I’m going through some old photos right now for a project and found these cuties I had to share. This was back in 2006 when I bought my first canon rebel and really started to discover my love for photography. My only subjects were my own kids. Their authentic expressions always proved worth the bribes I offered. 🙂
It’s all about the toppings. I mean, the soup is pretty good, but what really makes chicken tortilla soup is the toppings. There’s a huge variety of recipes to choose from, but this time I went with one from The Pioneer Woman. I’ll include the recipe copied from her site at the end of the post.
Once you load everything into the bowl, the soup gets a little lost, so I thought I’d start off with a picture of the steaming bowl of broth, chicken and beans.
First come the fats…sour cream and cheese. Light sour cream is really good, but light cheese is a pathetic version of cheese. 🙂
Then, comes the kick! Red onions, tons of cilantro and chopped avocado. Now we’re talkin’!
The original recipe calls for corn tortilla strips to be placed underneath the soup, but my family likes crunchy tortilla chips on top. I found a new brand at Cost Plus World Market that I LOVE. Xochitl Chips…they’re SO good.
My friend Maggie taught me to put my chips in the oven before serving. Just a few minutes at 350 make you feel like you’re in a restaurant. I bought these with no salt and added sea salt (I love the nice big chunks of salty) before I baked them. It brings the oils back out of the chip and makes you feel like you can’t stop eating them. But, that’s another story.
Pioneer Woman Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup Diced Onion
- 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
- 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
- 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 4 cups Hot Water
- 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
- 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
- 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
- _____
- FOR THE GARNISHES:
- Sour Cream
- Diced Avocado
- Diced Red Onion
- Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
- Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- Cilantro
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.
Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)
I’ve been talking recently with friends about Christmas traditions. The things you do with your kids that they look forward to every year. For our family, it’s a trip to Naples. All the waterfront homes go all out with lights and decorations and it seems that every person in driving distance makes their way through the canals. You always see someone you know and you talk about which house you’d buy if you won the lottery.
Here’s a few iphone pics I snapped of our favorites…
My ‘lottery’ house.
See those little gondolas off to the side? 16 years ago tomorrow Brent proposed to me in one of those. Cue the awwwws!
And this person went a little nuts.
Here’s a little rainy day sparkle for you…
A cute baby boy in the bucket I just can’t get enough of!
And one of my most favorite photo sessions ever!
So, today I wanted to share with you something that has worked to help keep us a little more organized. If you’re a mom of little kids, you know they’re natural tendency is to be hoarders. They have a million hobbies and collectibles. Not to mention the ‘prizes’ they seem to endless come home with.
Instead of keeping a pile of all the items mentioned above, I decided to search for storage containers that would not only be useful, but also aesthetically pleasing. One of the things I love is my vintage soda crate. I bought it at a flea market for $10 and I filled some of the spots with canning jars and others I kept open. We’ve filled it with pencils, markers, paint brushes along with miscellaneous items like the lanyards they are working on right now. The kids know where to put their items and it keeps their room nice and tidy!
Dec
06
I’m sure there are way more exciting things to blog about, but let’s get practical. What are you eating for lunch? If you are like me and work from home, lunch can end up being last night’s leftovers or a weird assortment of nibbles on various things from the fridge. When I’m making a conscious effort toward my health, I’ll make myself a salad. It’s just a manner of minutes at the cutting board and I’m always excited about tossing in different ingredients.
Today’s salad, was spring greens topped with avocado, pear, cranberries, gorgonzola cheese and toasted pine nuts. Nothing extravagant, but worth the effort.
What are you eating for lunch today? And if you’re into greens like me, what are your favorite salad toppings?
I photographed this gorgeous girl last spring. I was too busy to blog it, but now these lovely pictures will finally see the light of day! 🙂
Since I skipped a few weeks of sharing what I was up to, I’m back tracking a little bit. All the way back to the beginning of November. These were my last set of mini-sessions in the golden sun before the time change.
I bought these adorable vintage cameras from the last flea market I went to and they were a huge hit!
Also, LOVE this balloon Tera made for her session.
I’ve just wrapped up the Rascals to Rebels photo sessions for Holiday and it feels good to delivery so many amazing pictures of the cutest kids around! I love to see people use the images for their cards and giving as gifts…so fun! Here’s a few favorites from the second weekend.
Oh and if you’re a photographer, I’m selling this backdrop for $75. First email gets it! (info@kristineldridge.com). It measures about 54 by 54″…I will be taking it off the frame, so it’s a big piece of moss covered canvas with berries and lights that you just plug in at the bottom. Staple it to your own frame like I did or hang it from a backdrop stand.
So, have you lugged all those boxes out of the attic yet? Isn’t it funny how excited we are for a new season and as it comes to a close, we are itching to get all those decorations down and move on to the next.
When we got back from our Thanksgiving trip, the weather was in the 80’s, so what better time to bust out some Christmas carols and start trimming the tree!? Over the weekend I shared pictures on Instagram and Facebook of the Christmas decorating split with our time around the pool. Quite the anomaly!
When it comes to decorations, I’m a simple gal. I don’t like to go crazy overboard, just a little touch of something festive is good for me. So, for our table this year, I decided to mix some moss with a mini-red berries and pop in a little votive.
I think it turned out really pretty! I was thinking about tying some twine around the glass…what do you think? Should I or leave it as is?
