A Good Day

Ready for the holidays?

I have a confession to make, something that belies sacred, capitalistic society, I am not big on Christmas.

Oh, I enjoy the food and spending time with my family and watching Christmas movies and all. But what I don't enjoy is the shopping and the hustle-and-bustle and all the noise, noise, noise.

I prefer a simple, quiet Christmas, which is what we are having this year.

Same goes for New Years Eve. My idea of the perfect New Years Eve is curling up in my pajamas watching Sleepless In Seattle eating comfort food.

What can I say?

I'm a simple gal.

It's the quiet, cozy days at home that make me happy.

And today was one of those days. Gray. Quiet. Misty. Bare trees against a cold December sky. A good day. An especially good day since I had the opportunity to pull out the immersion blender. I know it sounds crazy, but nothing makes me happier than using my immersion blender, which is an under used appliance in my kitchen. Each and every time I reach for it, I get giddy with anticipation of the good things to come.

Now, I just realized, I unequivocally must get a life.

Anyway, on days like today, when I'm hankering for something warm and spicy to savor, this is what I turn to.

White Bean and Turkey Chili

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine

I changed the recipe a bit and replaced the turkey with chicken.

1.) Begin by cutting 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small chunks and cooking them in a bit of oil along with some salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside, then saute one large, chopped onion until lightly browned for about ten minutes. Next add a clove of chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano, 1-1/2 tablespoons of Chili Powder along with 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin, and cook and stir for a minute or two.

2.) Next add 3 cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained, along with 4 cups chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.) Now comes the fun part, use the immersion blender to puree a portion of the soup. Not all of the soup, only about half. The pureed beans make the soup nice and thick and creamy without the addition of cream or milk. But it's important to leave at least half the beans in tact, it adds more texture to the soup.

4.) Lastly, add the cooked chicken back to the soup along with 1 diced tomato (or you could used chopped, canned tomatoes here), some chopped cilantro, a good squeeze of lime, salt and pepper, then allow this to simmer a few minutes and serve.

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this recipe. It really does hit the spot on a cold, December day. You could use ground or even leftover turkey in place of the chicken. Also, the original recipe said to place two cups of the bean mixture into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. But the immersion blender is way more fun. If you don't already own one, and you've got a procrastinating husband like mine, who waits until the last minute to shop on Christmas Eve, go ahead, ask for one, it's still not too late.

Happy Holidays All!