Juggling, And a Tortilla Soup Recipe
Today at my moms meeting, a wise lady who takes her role as a Titus 2 Woman very seriously talked about juggling the four glass balls of our life, and keeping them in order of priority. In very particular order, here are the priorities we must juggle:
Know and love God
Love your husband.
Raise your children in the Lord.
Manage your home.
In the spirit of being a better manager of my home, I have been working on meal plans that make sense for our family, are easy to execute, and get done at a decent hour without taking too much of my time. I've made a lot of tortilla soups in my day, sometimes following a recipe perfectly, but this is the best (and cheapest) version yet. Susanna even at e a few whole spoonfuls after she had finished her own chicken and black bean dinner. Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts Olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 cups chicken stock (or follow my directions below to EASILY make your own) 1 can black beans, drained 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes 1 small can green chiles 1 cup frozen roasted corn 1 Tb lime juice 1/4 cup corn meal slurry (see directions) 1 Tb chili powder 1 Tb cumin 2 tsp oregano salt and pepper to taste 4 corn tortillas guacamole
Instructions:
In a large dutch oven, heat water to a boil and drop in 3 chicken breasts for 20 minutes or until done (no pink)
Set the chicken breasts aside to cool a bit and shred later, or drop them in your Kitchenaid with the paddle attachment on low for a minute (my favorite Kitchenaid trick ever!)
Save 4 cups of the boiling water and dissolve a cube of bouillon to make 4 cups of chicken stock.
Also save about 1/4 cup of the water and dissolve a tablespoon of corn meal (not cornstarch!) to give the soup some depth. Dump the rest of the water into the sink.
Drizzle olive oil into the dutch oven and saute the onions and garlic with a little salt and pepper.
Add the shredded chicken, chili powder, cumin and oregano to the garlic and onions, and stir to coat.
Pour in the chicken stock and cornmeal slurry, then add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and corn. Stir to mix, and let the whole thing simmer on the stove for at least 20 minutes or until you're ready to eat.
Top with tortilla chips (I sauteed some corn tortilla strips in olive oil), guacamole, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, diced red onion... whatever you like on your tortilla soup.