Week 1 - Chicken Tortilla Soup

     I'm officially onto my New Year's resolution! I had some fun crafting while on Christmas break, but to start my year of cooking and crafting I decided to use the many delicious recipes on Pinterest as my inspiration. (Actually, between going back to school and it being my birthday this weekend I was feeling kind of lazy.) But hey, either way I made something!

     My original plan was to use my new super awesome Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (Christmas present-yay!) to make myself some birthday cupcakes. I found a recipe for white-chocolate vanilla cupcakes that look too good not to make. I was then informed by my husband that it's a little sad to make your own birthday cupcakes, so those will have to wait for another week. As for my birthday treats, my husband is now in charge of the cooking!

     What I actually ended up making was a recipe that I stumbled upon while browsing---wait for it---Pinterest! I know, shocking, I was browsing Pinterest? Anyway, it's soup and made in the crockpot. On a week like this those are two of the best ways to describe a meal. It's been freeeeezing here this week, and I've had no energy to actually cook after school. My body is still on vacation!

Here's the recipe, with a few of my adaptations, originally found here.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained (I completely forgot to add this!)

2 cans Ro-Tel

2 cans chicken broth (I always have a carton, so I just filled the two Ro-Tel cans wiith broth and measured that way)

1-2 cans (Ro-Tel cans again) water

1 Tbsp each Cumin, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder

1 dried red chili pepper (optional, I added this because the soup was lacking heat)

*1 small can diced chilies (I didn't have them this time, but next time I will to add more heat)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place all ingredients except chicken in a crockpot. Stir to combine. Place chicken in the crockpot, making sure they're mostly covered by liquid. Turn crockpot on low and let cook for about 8 hours. Once cooked, shred chicken with two forks, stir, and serve! (makes 5-6 servings)

Optional toppings:

sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado slices, tortilla chips

I wasn't sure how tasty this soup would be since it was so easy, but it was surprisingly good! Especially when I added the sour cream, cheese, avocado, and chips. There are two things I will change for next time- remember the corn, and add more peppers for heat. I don't like spicy food, but I do like my chicken tortilla soup to be a little bit spicy.

Maybe next week I'll feel a little more crafty....