Chicken Tortilla Soup, just like Loca Luna's!

For those of you in the Little Rock area, you're probably very familiar with the Loca Luna chicken tortilla soup!  It's a huge bowl of soup that comes with a huge plate of "fixins"...cilantro, purple onion, lime, avocado (my favorite!) and of course tortilla strips!  Now, I'm not promising that this is the exact same soup but I will tell you that it is just as tasty! I found this at BacktotheCountingBoard.com.  I pretty much followed this recipe but didn't add the carrots and instead of grape tomatoes, I used Rotel (makes it good and spicy!).  It even says this is a healthy chicken tortilla soup...BONUS!  :)  Really it's the lime, cilantro, and tortilla strips that make this absolutely fantastic!

• 16 oz. cherry/grape tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes, with chilies if like things spicier)
• 2 med. carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced*
• 3 tsp. olive oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. tumeric
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water (plus more if needed)
• 12 oz. frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 cup 2% milk shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Add tomatoes, carrots and green pepper to a blender or food processor and mix until blended, but still chunky. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the cubed chicken and cook until it’s completely cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Shred the chicken using a fork.
4. Meanwhile, heat another tsp. of oil in the same pan you cooked the chicken in (wiped out, but doesn’t need to be washed) over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Put the onions, garlic and chicken in a large stock pot or dutch oven (at least 4-5 quarts). Add in all the spices and cook over medium heat for one minute.
6. Add in the tomato mixture, chicken broth, water, corn and beans and 1/2 cup cilantro.  I just put into the crock pot and let it simmer all afternoon! 
7. When the soup is ready, place tortillas on a baking sheet (you may need to do two at a time) and put under your broiler for a few minutes until browned and crispy, then turn over and toast the other side. Watch closely so you don’t burn them. Cool for a few minutes and then break into strips.
8. Ladle soup into a bowl and top with a handful of tortillas and a couple of tablespoons of cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro., (and any other garnish that you might like!) Squeeze a wedge of lime over it just before eating.

Time is running out on the giveaway!  There's only 24 hours left to comment on any of the past posts and you'll be entered into the drawing for the Cooking Know-How cookbook!  Don't forget, if you share a link of facebook you can get two entries, all you have to do is comment on any of the posts and say, I shared on facebook. 

Easy stuff for weeknights / leftover uses

Sometimes the best recipes are the easiest!

Today I am going to share 3 that I do that are quick & everyone loves them. If you are looking for fast AND easy, try this: Buy family packs of meat & cook it in a crock pot all day. Then you will have cooked meat to use all week long, in all kinds of recipes.  Also these recipes make enough to freeze & really save time later. Don’t bother measuring – it doesn’t really matter!

#1: Stuffed shells or manicotti

Boil water & cook pasta as directed on package. Be sure not to overcook! In the meantime, Combine 1 container of ricotta and 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (or any meat). From there you can go to next step, or you can get creative. Sometimes I’ll throw in a handful of any of the following:

cheese

spinach (fresh - cut up, frozen - thaw & squeeze)

herbs, either dry or fresh

veggies

Whatever you want to do. Make use of leftovers or trick the kids into eating veggies! Speaking of kids, they like to help with this next part.

Then you can use your hands (especially if you’re making shells) or fill a Ziploc baggie with the mixture, snip off a corner & pipe it into manicotti. Lay these in a greased baking dish as you fill them. After you get them all filled, crack open any jar sauce you like (marinara, alfredo, pizza, cheese) and pour over the stuffed pasta. Sprinkle with some more cheese if you want. Then heat until warm, about 20 minutes at 400⁰. (If baking from frozen, it will take longer to heat, but since the meat was previously cooked, just watch for the cheese to melt and it’s done.) Sometimes I end up with more filling than I have pasta – in this case, just freeze it for later.

#2 Chicken Pot Pie

I know, 2 chickens in a row…but any meat really would work here.

You need two pie shells. If using homemade or refrigerated, just put one in a pie pan. If using frozen shells, just thaw both.         In a bowl, combine your choice of the following:

Shredded chicken, turkey, pork, beef, sausage, or hamburger meat (cooked)

Any “Cream of ____” condensed soup, like cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery

Veggies, such as carrots*, celery, peas, potatoes*, mushrooms (canned or frozen), etc

(*Tip: pre-cook hard stuff like raw taters or carrots for a few minutes in microwave.)

Once you mix your filings, pour into one of the pie shells. If using frozen pie shells, loosen the edges of the un-filled pie shell before the next step. Wet the filled pie’s edges with water. Flip the other pie shell on top of the filled pie. Don’t worry about it if it breaks. If it didn’t break, poke some holes in the top anyway to vent. Press the two shells together at the edges by pressing with your fingers. Bake it until the top shell is nice and brown. 350⁰, about 30 minutes.

#3 Enchiladas

DEEElicious! In a greased baking dish, set up your tortillas. Flour or corn torts can be used. Bend them in half “taco style” so they are open for fillings, but kind of support each other. Now fill with any of the following (I like to do it assembly-line style):

Spanish rice or any cooked rice

Beans, either black, pinto, or refried

Cheese, especially a little strip of Velveeta, or use some leftover cheese dip! Even shredded is good

Meat, like cooked ground beef or turkey, chicken, pork, brisket, or deer, or crumbled sausage

Onions, bell peppers, corn

Now fold the tops down so that the fillings are covered. (Sometimes you have to use toothpicks to curb fly aways – just remember to remove before eating!) Now pour enchilada sauce over them, and sprinkle with cheese if you want. When you serve them, you can top with black olives, sour cream, and jalapenos.  Then heat until warm, about 20 minutes at 400⁰. (If baking from frozen, it will take longer to heat, but since the meat was previously cooked, just watch for the cheese to melt and its done.)

If you’d like me to keep posting about easy meals, please let me know!

Don't forget!

Quick reminder to comment on the Giveaway post to be registered to win the cookbook!   You've got until Friday night!

Sorry no new posts recently BUT my stinkin oven went out...how can you have a food blog with no oven?  Luckily I've still got a couple things to tell you about from last week.    We had terriyaki scallops that were delicious.  The highlight of my culinary weekend this time were the petite vanilla bean scones that I made!  Brandon took them to work yesterday and they were gone soon after he put them out!  In fact, someone even asked if SHE could marry me.  HA, I thought they were pretty tasty myself! 

mmmMMMMM!

Ooooo Lacy! I'm going to get started on some tamales ASAP. Great link! I also like to get a big thing of meat & use it fr several meals. Its usually chicken.

I dedicate today's post to my sister because she told me I make "weird food". Today she said she was scared of anything I make. Whateva, Doo. Enjoy your canned spaghetti-Os.

Ok so here's another use for that leftover pulled pork (or chicken):

Pulled Pork Sandwich, Page 154.

And my husband's super greasy hand...I dont remember why he thought we needed to see that :) Ok so I usually don't eat coleslaw, but this recipe isn't all mayo-laden & heavy - it was good!  Try this:

Easy Cole Slaw
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp (olive-oil kind if you can find it)
2 tbsp vinegar, any flavor
2 tbsp canola or olive oil
1/2 head each red and green cabbage
3 carrots, shredded

I only made a half batch & it was PLENTY! And I didn't have any red cabbage. Whatever!

Then I had a bunch of cabbage left so I made this:

Chinese Chicken Salad, page 114

Crunchy, tangy, sweet - a nice salad. Shredded cabbage, chopped chicken, asian vinaigrette, cilantro leaves, almonds, and mandarin oranges. Boo-ya.

Finally, I couldn't get my husband (aka "Big Sexy") to try this one, but I assure you that it IS delicious:

Grilled cheese with apples & bacon.

Pretty simple - thinly sliced granny smith apple adds crunch to an old friend, the grilled cheese sandwich. Add melted cheddar and crunchy bacon & you get salty-sweet goodness! Get you some.

I haven't noticed any weight loss yet, but I sure am enjoying these new recipes. I have only had chicken once!

The weekend is near, I can almost smell what's cooking!

I don't know about you but this snow has my routine all out of whack!  The good thing about that is that tomorrow is Friday...(can i get a WOOHOO!?)  Usually it's around Thursday when I start making a list of all the things I want to cook on the upcoming weekend.  This week's no different! 

This weekend I really want to try out some homemade flour tortillas.  I can almost taste the fresh guacamole slathered on the warm, fluffy tortilla.  Please stop me! 

Also, I've got my scallops in the refrigerator for Terriyaki Scallops.  I've been dreaming of these all week!

I just got a batch of vanilla beans in so I've got to try some things with those fragrant beauties too this weekend!

Last time I was at the grocery store, I picked up a package of pork chops.  Usually I do the same ol' thing with them, pop in a skillet to cook, smother in bbq sauce, add sliced carrots, simmer for a few, slap it on rice and bam, it's dinner.  And while it is delicious everytime, really you can only have so much!  So this time I had just seen Paula Deen making something new...cranberry dijon porkchops.  It was actually just as easy and a totally different taste.  Basically all you do is make a cranberry sauce by adding 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and about 6 oz of fresh cranberries.  Cook this down until all the berries have bursted.  Add 2 tablespoons of a hot dijon mustard.  Brush it on the porkchops and just put them in the skillet and brown them on both sides (making sure they're cooked through)  I know cranberries are really "holiday food" but they're just so pretty! 

Just so you know too, LOTS more pictures will begin to appear.  My camera batteries have been down and so all of these pictures have been with my phone, but we're gonna get serious this weekend!

Also, DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY!  Deadline was originally tomorrow evening but I realized I may be a tad overzealous, considering this is my 4th of blogging!  So we're going to extend it.  The drawing will now be NEXT FRIDAY January 21 at 10 pm CST.

First Giveaway!

Alright guys, I had Bible Study tonight so my ever-so-creative dinner was MCDONALD'S.  Seriously.  But I didn't forget you!  In honor of the startup of our new blog, we want to have a giveaway.  We'll be giving away a fabulous new cookbook.  It's called Cooking Know-How. It's a 406 page hardback book that includes a little bit of everything (including colored pictures!)  Written by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

(Hopefully this image shows up, clearly I'm struggling with my image inserts...I'll get there, I promise!)

To be entered in the random drawing, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us what kind of recipes are you looking for?  Healthy (in honor of the new year), indulgent (in honor of Paula Deen!), special ingredients you're interested in, just let us know what you'd like to see here.  You can increase your chances to win a couple different ways, 1. Become a follower or 2. Share the post on your facebook status.  (Note that I added a gadget to make it super easy to share!)  If you do either of these, just leave a separate comment telling us that you became a follower and another separate comment if you shared the link on your profile! 

We've already had close to 100 views in just a couple days so I'm hoping this giveaway attracts more people! 

New Cookbook!

Hey guys, I'm Shauna. I'm going to shadow Lacy in her blogging adventure. :) Really my goal is to lose some weight by stepping outside of my "comfort-food zone." I pretty much cook the same thing every week: some sort of chicken, then pizza. Chicken pizza even. Chicken pasta. Sprinkle cheese, repeat. Chicken!

So I got a new book - "Cook This, Not That" and I've been having a good time cooking thru it.

Some of our recipes might overlap. For example, I also made fish tacos. Here's a pic:

Page 174

Made exactly the same way except I used some old flounder I found in the freezer & a mango-avocado chutney. Say THAT 3 times fast. And I always thought Greek Yogurt sounded nasty. Now I know it really IS nasty if you go in having your mouth ready for sweetish yogurt taste. Think "sour cream" and it's just fine. So mine have a dollop of Greek yogurt & no cheese.

Page 127, #8 of  "13 Instant Lunches"

My new fav lunch is avocados, sliced in half and pit removed, hole filled with tuna salad. Mmmm good. I'm using olive oil based mayo and green onions as the salad. Salt & peppa.

Page 326, Olive Oil Ice Cream

And finally, perhaps the weirdest thing I ever tried and liked: Vanilla ice cream, topped with olive oil, cashews, and coarse salt. No, its impossible for me to be pregnant. Hey, this is Iron Chef Batali's recipe! 

 That's all for today. Thanks for reading! And thank you, Lacy, for having me on your blog.

SIMMER DOWN!

Snow Days!

Everyone knows that snow days mean a lot of things...snowmen, sledding, no school, and my favorite...cooking!  We've enjoyed lots of good food this weekend.  I thought I would share a few recipes with you.  Let's see, the weekend began with tamales. Now these tamales were definitely a first attempt and will definitely be better the next time (as far as the rolling went) but the taste was right on.

 I will tell you that I used the recipe from www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/tamales-recipe.html as a jumping off point and then kind of went from there.  My amounts were not anywhere close to what the recipe called for but i just kind of threw the spices in and taste tested several times.  The recipe actually calls for a 7 lb pork butt, mine was probably only about 3 lbs by the time i made quesadillas, nachos, and baked potatos with it.  The recipe still made about 20 tamales for us though.  A couple tips for this process, it's hard to tell when you're running out of water in your pan (since the steamer is actually covering the bottom) so if  you put a quarter at the bottom of the pan, you'll hear it rattling when you need more water.  Now another tip-don't make the masa too thick, be sure to keep adding chicken broth until you can get it thin enough to not be in chunks (isn't that technical?)  I know, traditionally you're supposed to add chili to the top, but it would have overpowered the taste of that pork mixture I worked so hard to perfect!  So I added a mixture of cheddar cheese and Mexican crumbling cheese with sour cream, diced tomatoes, and some green onions.  And this was lunch!


We had fish tacos for dinner.  I'm going to admit that fish tacos have NEVER sounded good to me until recently.  In fact, I always had a bit of a stomach turn when I heard the two words together.  But never again will I feel this way because the tacos were the highlight of my culinary weekend!  I just bought the regular frozen mahi mahi fillets from the Wal-Mart freezer section.  (it's taken me several years to realize that while mahi mahi taste absolutely fantasic in Hawaii, it's actually not so shabby right here in Arkansas!)  I mixed up a blackened seasoning with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme leaves, whole oregano, and just a tiny bit of kosher salt.  Covered my fillets with the mixture, seared them, shredded them up, put them on a white flour tortilla, added some diced avocado, along with cilantro, red onion,  jalapeno, tomatoes.  The only thing this was missing was lime juice.  Beware, this is a spicy dish but well worth the runny nose and fiery lips!  I was so eager to bite into it, I didn't even take a picture but believe me when I tell you, it was a gorgeous masterpiece!  :) 

My all time favorite blog is We Are Not Martha.  At the end of the year, Chels recapped her favorite posts of the year and I saw that she had the recipe for a fluffy blueberry muffin and I had to try it for myself.   www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/06/jordan-marsh-blueberry-muffins/  I made this and recipe exactly as it's shown, I think next time I may add some banana in with it too. 


When I saw that the snow was here to stay, I put one of my Pampered Chef bowls outside to catch some snow (you know where I'm going with this!)  By the time we were finished with dinner and cleaning up, we were up to about 8 and a half cups of beautiful white snow.  Parker mixed in 3/4 cup whole milk, AG threw in 1 cup of sugar, and a tablespoon of vanilla.  We mixed this all together quickly, threw it in an ice cream freezer for about 30 minutes to make it creamy, added chocolate to the top and enjoyed our snow ice cream sundaes!  Again, no picture (hey give me a break, it's only my first post...I'll get better at this!)  To be real honest, the ice cream was melting fast so there really wasn't time anyway.

I've got several things in mind for this week so check back and see how they turn out...tomorrow night is cranberry dijon porkchops!