Not sure what to do with leftover turkey or chicken?  Try pressure canning some Poblano Soup.  If not canning - make my Poblano Chowder and follow my recipe for that HERE.   This soup is one of our favorite ways to use up leftovers from our Thanksgiving turkey.  It's a mildly spicy and yet very savory soup. I do not 'thicken' this Soup into a Chowder when canning because butter and cream are food items that cannot be canned safely.  This recipe is great either way!    Enjoy! Diane  

Turkey (or Chicken)  Poblano Soup *for Pressure Canning

Ingredients: 
1 Tbs Olive oil 
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 onions, diced
2 Tbs garlic, minced
3 - 4  poblano peppers, chopped and seeds removed *wear gloves 
1 tsp canning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried thyme
12 cups  turkey or chicken broth
3-4 cups  cooked boneless skinless turkey or chicken, diced
11 oz can of whole kernel corn or one pint of home canned corn

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute carrots, onions, garlic, poblano peppers and seasonings in olive oil, for about five minutes. Add in broth and corn. Stir in meat (turkey or chicken); Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer about 10 minutes.  
Prepare Pressure Canner.  Fill jars half-way with solids and top off to 1" head-space with broth. Pressure Can:
Weighted Gauge 10 lbs/ Dial Gauge 11 lbs sea level *adjusting for altitude.  
Pints:  60 minutes     Quarts:  85 minutes

Optional: Add Upon Heating to Serve as a Chowder ~ Per Quart: 
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce,  or to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream *preferred, or milk
1/2 cup Soup that you've canned * opened for heating **see below

Open Quart of Pressure Canned Soup, pour into stockpot, bring to a low boil 5 minutes.  In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until flour is golden. Ladle half cup of **hot liquid from heated soup into skillet, whisking constantly. Pour mixture from the skillet into the stockpot, stirring to blend - cooking 3 to 5 minutes longer, until entire soup mixture thickens. Stir in hot sauce and cream.  Serve Hot.  
 
Yield:  4-5 Quarts 

Recipe Adapted for Pressure Canning by: Diane Baker 
Original Recipe from: Margie Slentz/Goosberry Patch, "The Christmas Table Cookbook"
Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

​Recipe Notes: 
Pressure Canned at the NCHFP "Soup Guideline Timing" (additional time added for the corn in this soup included in timing above): Celery is omitted from "canned" version because it does not have its own stand-alone vegetable timing with the NCHFP. 

Mandarin Oranges Sections Canned 
Peel and section mandarins, save peels for later **
Place orange sections into pint jars 
About 1/2 pound per pint jar 

In a sauce pan:

Syrup #1
For Two Pints in Apple Juice: 
Add 2 cups apple juice, bring to a high simmer 
pour over orange sections.

Syrup #2
For Two Pints in Simple Syrup:
One bottle water (16.9 oz)
1/2 cup sugar 
1 Tbs Vanilla Bean paste
Whisk bean paste into water/sugar mix
Bring to a high simmer
Pour over orange sections

Note:  Make sure to soak your oranges in Pectic Enzyme to remove the PITH. Without removing the pith you run the risk of your batch tasting bitter. Pectic Enzyme can be found (powder form) on most wine making sites online or in stores. 

Waterbath Directions: 
Fill each jar to 1/2" head-space - process in a boiling water-bath pints 15 minutes (add 5 minutes to processing time if above 6000 ft) 

**you can 'candy' your orange peels (see my recipe here) 

Recipes and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home 
Raw Pack & Canning Times: NCHFP Guidelines 

    Canning seasonal fruits to use into the New Year and Winter is a great idea.  Cranberries are very versatile as well.  The fruit combo I made has many options in how you can use the fruit and its juice.  You can: Drink It. Eat It. Bake with It. Jam It. Sauce It. or Mix It into a cocktail or hot apple cider...exceptional as a Mock "Kiddie Cocktail" for the little ones.
 This is an easy recipe but, please note that waiting 3-5 weeks before using it as a 'drink' is the preferred waiting time...some can't wait and drink it right away! LOL  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Cran-Apple Goodness
(Cranberries & Apple Canned in a boiling water bath)

​Ingredients: 
1 (12 oz) bag of cranberries  

Syrup:
In a large saucepan add: 
1 diced organic Fuji Apple; washed, peeled, cored 
1-1/4 cups organic Apple juice
1 cup water 
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, whisked in 
3/4 cup white, granulated sugar

Directions: 
Bring syrup ingredients to a boil, add in the cranberries (wash and pick out any bad berries first) Boil for 3 minutes.  Reduce to a simmer; you will divide cranberries and apple equally into each pint jar using a slotted spoon. Top off each jar with remaining hot syrup to 1/2" head-space, remove air bubbles and bring head-space back to 1/2" by adding more hot syrup if needed.  

Process Pints or Quarts in a boiling water-bath for time specified to your altitude: 
20 minutes   0 - 1,000 ft    
25 minutes  1,001 - 3,000 ft    
30 minutes  3,001 - 6,000 ft      
35 minutes  Above 6,000
 
Yield:  4 pint jars

*Recipe Note: Let sit 4-6 weeks if wanting to drink as a juice. We mix Cran-Apple Goodness with Diet 7up or Ginger Ale for a wonderful drink. Great in a Holiday punch bowl too!!
 
Recipe adapted from: NCHFP Canning Cranberries and NCHFP Canning Apples 
Syrup and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

"Leftover"  Turkey *or Chicken Posole
(a Rachel Ray inspired Mexican Soup/Stew)

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, eyeball it, 5 to 6 sprigs
Coarse sea salt and ground black pepper, both to taste
1 cup beer, optional *omit if canning later
16 tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped or coarsely processed in food processor
1 (15-ounce) can hominy 
1 can fire roasted tomatoes 
1 quart chicken or turkey broth/stock 
1-1/2 to 2 pounds light and dark cooked turkey meat, chopped*
1/2 small lime, juiced
up to 2 cups of leftover gravy *see note below if canning later

Recipe Notes:  1) You can stir in any leftover turkey gravy (up to 2 cups) but, if canning only add in if it has not been thickened with flour or cornstarch.  
A gravy made with cook type clear gel is approved to add if canning otherwise, omit.
2) Omit the beer if planning on canning this recipe. 

When Serving:
Top with finely chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
Corn chips of choice (for dipping) 

Directions:
Heat a medium soup pot or large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil, then add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 5 to 6 minutes to soften onions then add *beer and cook it off, 1 minute. Stir in tomatillos and cook 5 minute more then stir in the hominy, tomatoes, chicken/turkey stock, and the turkey. Heat through, adjust salt and pepper and simmer the posole 10 to 15 minutes over low heat. Stir in lime juice and remove from heat. Garnish soup with cilantro and serve with corn chips to  dip.

*You may use thick cut deli turkey breast (chicken works great too!) or cut up a rotisserie turkey breast in any flavor, widely available at larger markets who offer rotisserie chickens.  I have made this using chickpeas in place of hominy as well as sometimes adding in a can of beans such as kidney or great northern, both great! 

Pressure Can:  Fill jars halfway with solids and the other half with broth/stock. Process according to pressure canner type and altitude.  Fill jars 1/2 full with "solids" and top off with "liquids" to 1" headspace. Process: 
Pints 60 minutes,
Quarts 75 minutes.  

 
    The 'Pumpkin Spice Emulsion' I use in this recipe produces a bundt cake that tastes just like a light, fluffy, pumpkin spiced, cake donut!  The glaze gets spooned over the cake when it's cooled but, you only want a thin, fine coating (think donut glaze). This cake doesn't need a heavy frosting. I do glaze this before moving to my cake stand or serving plate as it drips down and you don't want your cake sitting in a puddle of glaze.  There is a short cut for this recipe which I noted below.  If you cannot find baking emulsions locally, they can be ordered online.  Emulsions bake up much better as they don't lose their flavor to the heat of baking.  I highly suggest trying this bundt with 'Pumpkin Spice Emulsion'. ~Enjoy! Diane  

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Donut Glaze

Ingredients:

1. 2 3/4 cups cake flour 
2. 2 1/2 cups sugar 
3. 1/2 cup powdered buttermilk 
4. 1 tsp baking powder 
5. 1/2 tsp baking soda 
6. 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract 
7. 1 small box INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix (3.4 ounces)
8. 1/2 cup Sour Cream
9. 1/2 cup Canola Oil
10. 3/4 cup Water
11. 1/2 cup Sugar
12. 4 Eggs
13. 2 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Emulsion (you must use emulsion, not extracts or regular spices) 
14. 1 Tbs ground Cinnamon

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**Glaze:
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer, mix all ingredients together for 3 minutes on high (start low until ingredients are incorporated and then turn as high as you can get your mixer without flinging mix all over your walls). Pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15-30 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack until completely cooled before **glazing.

Recipe Note: want to hit the "easy button" on this recipe - replace the first 6 cake ingredients with a box of white cake mix!  

Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home