The other day I made an appointment and as I was saving the late March date on my calendar I had the realization that oh my gosh, by then it could actually feel like spring! Living in the midwest, late March weather is a wild card and you never truly know what you’re going to get but still, it gave me hope.
And although I’ve hit the stage of looking forward to warmer weather and leaving winter behind, I really enjoy a lot of things about winter. Cozy sweaters, an excuse to hibernate, pretty snow days – and soups! Something I haven’t taken nearly enough advantage of this winter is making some consistent favorites so I think I’ll spend this last bit of February fixing that.
My favorite and by far easiest “recipe” is for chicken tortilla soup. This ranks high on the list because you literally dump the ingredients in a crock pot and turn it on and that’s really hard to screw up. Play around with ratios based on ingredients you like more than others! My preference for not loading up on the black beans and corn actually led to me opting to use a jar of corn and black bean salsa instead of individual cans of beans and corn.
Ingredients:
– One jar of your favorite salsa (I use the 16 oz size of the mild Chi-Chi’s brand)
– One jar of corn and black bean salsa (I use the 13 oz Cowboy Caviar from Trader Joe’s)
– 4 oz can of mild green chiles
– 2 cups chicken broth
– Boneless chicken – anywhere from .75 and 1 pound is what I typically use
– Shredded cheddar cheese
– Southwestern tortilla strips
Now this is the part I really love – pile everything but the cheese and tortilla strips into the crock pot and set on high for about 4 hours or until the chicken is easy to shred. That’s it. Shred the chicken, dish it out and top with shredded cheddar cheese and some tortilla strips if you want a little crunch!
Life in the Ordinary 