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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Andy Tauer's Advent Calendar 2013 Giveaway (and a recipe)


The Grinch and Ebeneezer Scrooge together are no match to our holiday spirit tonight: we have a holiday table-worthy recipe AND a fabulous prize as part of Andy Tauer's Advent Calendar.

The winner of the giveaway will receive a Tauer Perfumes Explorer Set, with three 15 ml travel sprays (of the winner's choice). All you need to do is leave a comment (just one, please) and tell us about a favorite holiday soup (or any other special dish if you're not a soup person).

To make entering easier I'm disabling the evil captcha on the comment form for the duration of the Advent event.  If you're not signed-in into a Google account or another identifying option when commenting you'll need to leave an email address or Twitter name or any other way that we can use to identify the winner (anonymous comment #78 doesn't cut it). The draw is open to everyone worldwide (!).  The prize will be sent from Switzerland by Andy Tauer; the privacy policy of both of us is simple:  we do not contact the addressee after the prize is sent. Neither will we use the contact information for any other purpose than sending the prize, nor will we forward the address to anybody else.

I'll be accepting comments until tomorrow night ( December 23rd, around 11PM- ish Eastern US time), at which point a winner will be chosen at random.

Now for the recipe-- the Husband's butternut squash and chestnut holiday soup. We're lazy Americans and buy the squash and the chestnuts already peeled at Whole Foods (the chestnuts are pre-roasted and vacuum-packed) , the rest of the ingredients are pretty straight forward. Here's the recipe and description as written by the Blond:


"I first created this recipe for our vegetarian Thanksgiving meal.  I wanted a hearty soup that would incorporate seasonal elements. I like my soups chunky and spicy, so this version of the classic butternut squash soup has a few unique elements. First - carrots, both for taste and texture. Second is to use cut roasted chestnuts for thickening the soup. The third is saving half of the vegetables before blending the soup and adding them back in later so it ends up pretty chunky. The result is sweet, savory and spicy with a wonderful aroma and flavor."
Ingredients for 3-4 servings:

2 lb butternut squash
1/2 lb carrots (2 medium carrots)
1 cup white wine
5 cups vegetable stock
1/4 lb roasted chestnuts
1 tbsp EV Olive Oil
1 tbsp butter (optional, just add another tbsp of EVOO to make it vegan)

Seasoning:
salt and pepper to taste
chili flakes
ginger (fresh is great, powder otherwise) 
nutmeg

  • Cut the butternut squash up to 1/2 inch squares and the carrots to 1/4 inch chunks.
  • Heat the soup pot or dutch oven on medium-high and melt the olive oil and butter. When hot, add the squash and carrot mixture and saute for 5-10 minutes until starting to brown. The butternut squash will give off a lot of liquid. 
  • Add the spices and then the wine to deglaze the pot. Add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.
  • After about 10 minutes - when the carrots are just tender, remove half of the carrots and squash with a straining spoon and save for later. 
  • Cut the chestnuts to small chunks and add half to the soup. 
  • Using a immersion blender puree the soup and let it cook for another 10 - 20 minutes until the texture thickens up a bit.
  • A minute before serving add back the saved squash and carrots, as well as the other half of the chestnut chunks.
Good luck to everyone and Happy Holidays!

251 comments:

  1. Laurels (iphintaur, aol)December 22, 2013 9:27 PM

    Tamales, Puebla style, with pork, green beans, black olives, and green chile/tomatillo sauce. My family makes them assembly-line style, every year. I can't eat them anymore, due to a problem with corn, but the party is still fun. Good luck, everyone!

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  2. I've never been part of a tradition involving holiday soup, but my favourite holiday dish would be perfectly roasted potatoes with rosemary. Yum!

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  3. We love French onion this time of year!

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  4. Cioppino with lots of Alaskan crab! Thanks for the giveaway!

    laura dot f dot nv dot junk at gmail dot com
    or
    LauraF775 on Twitter

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  5. My mother always used to make oyster soup on Christmas Eve, but I think my dad was the only one who ate it?! It has been years since she made it. Now the big tradition is on my husband's side of the family and my mother-in-law's cheese ball. Merry Christmas!

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  6. That butternut squash soup sounds delicious. We usually go for chicken soup- or the thick vegetable version this time of year. Thanks for hosting the drawing!
    sprice nine five at hot mail dot com

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  7. I never really had soup as part of our holiday celebrations; I do love a good holiday egg nog, however!

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  8. Tortilla soup with chicken stock, onions, garlic, more garlic, lime, cilantro, tomato, chipotle in adobe, epazote, corn kernells.....miam. Thank you for hosting the drawing and a lovely solstice season to all.

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  9. mmmm. butternut squash soup - just the thing for a cold and icy day in New England. Happy Holidays to allQ

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    Replies
    1. Oh and my favorite soup recipe is Thai coconut and veggie - sort of a modified Tom Kah

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  10. Posole. I don't know why we only make it at the holidays, because we really love it, but that's just the way we do. Logic: we ain't got none.

    Happy Holidays!

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  11. Wow! That sounds delicious, and I think I should make it..after I buy a blender. lol

    We don't make a special soup this time of the year but I do make St. Basil's cake for New Year's Day. A coin is hidden in the cake which is sliced after the new year tolls on NYE in a particular pattern - 1st piece is for Christ, 2nd for Mary, 3rd for the poor, 4th for the house (you're supposed to give those pieces away), then one each for head of house down to the youngest child. Whoever finds the coin has good luck for the coming year. :)

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  12. Happy Holidays to you and yours Gaia. I have two to share, one is a cream of tomato & basil soup, I add roasted butternut squash to gently sweeten the flavor and puree'. The other is home made cinnamon sticky buns with pecans, my mom used to make them for us. The recipe is courtesy of the Dog Team Tavern of Vermont. The restaurant has long since gone but I have memories of those sticky buns!

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  13. I love soup, and I love chestnuts. Your recipe sounds delicious!

    This time of year I love to make a bone broth overnight in my crock pot, then add delicious root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, and turnip. The secret is to oven roast the veggies in olive oil before putting them in the soup - an extra step, but well worth it in terms of flavor.

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  14. I'm a vegetarian as well, and my one of my standby holiday soups is a celery root and apple soup. It's very simple but so delicious and satisfying. I usually garnish it with small diced apples and shallots that have been sauteed in butter. If not the soup (for those who don't care for soup), a butternut squash and hazelnut lasagna is always delicious, too.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, and email is maryclairekatz at gmail dot com

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  15. Would love to be entered!

    getupglow at gmail dot com

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  16. Poppy milk and crunchy tiny cookies. My email [email protected]

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  17. Love tamales for Christmas and homemade chicken soup.

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  18. fresh oysters with other sea fruits cocktail accomplished with glass of champagne most common on holidays time :) happy holidays!!

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  19. Happy holidays to you and the Non-Blonde, Gaia! My favorite holiday soup is a cranberry pumpkin bisque.
    And thanks for the recipe!

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  20. My favorite holiday dish is a salad with crabs. And for dessert: Napoleon cake. I don't know why but my mother makes this cake for every New Year so this is our traditional holiday dessert)
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  21. I'm a big fan of fish soup with saffron, and for Christmas we add spices like cardamom, cinnamon and ginger to the soup - delicious!

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  22. I'm not a soup person at all, but I do have a favorite holiday dish! I'm from Germany and I love "Semmelknödel"(I leave it to you to google it!) which is a common German side dish. Around the holidays it is usually served with goose(what people here eat instead of turkey) and "Rotkohl"(you can google that one, too:) ) or with some sort of mushroom concoction which is how I eat it (I'm a vegetarian).
    Happy holidays!

    [email protected]

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  23. Do you know I sat and typed about my non-Christmas soup - and wasn't logged in :(

    This was a soup I created when I was suffering from serious diverticular disease (before my operation) and couldn't eat any fibre - either soluble or insoluble - and I wanted to recreate some soup flavours from the meals I really enjoyed when I could eat normally so I created my Jamaican-inspired sweet potato soup with a jerk chicken garnish - the flavours were an amazing mix of curry spices, hot pepper, coconut, chicken and sweet potato; I was extremely happy with the outcome!

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  24. French onion soup has become a staple at Christmas in my household for some reason but unfortunately I have to work all over the holidays this year, a Tauer explorer set would definitely make it easier working over Christmas ;) haha

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  25. Thank you, Gaia & Andy, for giving us the chance to win this. I'd go with "rice & chicken", a traditional Lebanese dish of rice spiced with cinnamon & other spices (becomes pinkish brown!), topped with chicken, golden almonds & pine nuts. Serve with Hummus & Tabbouleh, the famous, rich, Lebanese salad :-)

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  26. Beef soup with noodles and vegetables like carrots, parsley and celery is a sort of tradition here(if you're not a vegetarian).

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  27. Holidays are a special time in my house - about the only time of year that I bake ;)
    I have a favorite recipe of honey cinnamon cookies that I learned from my grandma <3
    As far as soups go, I tend to overdo cream soups - cauliflower and pumpkin most often :)

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  28. Thanks for hosting the prize draw! I adore chestnuts, and a local deli makes the most insanely good chestnut soup ever. When I don't indulge in that, I like to make squash soup too - I like to add turmeric and other spices in it and garnish it with a dollop of my own homemade pesto. A perfect winter dish!

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  29. We don't usually have soup but our holiday favourite is chestnut stuffing in which I put lotsof chestnuts, apple ,celery, carrots,pate, breadcrumbs, egg, fresh sage and parsley to name a few things. I love this cold with meat and mashed potato. Thanks for the draw.

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  30. In Lithuania popular Christmas Eve dish is poppy milk. Poppy milk is a traditional Lithuanian drink or soup, one of the 12-dishes Christmas Eve. To make poppy milk, one or two glasses of poppy seeds are needed. The poppy seeds are soaked in some hot water for a day or so, changing the water from time to time, until the seeds become soft. Then the poppy seeds are crushed in a food processor, until a white liquid comes out. Some cold water is added and the poppy seeds are strained and crushed once more. This process is repeated several times in order to get a good poppy milk concentrate. Finally, the poppy milk concentrate is diluted with some cold boiled water. Finally, some sugar or honey is added to sweeten the poppy seed milk.

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  31. I was planning to roast chestnuts. This soup sounds great.

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  32. There's a Japanese soup made with sweet red beans (puree or chunky) with mochi in it. Yum!

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  33. I love typical local X-mas soup made of sour cabbage, mushrooms and sausage. Very spicy and very good. Many thanks!!

    Alica - alicacleis61 at gmail dot com

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  34. I don't do soup for Christmas day, it takes the edge of of the main meal as it's too filling.
    However I always make a tomato, basil & rice soup which we have on Christmas eve.
    Enjoy the holidays, whatever you're doing

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  35. I love the recipe. I had a similar soup at a potluck party. It was carrot and ginger. And it was divine. The ginger really gave it a kick. Thanks for sharing.

    My email is puhfume at yahoo dot com. Thanks for the draw.

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  36. That butternut squash soup sounds amazing! For a seasonal soup, I love spiced sweet potato, or pretty much anything with sweet potato in it!

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  37. Butternut squash with ginger has been my winter go-to for ages. I make a vat and eat it for weeks yet never seem to tire of its simple, warm yumminess.

    Thanks for the draw and happy holidays to you.

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  38. tomato soup with a dash of Worcestershire sauce

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  39. Seafood chowder is the first that springs to mind.

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  40. No soup for me on the holiday dinner, please! I am a soup-person but not on special occasions!
    Thanks for hosting the fabulous draw, Ms Fischler!
    The recipe sounds yummy and I will try it some other day when I need a warm getaway from the cold and the overload of noise and food...
    Today I am baking paleo pomegranate-choc-chips cookies for cookies are my favorite sin, especially during the holiday season!

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  41. It's not a traditional holiday soup but I always cook it around winter holidays: solyanka (a soup made with many different meats, olives, tomatos and spices).

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  42. Ah, I'm not a soup person but I do like Christmas cake every day of the year! [email protected]

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  43. I love to make Italian Wedding Soup with ground Turkey and fresh Kale... yum!

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  44. Your husband's recipe sounds very yummy: must try!
    My favorite holiday soup is a traditional Italian dish: "cappelletti".
    The smell of the broth simmering and the folding of the hand-made pasta into "little hats" (that's the meaning of cappelletti) equals family and holidays to me!
    If I can wear a dab of attrape coeur in the process, then the festive picture is complete!
    p.s.I hope I've not messed up signing in and posted this comment twice...

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  45. gorgeous warming hearty foods!

    where I am it's summer, and my festive favourites are mixed berry salad or white peach and mango salad.

    too hard to choose, I have them both!

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  46. We usually have a broth made with beef, and turkey parts, which aren't used in the roast). Thank you for hosting the fabulous Explorer Set giveaway, and for the lovely soup recipe!

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  47. Hi and Happy Holidays!

    My favorite holiday soup is my best friend's chicken posole. Hominy, chicken chunks, lime and cilantro, steaming broth... delish!

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  48. I am not really a soup person, but for Xmas I like codfish soup.

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  49. Champagne and cheese are my Xmas Day foodie treats. Can't wait. Some Andy Tauer wafting around would be great too.

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  50. My favourite holiday dish is... oooh, there are many of them. Probably, at the top would be steam-cooked dumplings (with a little bit of pumpking added to the meat stuffing... just delicious!)

    Thanks for the draw!

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  51. My favorite soup for christmas is:
    A bunch of different vegetables (carrot, potato, zucchini, just as you like), a bit of onion and garlic, all drowned in tomato sauce and flavoured with a nice garam masala mixture that tends towards speculoos spice, for the christmas twist. And last but not least, some pieces of dark chocolate.

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  52. I love these balls made of matzoh-meal that are served in soup on Passover:)

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  53. My favourite Christmas soup is a Polish "barszcz" (borscht) a traditional soup made of beets.

    email: lucas [dot] szczesniak [at] gmail [dot] com

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  54. I'd not say I'm a soup person, certainly not for holidays,
    but a cream of asparagus has on occasion made it to the festive table and it can be lovely for the day.
    ty

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  55. Our lifelong family tradition when I was growing up: an oven-filling turkey (for a family of six plus assorted relatives) on Christmas Day, turkey carved off and made into sandwiches (or chopped and mixed with béchamel for a kind of turkey sloppy joe) on Boxing Day, and finally the carcass boiled up for a day or two's worth of turkey soup.

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  56. The soup sounds delicious! My holiday special is salmon-chanterelle quiche (although I love it so much I occasionally bake it for othe occasions or excuses as well). It's basically quiche lorraine with 150g of cold-smoked salmon and the same amount of chanterelles instead of ham.

    Happy holidays&good luck everyone!
    ttg80(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  57. pumpkin soup and peanut soup are my favourites. Yumm.

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  58. for me it's hour and sour soup...in fact, this soup is my favorite for just any occasion, even summer :)

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  59. Beetroot soup with potatoes and onions.

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  60. My holiday soup would be a traditional soup of central Europe - the cabbage soup made with sauerkraut, rice, sausge, dried mushrooms, bay leaf, potato and a bonus single plum, of I haven't forgotten anything, all spiced up, mainly with paprika. It's called kapustnica in Slovakia and I believe it's a favourite of many people from this region.

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  61. Given my location, my favorite soup/stew is seafood gumbo. It's hard to beat anytime of the year!.

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  62. Sometimes as a vegetarian the holidays can be tricky. My boyfriend made this amazing squash cauliflower cheddar casserole one year though, which was really quite good. Anyway, I still love a good vegetarian stuffing.

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  63. Not a soup but I loved braised red cabbage and apple - it is so colourful and cheerful looking on the plate.

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  64. Gazpacho - the cold soup from Andalucia - is yummy even in winter-time in London. And it reminds me of so many holidays in southern Spain.

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  65. Thanks for the draw. This recipe sounds great. I hope, one fine day, I will cook that soup.
    My email is a dot koehl at sunrise dot ch

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  66. Soup sounds delicious- I am making a carrot/cardamom soup that is similar for Christmas (at my moms request)- but I am intrigued by the chestnuts! And many thanks for the perfume draw- fingers crossed! Merry merry Christmas :)

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  67. Beautiful recipe! A soup for the holidays? Mashed beans with shrimp and pasta... try it! Happy holidays to you all and thanks for the giveaway!

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  68. My soup is canja, portuguese name for a chicken soup :)

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  69. Thanks for the draw. Lamb stock soup, south India style, makes a warrior in these cold damp months.MoP , enterthedragonvalley@Googlemail. com

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  70. My favorite is Italian Wedding soup

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  71. would love to be enterd,
    thank you Andy and Gaia

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  72. I make a squash soup with fresh sage and parmesan cheese. It's not just a holiday soup, it's good any time!

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  73. I love creamy shrimp soup.
    Thank you for chance!

    ChristinaTB

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  74. Thank you for the draw!
    My favourite soup is pumpkin-raisins soup!
    To boil potato, pumpkin, raisins, ginger, fryed onion and chili, to make puree of all this in blender. In the plate to add pieces of almond and green onion. Delicious.

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  75. We don't really have a holiday soup for Thanksgiving or Christmas. We do have roast pig though. I might try your soup this year.

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  76. We're not too soupy when it comes to holidays. We do a lot of traditional foods, but the most interesting may be my grandfather's oyster stuffing. Yummy...if you like oysters. Thanks for hosting the draw!

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  77. My mom always made a dish we called "roll-em-ups", but I think the correct name is "beef rouladen". A traditional German dish, she learned it from her mother-in-law (my grandmother), who learned it from her MIL (my great-grandmother), who brought the recipe when she came from Germany in the 1880s. Mom is gone now & I haven't had the courage to tackle this dish, but someday I will. Thanks for the draw.

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  78. Tortellini Soup is my favourite

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  79. Your soup recipes sounds delicious! I don't have a soup particularly for the holidays but I make a great Italian bean soup that we have quite often. peacecat30 at yahoo dot com

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  80. My favorite soup has always been the very simple, very classic country soup of leek and potato "potage". A Norman mother cooked it for the family during my first Christmas holiday in France. I've never forgotten it, and no soup could taste as good. Happy Holidays!

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  81. Your soup recipes sounds delicious! I don't have a soup particularly for the holidays but I make a great Italian bean soup that we have quite often. peacecat714 at gmail dot com

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  82. Hi, Gaia! I'm from Brazil and here we eat turkey to celebrate Christmas.
    Happy Holidays! I love your blog!

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  83. My mother makes a wonderful mushroom rice soup for Christmas. I look forward to it every year. When the kids were little they hated mushrooms, but now as teenagers they look forward to it also.
    Never had chestnuts in soup. Actually, I don't believe I've ever had chestnuts!

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  84. Hi,
    the butternut squash soup is my favourite - indeed with fresh ginger, and also coconut milk!
    Thank you for Andy Tauer's Advent Calendar Giveaway! Have a wonderful Christmas!
    berbelle3 at hotmail dot com

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  85. Happy Holidays! Great recipe and fantastic prize! Hope everyone has a safe and fragrant holiday!
    Ramona :)
    taiga101atyahoodotcom

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  86. Ooops! Forgot to tell my favorite dish- frozen chocolate cheesecake. I could eat the whole thing as my main meal but limit myself to a slice (or two)!
    Ramona :)

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  87. This time of the year I eat a lot of meat, the rest of the year much more vegetables and some fish. We have no tradition for soup at Christmas, but I love homemade vegetable mash or home made pickled red cabbage as side dishes.

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  88. The last chance to win explorer set LOL
    I am so excited

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  89. I'm so excited to see a giveaway open to us girls in Europe!

    My favorite holiday recipe is lasagna made with homemade noodles! My parents often do it.

    shanno1 at gmail dot com

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  90. We don't eat much soup at this time of year, we eat traditional Norwegian food. Lamb, lutefisk and lots of homemade stuff. My favourite soup is cauliflower soup with bacon, carrots, garlic, coconut milk, lime and cheese. Your recipe sounds delicious, thanks for the draw!

    marte23ting at gmail dot com

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  91. What a yummy-looking recipe--I am going to try it. I even have the chestnuts in my pantry, ready to use. I usually make a parsnip/apple puree this time of year, but I may forgo that this year in favor of the Butternut Squash & Chestnut. I love the tortilla soup that one commenter mentioned but haven't had that since I was in Mexico. All the best for this holiday season. Please enter me in the draw, and thank you!

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  92. Carrot and butternut squash is a firm favourite here! Yuletide blessing to you and thank you all for the draw! x

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  93. Hi Gaia,

    My favorite dish is exactly the same: butternut squash soup but I never tried with chestnuts. This year I will be using Blonde's receipe. Thanks for the giveaway. Happy happy holidays for everyone

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  94. I'm not a fan of soup, so I'll vote for sweet potatoes, which I never eat at any other time of the year. Thanks for the drawing!

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  95. My mother's clear Croatian chicken soup, with noodles and dumplings! Pure healing in a bowl!

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  96. I love red beetroots soup for Christmas Eve (Polish barszcz) and forest mashrooms cream soup for Holidays.

    petalis25 at gmail dot com

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  97. Our favorite holiday food is taco dip. I don't know why it became so popular for my family, but everyone asks for it. It is so easy and good! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  98. Thank you for hosting the draw . The recipe sounds wonderful . I like to make a seafood chowder with clams and halibut , or smoked salmon for Christmas Eve .( freehold at aug dot com )

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  99. I'm not very good at planning soups... I just throw in a selection of whatever I find in the fridge & veg box and hope for the best.

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  100. We don't have a holiday soup tradition, but I have been making a pumpkin, curry, lentil soup quite a bit lately with the cool fall weather. Happy holidays to everyone!

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  101. No specific holiday soup here either, but potatoes roasted in goose or duck fat are probably my favourite part of the Christmas meal.

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  102. No soup here! But I'm baking cranberry walnut bread and holiday cheese crackers!

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  103. Thank you for hosting Andy's Advent calender! My absolute favorite holiday meal is grilled filet mignon roast and yorkshire pudding with an apple, endive, walnut salad on the side.

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  104. I`ll take yellow squash and zucchini anything!! :-) :-) Everyone stay warm and well!! [email protected]

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  105. We don't actually eat soup during the holidays. I do love dessert, though. Especially pie.. :)

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  106. Well, I'm not a soup man but a tradition here in my house is to cook some cannelloni at 25th, we don't cook it any other day of the year and this is totally horrible because I looooove cannelloni!

    My email is joaquinsune at yahoo dot com, thank you for the draw!

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  107. I'm from Louisiana and love to make gumbo for the holidays. I'm at wooddogs3 awt gmail dot com. Thanks so much to you and to Andy for doing the draw.

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  108. I love making soup, and The Blonde's recipe sounds wonderful. I'll definitely try it one day. Around the holidays, depending if we roast a turkey, or have a (bone-in) ham, will determine what soup I'll make. If I make turkey stock, I love a good old fashioned Turkey Noodle w/Vegetables soup, and if I make a ham base, a good Ham & Bean soup is delicious. Obviously, we're not vegetarians - though we do go weeks without eating meat throughout the year as we like to eat healthy meals and enjoy good vegetarian recipes.

    Thank you Gaia and Andy for the draw and Happy Holidays! (I'm using my Twitter name for identification purposes *Fingers crossed*.)

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  109. Thanks for hosting the draw! Greetings from Indiana.

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  110. I don't usually do soup at Xmas but I love all winter soups. French onion is a special treat.
    Merry Christmas!

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  111. My favorite is vegetable minestrone.Merry Christmas!
    angiemontester at gmail dot com

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  112. My favourite dish during the holiday season is beetroot and goat cheese casserole, home made <3

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  113. I am not a soup person, I like meat! Roasted turkeys, beef, pigs with trimmings and of course cholotatey desserts!! Heaven!
    Maria
    my email is maria_angelidou at aol.co.uk

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  114. I would love to be entered. My favorite soup for the holidays is Ciappino, and Italian fish stew my dad started cooking for my sister and me in our non-meat eating phase... agwinton at gmail dot com

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  115. I love the idea of chestnuts in soup! I don't have a favorite holiday dish, but I always look forward to Christmas baked goods, especially the ones loaded with spices and molasses.

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  116. Sounds like a great recipe and I definitely want to be entered in the draw- thanks!!

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  117. Thanks so much for this lovely draw and the great recipe (sounds yummy)! My DH makes the best eggplant parmigiana ever (not sure what his secret ingredient is), but we always look forward to having it for the holidays. perfumeannie at g mail dawt com

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  118. Happy Holidays! THat's a lovely recipe. We make a traditional Czech dish around here. I was making it for years according to my dad's instructions as he learned from my great grandmother. We called it Svickava, but it is unlike any Svickava we have ever had elsewhere. So we were wondering if it is the actual name! It had a pickled beef with a sauce of ginger snaps and almonds and dried plums. My son calls it the weird meat dish and won't touch it! Thanks for the draw!

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  119. Very Norwegian- and very much for Christmas! Pinnekjøtt:) - means stick meat. It is salted and dried sheep meat. Soak in water for 12 hours, put on top of sticks in a cettle, some water at the bottom. Steam boiling for 3 hours.
    Serve with potatoes, rutabaga stew and the fat that came out during boiling. Lovely- and a little high on calories:))

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  120. For the holidays, it's usually a slab of meat of some kind; no water involved. :) @leathemountain

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  121. Well, my mom makes two miller soups every year for our family Christmas Eve dinner. One is Sauerkraut soup, so tangy and creamy and filled with mushrooms and sourcream. The other is known as Forbidden Matzahball soup. Why forbidden you ask? My mom - who is not Jewish- adds BACON grease to the matzah ball dough. My poor dad -who is Jewish- as well as all the friends, family, grandkids and great-grandkids wait excitedly every Christmas Eve for this "forbidden" delicacy! It really is sooo good! I love my crazy family! Merry Christmas to you Gaia and the Husband! -Lisa (a lurker who reads your blog every day) lm dot ruben at yahoo dot com

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  122. would love to win this
    thanks a lot Andy and Gaia

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  123. Never tried this kind of soup but it sounds delicious:)

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  124. its just us two, and we have blue corn tamales, rice, and black beans and of course, champagne. peace on earth

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  125. Oohh I've never had chestnuts in soup, would love to try it out!
    I used to be a vegetarian but fell off the wagon a few years ago. Carrot leek soup (made vegan with coconut oil, great with cooked meat added at serving) is a perennial favorite, and Moosewood's fish curry soup also. We don't really have a typical holiday meal though.
    please count me in!

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  126. I love Italian sausage and white bean soup. I also love sweet potatoes baked in orange halves with a tiny dollop of marshmallow on top!

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  127. My favorite holiday dish is an Hallaca, a mix of pork, chicken, raisins, capers, and olives wrapped in cornmeal dough, folded within plantain leaves & boiled. It's so tasty, it's the only time of year they make it. I always look forward to it.

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  128. My favorite holiday dish is the Hallaca. It's a mix of pork, chicken, raisins, capers, and olives wrapped in cornmeal dough, folded within plantain leaves, tied with strings, and boiled or steamed. It is so tasty, they only make it around the holidays. I look forward to it every year.

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  129. I make a similar soup using pumpkin instead of butternut. So warming!

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  130. Although not related to any holiday, I always make vegetarian minestrone soup this time of year with an assortment of beans and Swiss chard. Even my children ask for seconds!

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  131. It's not really a holiday soup but I have a recipe for Pumpkin Black Bean Soup that I make in fall that is perfect for that time of year. Thanks for hosting the draw today!

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  132. I have two soups I tend to rotate in specifically during the winter holidays. One is West African Peanut Soup that has sweet potatoes, and the other is Pumpkin and Andouille Sausage Soup. Your recipe is copied and added to my soup recipe file ! It looks excellent, and right up my alley :-} Thanks for a great addition to my recipes !

    Thanks Andy for another generous Advent 2013 draw and thanks to our very own Non-Blonde (like me) for hosting today's offering.

    Happy Holidays and Great Meals !!

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  133. My favorite holday soup is the butternut squash with rice and smoked sausage that my sister makes.

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  134. A holiday soup? Huh! I never thought of soups as holiday-y, but oh a rich potato soup with chives or a butternut squash soup like you give here sounds delicious!

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  135. I can't live without soup! For a holiday it could be mushroom creme soup or tomato spicy soup with melted cheese and croutons. I also always ready for summer cold soups like okroshka or cold beetroot soup with salmon.

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  136. I like a nice tomato soup with chunks of tomato and various spices.

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  137. I like to make a Thai-style Tom Kha soup out of leftover turkey. Delicious and very warming at this time of year!

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  138. Tortilla soup and hot chocolate! Thanks for the giveaway!

    (ld pope at gmail dot com)

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  139. I can't live without soup! For a holiday it could be creme mushroom soup or tomato spicy soup with melted cheese and croutons. I also always ready for cold soups like okroshka and beetroot soup with salmon.

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  140. Well, Christmas is on summer here, so we don't have soup for dinner at this time of the year. Here it's all about the turkey! for Christmas and for New Year, with potatoes and lots of salads, and ice cream for dessert.

    But your recipe sounds really good! I'll have to try it when the weather gets cold ;)

    Thanks for the giveaway :)
    Sil
    [email protected]

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  141. We're Italian so no holiday meal begins without escarole soup. Happy holidays!

    happypulitzer at hotmail dot com

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  142. Holiday Soup, Butternut squash soup is my favorite!

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  143. I'm of Ukrainian heritage so beet borscht with a dollop of sour cream has always been a feature of Christmas Eve dinner.
    Thanks for the recipe and for hosting one of Andy's draws.

    -- Lindaloo - rchawork yahoo com

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  144. I make a carrot and sweet potato soup that is rich, lovely and super yummy: boil some fresh carrots (preferably fresh from farmer's market, they are sweeter and much less starchy) and a cubed sweet potato or yam. When all vegetables are soft, puree with an immersion blender. Add about 1/2 cup of coconut milk, salt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper or, if you happen to have it, a few pinches of saffron. The saffron adds a deeper orange dimension to this gorgeous soup. Taste and if additional "brightness" is needed, a few drops of lemon juice will do the trick.

    [email protected]

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  145. My best friend's mom used to make a Swedish fruit soup with tapioca for the winter solstice!

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  146. wouldnt mind some eggnog...
    ultraviolettt

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  147. This Christmas I am making Split Pea Soup. Although, I usually don't make this for a holiday meal, for some reason I just seems like just the right thing. Hearty, filling, and everyone loves it. Most of us are watching our weight, and while we will still have a nice dessert, it seemed like a soup, rosemary crackers, apples and cheese, would be a relief after all the rich food of recent weeks, would be appreciated. I don't use ham, as I am a vegetarian. Green split peas, onion, carrot, one diced potato, bay leaves, salt, pepper.

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  148. We don't usually have soup, but I'll always say yes to a nice bowl of potato-leek.

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  149. One year when I was a child, my mom made French Onion soup as part of a special Christmas Eve dinner. My father, brother, and I liked it so much that we insisted it become a holiday tradition. I am newly pregnant - nauseous and eating a lot of dry toast - but I wish I could have some that soup right now.

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  150. We have lobster stew and endive salad with Roquefort and walnuts.

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  151. This year, I am making split pea soup with rosemary crackers, apples and cheese for our Christmas lunch. There has been so much rich food around over the past few weeks, and most of us are watching our weight, so in order to justify one more lovely dessert, I thought this lighter, but delicious and filling, dinner would be appreciated. I don't add ham, as I am a vegetarian, but use green split peas, onion, carrot, potato (sometimes), bay leaves, salt and pepper. It is a family favorite that I don't make very often.

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  152. Oh dear, I make soups all the time. But for this particular season its nice to have a rest from the smorgasboard with some steaming hot porridge made of white rice cooked with milk and cinnamonsticks. We eat it with sugar, cinnamonpowder and fresh milk. Santas porridge we call it here in Sweden. A very happy Christmas to all of you. My email [email protected]

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  153. Hi and thank you for hosting Andy's giveaway today! I enjoyed reading everyone's holiday recipes. I always make an earthy soup to celebrate Winter Solstice. It is simply lentils, barley, onion and carrots with lots of cloves of whole garlic, bay leaves and thyme. I also love the brightness of yellow vegetables in the winter.

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  154. I make my favorite holiday soup with dried morels, Madeira and roasted vegetable stock. Thanks for the chance to try the Taurs'! anndoteisenbergatcomcastdotnet

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  155. I love to have a cream of mushroom soup for Thanksgiving, or a hearty minestrone.

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  156. Italian Wedding soup, so delicious :-)

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  157. I love any kind of soup, but my favorite is a traditional dish of Tuscany in Italy named "ribollita" that mean boiled twice. It's a tasty mix of winter vegetables in their cooking broth.
    Thanks for the giveaway and Merry Christmas to all !

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  158. I love a good Boeuf Bourgignon, bastardized slightly with turnips. The red wine makes them a little sweet.

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  159. love the idea of squash with chestnuts! thanks for the draw and happy holidays to you!@

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  160. Hands-down my favorite Christmas soup is my Aunt Eileen's Wedding Soup. The broth is made from scratch and the hundreds of tiny meatballs are all hand-made. Insanely delicious and a family Christmas Day Tradition.

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  161. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  162. I love to make chicken noodle soup from scratch, but at this time of year, I use turkey instead of chicken. I add lots of vegetables, chunks of turkey and whole-wheat pasta, and end up with what the French call a 'soupe repas' - namely, a soup that's hearty enough for a main course. Merry Christmas to everyone!

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  163. tomato, preferably served with a grilled cheese sandwich

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  164. we have an awesome butternut squash soup, too, with curry.

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  165. My favorite soup would not be different from my normal favorite, which is Tom Yum (a Thai soup).

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  166. My grandmas chocolate chip cookies are my favorite holiday dish. Thanks for the draw!

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  167. starving for some soup right now.

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  168. I made Pho once which turned out pretty good. Much easier to buy at a restaurant.

    Genny
    lunasea1113 at yahoo.com

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  169. Though I love soups and make them often, we don't usually have them over the holidays. On Christmas Eve we make potato pancakes from my great grandmother's recipe with sausage, applesauce and cottage cheese.

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  170. This Christmas our family will be having a turkey and dressing and wild rice and pies (some years it's lamb or ham or venison roast-we're carnivores here) .A few years ago one of our cats Mickey stole the turkey drumstick off the kitchen island and ran/dragged it under a tall freestanding cabinet where she growledand swiped at any who would deprive her of her "prey" -the turkey leg that was about her size! Mom customarily makes homemade cinnamon rolls (often HUGE size) Christmas morning typically we are all in a sugar haze . Thanks for the draw and Merry Christmas!

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  171. I love butternut squash in the winter. Thanks for hosting the draw and have a very happy holiday.!

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  172. Spicy squash soup is a favourite! Look forward to trying your recipe - thanks! Not much of a cook unfortunately and we try something new each year, as vegetarians we are searching for holiday staples that we like. My sister is a great cook and makes the best soups. Hopeully this year, I'll learn her secret. Rachel h

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  173. Every Christmas Eve my family has potato soup made with dill. Ummmmm!

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  174. Thank you for this draw. My favorite holiday soup is beetroot soup. Happy holiday :)

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  175. I make a white soup (potato/cauliflower/leek) that is very popular this time of year. thanks for hosting Andy's holiday giveaway!!

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  176. The recipe sounds delicious! I love any butternut soup this time of year.

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  177. I love La Madeline's mushroom soup! Great to dunk bread in :)

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  178. I love butternut squash and will try this soup for sure. I love the details of the St Basils cake!

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  179. I love pea soup with fried fat and with rusks of white bread! )))

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  180. My daughter just taught me a terrific recipe for a wonderful, comforting soup that is super simple. Brown 1 lb loose Italian sausage, then add 2 can diced tomatoes, 1 cake cream cheese, 1 lb frozen tortellini, 1 by spinach, 2 cans chicken broth. Cook all except tortellini and spinach on low for 1 hr, add tortellini and spinach in the last 10 minutes and serve with your favorite bread and butter. Yum!

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  181. My favourite holiday soup comes from old family's recipe. It is basically fish soup, but made from fish stock, sweet cream, caramel, almonds and raisins. Hint of mustard gives bit spicy and sour aroma. Should be served with home made tagiatelle. I know, it might sound strange, but in fact it is very delicious!

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  182. I made a Turkey Chowder soup with our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. It was delicious! It will be a Thanksgiving leftover tradition from now on!

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  183. Holiday fish soup recipe was provided by Jake- jpiotr at mail dot com

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  184. Thanks for post!
    Potato soup with onion and with mutton ribs and with a bouquet of spices... ;)
    [email protected]

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  185. Oh, that soup looks good! I've had butternut soups and chestnut soups but never combined them...
    My favourite soup at this time of the year is Jerusalem Artichoke and Chestnut Soup - tastes amazing and you don't have to peel the Jerusalem Artichokes! You can find the full recipe by googling 'Diana Henry Jerusalem Artichoke and Chestnut Soup'. Merry Christmas!

    Sara [email protected]

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  186. We make pork tamales every year to eat on Christmas eve, with a red sauce made with three types od dried chiles. It takes at least a whole afternoon to prepare the sauce and then to assemble, roll, tie and steam. But very savory and tasty! Thanks for the draw.
    clmaceda at yahoo dot com

    clmaceda at yahoo dot com

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  187. It's a tradition in my family to make cream of broccoli soup on New Year's Eve. As a kid, I looked forward to eating bowl after bowl of it even more than staying up late to watch the ball drop!

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  188. We don't have a favourite holiday soup but we do love our candy bar cocoa. Its melted toblerone, egg yolk and whole milk whippedin a cup. Microwave and top with whipped cream and crushed candy cane. Pretty obnoxious!

    Thanks to you and Andy for the draw.

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  189. This is not soup but my once a year holiday dietary splurge. Daniel Boulud's sinfully scrumptious short ribs. This recipe will make the most mediocre cook into, for all appearances, a gifted chef! I had a hard time linking to it here, but google it. It's fabulous!

    Thanks for the great blog, I read it often!

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  190. Salmon soup with shrimps and lime + dill is delicious ,hej från Sverige ! Merry Christmas!

    [email protected]

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  191. Yum! My favorite soup is actually butternut squash but I make it with curry. Thanks for the draw. Love that Andy!!

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  192. I am in Rhode Island so I like my chowda. hahah. seriously though I am a big fan of this soup I made once that was a chicken broth with handmade pasta and spinach. It was sooo good, but since it took such a long time to make I only ever made it once. Maybe I should make it again.

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