Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

02/02/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Can you believe it is February 2nd today? According to Punxsutawney Phil, there’s 6 more weeks of soup weather ahead of us!

January was a total blur for me. I got that ridiculous virus (flu). I really hope you have escaped it, and if you catch it, do take it seriously. I started hacking on Boxing Day; coughing so hard and uncontrollably I could not catch my breath at times. (Before you ask, YES I GOT A FLU SHOT!) I saw the Dr. on the 27th of December and was given steroids, antivirals, and inhalers. If you know me at all, you know I will do anything to avoid taking Prednisone. This time, I did not even consider putting up a fight! I would have done anything to STOP the coughing! When there were clear signs of infection a week later, I was put on antibiotics. I ran fevers of about 100′ off and on for three weeks. It was just last week that I honestly believed I would make it to Valentines Day! I’m surprised our food delivery folks haven’t called to see why the Hot and Sour soup orders have stopped! Anyway, with my absence explained, and all the crap I ordered on-line while sick; returned, I’m here to share this recipe with you!

We love chicken tortilla soup! So flavorful and satisfying. I always have a whole chicken in the freezer, and roasted tomatoes in the pantry. Onions, avocados, tortillas, and cilantro are usually restocked weekly. I discovered a frozen southwest veggie mix a couple summers ago. It is the perfect add-in to this soup. This frozen veggie combo also makes a great cold salad with a lime, cumin, cilantro vinaigrette. This veggie mix has become a staple in the freezer as well. This post is not sponsored…I’m sharing this “short cut” with you ’cause that’s what I’m all about.

For the soup

Place one whole chicken* (extra fat, skin and giblets removed), in a large stock pot.

cover the chicken with 3 quarts of fresh, cold water
season with salt and pepper

Simmer about two hours, over low heat, until chicken is done – no pink in the thighs.

Remove chicken from pot. Strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside.

Pull the chicken off the bones, removing the skin, breaking the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.

*You could use rotisserie chicken and three quarts of chicken stock, if your prefer to not cook a whole chicken. Just start with the steps below.

1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, minced

1 large, sweet onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

Sauté the onion and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat in your stock pot, about 5 minutes, until tender.

Add:

1 large can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
Salt, pepper
2 bags of southwestern style frozen vegetables

Pour the reserved stock back into the stock pot. Taste for Seasoning. Simmer about 30 minutes.

15 minutes before serving, add the reserved chicken meat to the pot. Simmer gently to warm the meat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

While the soup is heating, prepare the garnishes:

Cut 4-5 corn tortillas into strips. Add 4 T of oil to a sauté pan and cook them until lightly brown and crisp. Cool on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

2-3 avocado’s diced

lime wedges – 1 per serving

grated cheese, for serving

sour cream for serving

When ready to serve, ladle soup into a serving bowl bowl. Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, onion and sour cream. Add a lime wedge on the side.. This soup is fantastic leftover and also freezes well.

Make it soon, you won’t regret it!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

French Onion Soup on a snowy Seattle day!

12/10/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a snow storm to make you crave hot soup and crusty bread. Dave loves French Onion Soup and we had never made it from scratch before. We bought the bowls a couple years ago and this was the first time they were used for their intended purpose! I am frequently inspired by the recipes posted daily by the NY Times Cooking team. This recipe is based on one posted by Melissa Clark. Melissa’s recipe gives directions to avoid broiling individual servings, with the pre-made cheesy crouton added after the soup is spooned into individual bowls. Great for a crowd and also useful if you do not have broiler proof bowls! I like to dish up the soup and place it under the broiler, the old fashioned way. As always, it’s nice to have a choice.

For the Soup

adapted from this recipe

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

4 pounds total combination of beef bones and beef shoulder

32 ounces of good quality beef stock

32 ounces of water

1 medium onion roughly chopped

4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 bay leaves

8 thyme sprigs

6 medium onions, sliced in half and then thinly sliced

1 stick unsalted butter – 8 ounces

1/2 cup port wine

6 ounces baguette loaf, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

8 ounces Gruyère cheese

Brown the meat and bones in a few tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat in a heavy soup pot. Season both sides of meat generously with salt and pepper.

Once the meat and bones have been browned on both sides, set aside. If needed, add a little more olive oil to the pot. Add the rough chopped onion, carrot and celery and sauté until the vegetables are softened…about 10 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Add the meat back into the pot. Add the stock and the water. Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 2 hours.

While the stock is simmer, prepare the onions. Slice the onions in half through the root end, and then thinly slice each half.

Set a second, heavy soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter slowly in the pot. Add the sliced onions, and slowly caramelize them. Do not turn the heat up too high and do check / stir them frequently. It will take 45-60 minutes for them to caramelize completely. When completely carmelized, add the Port wine and season with salt and pepper.

When the stock has finished cooking, strain the liquid into the pot with the onions. You can reserve the meat for another use, or change it up a bit and add it to the onions and broth. We found this to be delicious and made the soup into a heartier main course.

Keep the soup warm, over low heat.

Slice the baguette bread into a thick slice, one for each serving. Ladle the soup into the serving bowl. Place a slice of cheese on the bread, place the bread on top of the soup. Add additional grated cheese to cover. Place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Garnish with a few thyme leaves. Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

Dave’s Diner – Summertime Macaroni Salad

06/11/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

We posted this recipe last summer with some pretty bad photos. You may remember, Dave has taken over macaroni salad responsibilities. It is one of his favorites and I used to make it for him. Last summer, due to my heavy travel schedule for work, Dave decided to learn to make it on his own. After a couple of phone calls; one to me and one to his Mom, he had his recipe down! This post is especially fun as I was away when Dave made this. He set up the shots and took all the photos himself! He also made bbq chicken to go with this salad, but did not get any shots. Maybe next time!

Dave’s Summertime Macaroni Salad

1 1lb package elbow or salad macaroni, cooked according to directions (be sure not to overcook), rinsed, drained and cooled

6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and chopped

1.25 cups chopped dill pickle (I used to use sweet pickle – Dave changed it up)

1.25 cups diced celery

1.25 cups chopped, purple onion

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 to 1.5 cups mayonnaise, depending on how you prefer the salad

2 T. yellow mustard

2 T. pickle juice

2 t. celery seed

1 t. celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir together gently. Place in serving bowl, garnish with paprika and chill at least 4 hours. This salad is actually best chilled overnight.

As with all kitchen endeavors, Dave had a lot of help with this recipe. (Photo from first post.)