Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is really good. Really good.
This is one of those soups I just throw stuff in the pot without measuring, so I decided to go to the pro for a recipe with actual amounts, and some fab photos. My photos made my soup look quite unappetixing, even though it tasted great. The Pioneer Woman is a far better food photographer, so check out HER recipe and pics HERE. This is pretty much how I do it, thought I've never done the cornmeal thing - I think I shall try it.

I prep the soup without the beans, and freeze it for our meal swaps, and to bring for "comfort meals." I let it cool completely, and then distribute it into gallon-size freezer storage bags, and freeze them flat. (You can also use containers, but I make gigantic batches, and the stack factor is nice for storage.) It's so easy to take out and thaw right on the stove. REMEMBER - if you thaw a bag of soup in the fridge, put it in a bowl. You'll be glad you did. You can include the can of beans, and if you want, a little baggie of tortilla strips, but I like to make those fresh - it's not hard.

Here's my "recipe" for the tortilla strips:
a couple flour tortillas
EVOO in a mister

chili powder
garlic powder (optional)
sea salt

Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Spritz them with olive oil. Spinkle the seasonings over, and mix up a bit with your fingers. Stick 'em in the oven - under the broiler is fine, but you need to pay attention! Otherwise, heat it to about 375 degrees and bake until they start to brown. Stir them a bit part way through.

Sprinkle those babies over your soup, and then add all of your favorite toppings. Today, we had shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, and some chives since I didn't have cilantro or scallions.

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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