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, any edible portions would be consumed with the other foods of the feast. The same held true in the 1800s - 1900s with fruits adorning Christmas trees. Fresh fruits were hard to come by, and were therefore considered fine and proper gifts and decorations for the tree, wreaths, and home. Again, the tree would be taken down on Twelfth night, and such fruits, along with nuts and other local produce used, would then be consumed.

To counteract the overly rich foods we have consumed for the holiday, we are serving soup.



MINNESOTA WILD RICE SOUP

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 box fresh mushrooms (4 to 5 oz.), thickly sliced

3 tbsp. butter

1/4 c. flour

4 c. chicken broth (Swanson's)

1/2 c. cooked wild rice

1 c. Half & Half cream

1/4 c. dry sherry

Chopped parsley

3 stalks celery, thickly sliced
2 carrots, shredded

Saute mushrooms and onion in butter. Add flour, blend and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, stir until smooth. Cook 10 minutes. Add wild rice, vegetables, cream and sherry. Heat through. Do NOT boil. Garnish with parsley.
Serves 6 to 8. May be doubled easily.

The other soup is White Chicken Chili
(As cooked by Karen Celia Fox)

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz or so of canned white beans
2 large onions, chopped
4 T. olive oil, 4T. butter

1/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 tsp Tabasco
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin (I usually put in more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (I put in more)
two 4-oz cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped
5 boneless, skinless chiken breasts (about 2 pounds)
some extra butter and oil to cook them in1
1/2 c grated Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack!
1/2 c sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS:. 1. Heat a large skillet (I like cast-iron) over moderately high heat and put in some butter and oil. Meanwhile coat your chicken with salt and pepper and maybe some chili powder. Throw them in the skillet and resist the urge to turn them over. Leave them for five minutes, or until nicely browned, then flip them. Leave it there until browned and then flip them every few minutes until they are done (which you can tell by poking a knife into the thickest part and seeing if it's white instead of pink).
2. Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers and set aside.
3. While waiting for chicken to cool, cook the onion in the same pan with 2 Tbs of butter until softened.
4. Add flour and maybe a little more butter to the sauted onion . Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth , whisking the whole time. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until thickened. (It will be nicely and obviously thick.) Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken and cheese, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add half and half and heat through. Add sour cream to individual bowls. May be served immediately -- though like all chilis this tastes awesome the next day.
5. Serve with the usual chili garnishes--cilantro, cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, etc.

We will have our version of a "king's cake" with a bean baked in it...whoever gets the bean has to have the party next year!

We will exchange or re-gift some White Elephant gifts for a bit of fun! (In many parts of the world, Christmas may be over, but Carnival season begins tonight and lasts until Mardi Gras...when Lent begins!) Party on!!!!