Chicken Gumbo

With the first week of school coming to an end, Fall is in the air.  Well, maybe not technically in the air, or the calendar for that matter...but it should be.  Sorry...school supplies and pictures of children dressed in long sleeves evoke a lot of emotion in me.  So, I guess you could say, Fall is in my head and I can't get it out.  And nothing says fall quite like a pot of soup on the stove.  So in tribute to my "would be fall day", I would like to share with you one of my family's favorite soups.  My Mother found this recipe years ago in a magazine article sharing ways to use up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  She tried it and we have been eating it ever since.  So, dust off your soup pot, turn your air conditioner down and cozy up to a bowl of this amazing soup.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 ribs of celery, halved length-wise and then sliced
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken or turkey broth
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup long grain rice, uncooked
16 oz. frozen cut okra
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Bay leaf
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (or in our house a glug)

Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat in your favorite soup pot.  Saute' onion, pepper and celery slightly.  Add all remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer until veggies and rice are tender...about 20 minutes.
*A piece of cornbread is a great companion to a bowl of this soup.
**Also, in our house, we have a contest to see who gets the bay leaf.  That person has bragging rights until the next pot of gumbo is made.  Enjoy!