no soup for you! - a week of soup recipes

in the next few blog posts (at the request of my sister and several others)

 i am going to share 5 soup recipes 

that we could eat over and over again.

i will share 2 today 

and hopefully (i promise), 

i will share the others 3 later this week.

it goes without saying that this post is far more than overdue...

but i just said it. 

my poor neglected little blog. :(

i know that it would take more than one blog post to get you updated on all that has gone on since i last posted.

first of all, we moved to a new house.

 the combination of the actual move and 

reorganizing our lives

has occupied more than a great deal of my time.

[i will post pictures of our house and the resulting projects in another post.]

amos celebrated his 1st birthday and has not yet stopped growing... 

 

to give this a little perspective, my husband is 6' 2"

and this picture shows amos's height sitting down.

paisley and amos are inseparable, which just makes me so happy!

best friends. :) i love the 'hug.'

and i know we are crazy, but we have added another furbaby child to the family

this is our new kitten, reggie.

please excuse the 

instagram 

screenshots

he was 3 months old when we rescued him. 

i wanted a black, male cat. i was hoping for a slightly younger kitten, 

but we got so lucky to get a kitten with so much personality,

 that both of our dogs fell in love (obsession) with instantly.

he LOVES the dogs, in fact he thinks that he is a dog.

and the dogs (especially amos) love him. 

amos is completely obsessed with him and won't leave him alone.

reggie was supposed to be an outdoor cat... 

which we still both keep saying is what he is going to be

but he had several health issues that we were trying to resolve before we let him go out.

and since he seems to be enjoying his indoor life [a lot], 

we are in no hurry to release him to the 'barn' (garage), which was where he was intended to live.

ok, so now for the recipes.

i will start with my husband's new favorite.

i made this for my family last weekend and topher requested that i make a second batch the very next day.

always a good sign! :)

White Chicken Chili

ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded 

2 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced finely

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 jalepeno

2 cans green chilis

1 lb. great northern beans

8 cups chicken stock (or 2 boxes chicken broth) 

1 1/2 T. cumin

1 T. chili powder

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 c. whole milk or 1/2 and half

2 T. masa harina (or cornmeal)

optional garnishes:

sour cream

grated monterrey jack cheese

avocado

cilantro

tortilla chips

directions:

boil chicken for 20-25 minutes. 

let cool and shred, then set aside.

(you can just buy and shred a whole rotisserie chicken if you prefer)

heat oil at medium-high in a large pan or dutch oven.

add onions and garlic and cook for 3 mins or until onions are transparent.

add jalepenos and chili peppers and saute an additional 3-5 mins

rinse dried beans  then add them to the pot.

then add the chicken stock or broth.

decrease heat to low, cover,  then cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

next add the shredded chicken, the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and paprika.

when the beans are tender

mix several tablespoons of masa harina (corn powder) 

into the cup of whole milk. 

{again, if you can't find masa harina you can use cornmeal. it is just to thicken the soup.}

whisk together and let sit for several minutes before adding to the soup. 

cook soup for an additional 10 minutes.

serve with sour cream, guacamole, cilanto and cheese.

again, sorry for the instagram picture. 

i didn't save the picture to my phone after i instagramed it.

next....

Chili's copycat chicken tortilla soup:

ingredients:

1 T. olive oil

3 large chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes

small yellow onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves (pressed or chopped)

4 c. chicken broth

1 c. masa harina

3 c. water

1 can enchilada sauce

12 oz. velveeta cheese, cubed

1 c. fat-free half and half

1 t. salt

1 1/2 T. chili powder

1 1/2 T. cumin

optional toppings-

pepper jack cheese, shredded

avocado

pico de gallo

tortilla chips

directions:

heat olive oil at medium-high in a skillet. 

brown chicken cubes, about 4 minutes per side. 

remove chicken and set aside. 

brown onion and garlic for about 4 minutes, until onion is clear.

add chicken broth. 

combine masa harina and 2 cups of water. whisk well.

add to the onion mixture. 

add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta, half and half,  and the spices to the pot and bring to a boil.

add the chicken, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

serve with your choice of garnishes.

hope that you enjoy as much as we did.