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Threats that morning snow showers may materialize by Thanksgiving Day have been just that; threats (so far). Snow or not, it is always a good time for soup. Vicki Strang recently shared her recipe for Gypsy Soup, a highly seasoned vegetable mixture that would easily accommodate the addition of leftover turkey and feed a dozen or so football fans on game day.

Gypsy Soup

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups peeled, diced sweet potato

2 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp crushed dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

3 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp tamari (soy sauce)

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Season with paprika, turmeric, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne and bay leaf. Stir to blend, then stir in chicken stock and tamari. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans and green pepper, simmer another 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 10 servings.

Note: tamari is a little thicker than regular soy sauce, but regular works fine. Also, if you froze some tomatoes whole, they will work in this recipe. I used canned, drained garbanzo beans. Two or three cups of diced cooked turkey may be added.

This recipe lends itself well to substituting vegetables you have on hand. Butternut squash or carrots for the sweet potatoes and any firm bean, or diced russet potato for the garbanzo beans.

Vineta Weber gave me two white chili recipes awhile back. She has been searching for a chili recipe that she lost. These recipes are close, but not quite. Her original recipe contained cream of chicken soup, white beans, was thick and had a pretty good kick to it. I’ve taken the ingredients from each to produce a chili that seems to match her description.

Southwest White Chili

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in 1 inch cubes

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 (14 ounce) cans great northern or small white beans, un-drained

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies or jalapeños

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp crushed dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk

Sprinkle chicken cubes with garlic powder and salt. Place oil in a large kettle over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often until pink is gone. Add remaining ingredients except for sour cream and whipping cream and simmer 1 1/2 hours over low heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream just before serving.

One of the recipes also included 1 1/2 cups frozen corn. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: this soup mixture could be placed in a slow-cooker for 2 to 3 hours.

Robin Higgenbotham-Jasman, daughter of Dave and Carey Jasman, shared the recipe for Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls. She brought these delicious morsels to a recent quilting event and they were a hit. Robin makes this treat for her family at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls

12 cups popped popcorn

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Measure 12 cups of popped corn into a large mixing bowl with room enough for stirring.

Combine corn syrup and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Immediately remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well and pour over popcorn. Stir until popcorn is evenly coated.

Spray baking spray (PAM) on your hands and form popcorn mixture into palm size balls. Set on waxed paper to cool. When cool, wrap individual balls in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container. Yield 12-14 popcorn balls.

Note: you can use plain microwave popcorn in this recipe.

I recently tried a recipe for a slow-cooker rice pudding from the Better Homes and Gardens website, http://www.bhg.com. I have included it here as printed with the changes I made in the notes.

Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding

4 cups cooked long grain rice

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cup raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries

3 Tbsp soft butter

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 Tsp ground cinnamon

Lightly coat the inside of a 3 1/2-4 quart slow-cooker with baking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and pour into prepared slow-cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Stir gently before serving. Yield: 12-14 servings. Note: I omitted the fruit and increased the sugar to 1/2 cup. I sprinkled the cinnamon on after the pudding was cooked.

I began this column talking about snow, so I will finish up with snow. In 1986 we moved to Odessa, and our neighbor, the late Emma Jean Napier, gave me the following advice. When winter comes, keep a box of powdered milk and several cans of evaporated milk in your pantry, plus a loaf or two of bread in your freezer. If Odessa gets snowed in (yes, that has happened a time or two since then) milk and bread are the first things to disappear at the store. This way you will have milk to cook with and bread for sandwiches.

Share your favorite holiday and getting through winter recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159 or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Keep a bin of kitty litter near your back door for sprinkling on icy steps.