Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

This is a recipe I came up with by combining 3-4 recipes I have found for Chicken Tortilla Soup. I made it this week and it was really good so I thought I'd share.

 

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken or veggie broth

2 cups water

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

2 (15 oz) cans Rotel Original

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (my sis recommends using a rotissere chicken, especially if you are short on time.)

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1 medium diced onion

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

(I have added 10 oz of enchilada sauce before, but I left it out this time)

 

This turns out pretty spicy. If you don't like spice, I recommend cutting out the chopped chiles, or maybe cut the rotel down to only 1 can, or use Rotel Mild. Or you could cut out the cayenne pepper. Also, you could add more water or broth.

 

Add all ingredients and cook on low for about 1 hour. Top with shredded cheese or tortilla strips if desired or any other garnish that sounds delish.

I served this with my mom's mexican cornbread and it was great! Maybe I'll add that recipe to the blog.



Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Bruce has an obsession with Chicken Cordon Bleu so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I had to try it. I got the recipe off of this blog. Below her blog were lots of notes and suggestions to try to make it better as her recipe seemed to be rather bland and plain. Here is MY recipe that has all the changes I made to make this a delicious meal. Note - it makes a huge portion. We had lots of leftovers for the next night. But being the fatties we are, it was gone in 2 nights. Please read my notes at the bottom as I explain some important instructions for this recipe.


12 oz Pasta (I used Ziti - you could use any fun shaped pasta)
3 Chicken Breasts, seasoned, cooked in a skillet, and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed (I bought a package of pre-cooked cubed ham)
3 pieces of bacon cooked
1 cup Skim Milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
1 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Colby/Jack cheese, shredded
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Cajun Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Parsley
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted

The first thing I did was fry up the bacon. Next time I will add more bacon and maybe even leave out the ham. The ham did nothing for us, and we were wishing for more bacon.

Next, I cut up the chicken into small pieces and  tossed it with seasonings until completely covered. The seasonings I used were salt, pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Cajun seasoning, and garlic powder (and I would recommend putting the minced onion in with the chicken as well instead of adding it to the sauce later. It needed cooking a bit.) I'm not a measurer when it comes to seasoning, so I would just recommend using what seems right to you and your family. We like things spicy so I pumped up the Cajun seasoning and Cayenne Pepper just a tad. I fried the chicken in the same pan as the bacon using the bacon grease. OH yeah!

Start boiling your pasta to al dente -  make sure you don't overcook it.

When your chicken is finished cooking, add your ham and bacon and cook them together for 4-5 min.

Drain your pasta and add your meats to it, tossing to mix.

Next you make your sauce. I made it in the same pan I cooked the bacon/chicken in to make sure I got all those yummy seasonings. Start with your milk, heavy whipping cream then add your cream cheese and cook on medium heat stirring constantly until smooth. Add your Dijon mustard and nutmeg. Then I seasoned it with the same seasonings I used on the chicken to add flavor. YUM YUM YUM!!

When your sauce is heated through and smooth, add to your pasta and meats. Add Swiss and Colby/Jack cheeses mixing it all together thoroughly. Put in a 9 x 13 pan.

For my topping, I would have used Panko bread crumbs if I had them, but I didn't. I ended up putting some 3 cheese flat bread crouton thingies in the food processor to chop them up, making about a cup. Spread on top of pasta then pour a stick of melted butter on top. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 min.

I hope I explained things clearly. Feel free to ask any questions you have. And I would love comments if you try it out and find something you would change about it.


Enjoy!!!

Potato Soup on Crack

The soup in the beginning stages. No hamburger meat added yet.

 

 

We recently had some friends over and I wanted to try something new - so of course I hit up Pinterest. (Does anybody even use cookbooks anymore? I recently got mine out and had to dust them off!) This recipe was a big hit! The boys literally licked the crock pot clean. Today is another cold and bleary Saturday at home, full of family time and football, and Bruce has requested it again. If you want a link to the blog where I originally found it click here. She calls it Bacon Cheeseburger Soup. We call it Potato Soup on Crack. It's delicious!

 

1lb of lean ground beef

8 oz cream cheese

8 slices of bacon

32 oz Southern Style Hasbrowns

32 oz velveeta cheese (I use the lower fat one made with 2% milk)

32 oz chicken broth stock

small onion diced

 

 

Fry up the bacon and crumble it. Brown the hamburger meat (I always season my beef with garlic salt and Lawry's seasoning) Cut up the Velveeta and put it all in the crockpot with all the other ingredients, stir well. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Hope you like it as much as we did!!