Super Good and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Daddy Rating: 5)

I don't usually make a lot of soups because my husband is more of a full, hearty meal kind of a guy. But he actually LOVED this I think it may become a staple in our house. I got this recipe out of my latest Rachel Ray Magazine, she called it "Jane Fox's Famous Tortilla Soup". This makes pretty much, you'll have enough to bring for lunch the next day.

If you don't have a Dutch Oven, I highly recommend getting one - perfect for dishes that will sit and simmer for a while which happens a lot in my house!

Ingredients:
- Corn Tortillas (or corn chips out of the bag!)
- 4 tbsp Corn Oil (I used Canola)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic (I always use the kind in a jar)
- A handful coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 small can diced green chilies
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (I used the fire roasted kind, yum!)
- 1 rotisserie chicken (you won't need the whole thing, you'll have plenty left for lunches/snacks)
- 2 avocados (I didn't use this)
- 2 limes cut into wedges (I skipped this, too)
- 1 small red onion (didn't do this...there's already onion in it and I'm not chopping two onions)
- 2 large jalapenos, seeded and chopped (I didn't do this, there is already enough flavor)
- shredded cheese
- sour cream

Cooking the spices makes the house smell sooooo good.

In a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add oil, yellow onion, garlic, cilantro, bay leaves, chili powder, cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until spices are toasted and onion is soft (about 7 minutes or so). Add the stock, green chilies, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add however much chicken you want in the soup. I just tore it into big chunks. Reduce to a simmer until you're ready to eat!

Slice corn tortillas into strips and bake until crispy - OR open up a bag of chips...both work fine. Put tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl, pour soup into bowls and top with cheese, red onion, more chips, jalapenos, lime wedges if you feel like it...again, I didn't have time for the additional toppings and it was still really, really good.

Always serve with a glass of wine.

Crunchy Chicken on Greens

(Daddy Rating: 2/3)

It's pretty obvious I don't have a future as a food stylist or photog...still tastes good tho!

(This recipe is based off a recipe I pulled out of Real Simple Magazine - I served it over salad this time, but is also good over reduced spinch. Every time I make this (no matter if the chicken is frozen or fresh) it turns out the juiciest chicken breast ever. I would think this would be pretty kid friendly with whatever they would like on the side.)

Ingredients:
- How ever many chicken breasts you need
- Special K Cereal (make sure it is the plain kind, I bought "vanilla-flavor one time on accident...yech)
- Olive Oil
- Pepper
- Spicy Mustard
- Mixed Greens
- Your favorite salad dressing
- Hard Boiled Egg

Preheat oven to 400*.  In a shallow dish (I use a pie tin) pour the Special K cereal and press on it with a spatula to break it into small pieces. Drizzle olive oil over the cereal - about one turn of the dish, and add however much pepper you would like. On another plate, make a puddle of spicy mustard.

For some reason the chicken breasts I buy are huge, but one satisfies my husband, so I'm going with it.

Set up an assembly line, coat the chicken breast with mustard, press into the cereal on both sides and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Cook for 45 or so minutes or whatever the package of chicken directs.

Toss greens with your favorite salad dressing (I used poppy seed) and sliced hard boiled egg. Top with whole or sliced crispy chicken breast. ENJOY!

Always serve with a glass of wine.

First Birthday Dinner

My Little one had her first birthday over the weekend. I had ambitions visions of a big party and BBQ for lots of friends. So what did I make for dinner - NOTHING. I wanted to enjoy the day with my baby and soak it all in from her point of view and I'm so glad I did.

Lou Malnati's Pizza
Hands down the best pizza on the planet. I'm a Chicago girl and this is the best out there. There is a Lou's near my house and I just grab the pizza's to go from their 'fridge and stuck them in the oven while we were opening presents.

Cupcakes
Okay, I couldn't let the day get away without making the cake that would be in the standard frosting pictures. I usually try to stay pretty wholesome and organic, but that went out the window. Cake mix from the box, artificial lots of stuff, but with pretty pretty colors and, you know what!? It was soooo good!

Artificial Everything Yummy Cupcakes

For this dinner, I bought a BOX of wine for the first time since I had my parents over. I was pleasantly surprised with this as well and will definitely buy it again!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

Meeting Sandwiches

Daddy Rating: 1

Okay so at some point in your office it is likely that someone bring in lunch for a big meeting. It is also likely to be tasty sandwiches from somewhere like Panera or Corner Bakery. Today, it was Corner Bakery. The leftover sandwiches are conveniently moved to a remote area for people to pick at for the remainder of the day.

I just happen to know where the zip loc bags are in the office, grabbed a few sandwiches my husband would like and stuck them in the fridge to take home that night.

We're all on a budget, especially us, so I love getting this one free unexpected meal and now I can save one of the planned meals for next week. This is when it is perfect to be a working mommy. Stay at home moms don't have an opportunity like this. Score.

Since there was no cooking tonight...I had two glasses of wine!

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

(This recipe scores a 5 on the Daddy Rating System)

(From Food Network Cookbook that I got for my first Mother's Day - Only uses ONE PAN. Super fast, easy and tastes so fresh. I also bring this dish over to other mommies house when they are about to go crazy, they always appreciate it)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (When I was dairy-free, I skipped the butter and just used olive oil)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I use basic Zataran's Creole Seasoning and it's quite tasty)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact (Just buy cooked, deveined shrimp when it's on sale) 

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 plum tomatoes, chopped (I use more like 7 because I like tomatoes)

2 bunches scallions, chopped (about 1/2" chunks)

3 cups cooked white rice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley  (I've never used this)

Lemon wedges, for serving (optional) (I've never used this, either)

Before going to work in the morning (or when your baby is napping), chop the onions and tomatoes so everything is ready to go when you get home - If possible cook the rice, too. We always have cooked rice on hand in our house.

Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon, if desired.

At this point you can just leave it on the stove until the kids/baby go to bed and then re-heat.

Always serve with a glass of wine.