Chicken Tortilla Soup

This past weekend we had a little tortilla soup party for a family gathering. It's a simple dish to prepare for a casual get together and would be great for a winter open house. The soup can be prepared in advance and allowed to simmer until serving time. Guests get to customize their soup by selecting their own toppings.

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups roasted chicken, shredded (cheat by buying a pre-roasted chicken at the grocery store)
• 3 cups peeled and diced tomatoes (canned)
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Anaheim chilies, seeded and diced
• 1 Jalepeno, seeded and diced (optional to add heat)
• 9 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2" strips
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• Sea salt

Garnishes 

• Queso fresco cheese
• Lime wedges
• Diced avocado
• Chopped cilantro
• Tortilla chips (recipe below)

Directions

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, warm olive oil. Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño in oil until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer until softened, about 10 minutes.
   
2. Add the chicken broth, increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and add chicken. Salt to taste. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, in a small stockpot, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2” inch and heat to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, drop in the tortilla strips and fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried tortilla strips to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt.
   
4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with garnishes. 

Garnishes ready for the guests!

Tomato Avocado Salad

It may be the middle of winter, but I've been craving fresh summer salads. This simple tomato salad is one we've been making lately. Try also tossing in some cucumbers for a little crunch!

• 8 vine ripened tomatoes
• 2 avocados
• 1/8 red onion
• 2-3 tablespoons feta cheese
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh cracked pepper

Slice tomatoes into wedges. Cut avocados into chunks. Thinly slice red onion. In a serving bowl, toss tomatoes, avocados and onion with vinegar and oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled feta. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spinach Stracciatella Soup

A simple Italian soup that is light yet filling. Add tiny meatballs and you've got Italian Wedding Broth.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 1-10 ounce package frozen, chopped spinach
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium sized saucepan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil. Stir in orzo and frozen spinach. Cook for 9 minutes until pasta and spinach is tender.
2. Turn heat down to low. Slowly add beaten egg, in a steady stream, stirring constantly. 
3. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve with Parmesan cheese to stir into soup, and warm bread and butter.

Pool Party

Summer is almost coming to end and I was fortunate enough to enjoy a little pool date with two of my sisters and their baby boys one Friday afternoon. We had a simple light lunch by the pool and had so much fun playing with the boys in the water.

Everything for the lunch I bought in one quick trip to Trader Joe's. The menu is below along with recipes for the salads. And if you haven't enjoyed a leisurely afternoon by the pool, make sure to try and squeeze one in before the summer sun is gone.


Pool Party Menu

• Chicken salad (recipe below)
  
• Mango avocado salad (recipe below)
  
• Apricot almond tart
• Animal cookies (for the babies)
• Iced tea
• L'ambrusco bianco (sparkling white wine)
  
• Sparkling berry lemonade (to mix with the l'ambrusco)
  

Chicken Salad

• 1 pound cooked chicken, diced
  
• 1 gala apple, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup dried currents
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon honey dijon mustard
  
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  
• 1 lemon, juiced
  
• Salt
• Pepper

In a small bowl, prepare the dressing. Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, celery seed, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix chicken, apple, almonds and currents. Toss with dressing. The currents will plump up after soaking in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can store for 2-3 days.


Mango Avocado Salad

• 1 mango, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 bag of baby romaine lettuce
• 1 bottle of poppyseed dressing

Fill a serving bowl with lettuce, lay mango and avocado on top. Toss carefully with dressing right before serving.

Pretty Party Table

I'm in love with this Dessert Table setting featured by Crate & Barrel. Sage green and cotton candy pink were my wedding colors and we served pink and white candies in glass vases just like this. Makes me want to throw a shower!

These green dishes are so classic and simple (they match my house as well). Wouldn't they look great sprinkled with some bright red dishes at Christmastime?

Fun, fun, fun!

Angel Food Cupcakes with Peaches, Raspberry Sauce, & Biscotti Crumbles

Angel Food Cupcakes with Peaches, Raspberry Sauce & Biscotti Crumbles. Now isn't that the longest recipe name ever? And I even left out the whipped cream. I just couldn't think of anything catchy and shorter to capture this dessert. Your naming suggestions are welcome!

My man and I created this recipe while trying to come up with a dessert for his birthday that would be light & summery and travel well. His birthday plans included dinner at our favorite local Chinese Restaurant follwed by a dessert picnic along the grassy strand at the Dana Point Harbor.


I packed all the dessert components individually in a cooler and we assembled the dessert at the harbor. For this occasion I packed frozen Cool Whip instead of whipped cream so it would keep well in the cooler during dinner. For the biscotti we used Nonni's Cioccolatti Biscotti which added a little layer of rich dark chocolate to the dessert. We also found that the almond flavor of the biscotti worked really well with angel food cake.

We loved this dessert and found that it was hard to eat just one serving even though we were stuffed from dinner. I can't think of a more perfect way to spend a summer evening than sitting out in the harbor watching boats float by and enjoying a summertime dessert.

[Aren't these cupcake liners adorable? My sister-in-law gave them to me for Christmas along with a whole box full of cupcake goodies. I highly reccomend these liners, the paper is thick and waxy and much sturdier that regular liners.]



[Raspberry Dessert Sauce recipe can be found here]

Angel Food Cake with Peaches, Raspberry Sauce and Biscotti Crumbles

Makes 12 portions

• 1 box of Angel Food Cake mix
• Water
• 12 cupcake liners
• 6 peaches
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 package of fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 carton of Cool Whip or other whipped cream
• 4 Biscotti, crumbled

Step 1. Prepare the Angel Food Cake mix and bake according to the package directions for cupcakes. Cool and store in a cupcake carrier or other sealed container.

Step 2. Using the raspberries and 1/4 cup sugar, prepare the Raspberry Dessert Sauce according to the directions in this earlier post. Place into a storage container and refridgerate.

Step 3. Peel and slice peaches. Place into a storage container. Toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning and 2 Tbsp of sugar. Refridgerate until ready to use. The sugar will dissolve with the peach juice and create a nice syrup coating on the peaches. Cover and refridgerate.

Step 4. Assemble your cupcakes! Place each cupcake on dessert plates, surround with 2 spoonfuls of peaches, top with a dollop of whipped cream, drizzle with raspberry sauce and sprinkle biscotti crumbles on top.

Raspberry Dessert Sauce

Fresh fruit sauces are so simple to make (it really only takes 5 minutes) and can really add a special touch to desserts of all kinds. This recipe is for a Raspberry sauce but you can substitute it with any type of berry. Try fruit dessert sauces on ice cream, cupcakes (like these Angel Food Cupcakes with Peaches and Biscotti), brownies, chocolate cake, creme brulee, cheesecake...I'm sure you could keep the list going with me!

Raspberry Dessert Sauce

• 1 package fresh raspberries (can substitue with frozen)
• 1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
• 1/8 cup water

In a small saucepan bring all ingredients to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes until sugar is disolved and fruit is softened and broken down. The longer you simmer, the less chunky the sauce will be. Remove from heat. Store covered in the refridgerator.

If using strawberries, you can mash berries after cooking to desired consistancy. If fruit is bland and lacking flavor (i.e. frozen) 1 Tbsp of lemon juice will help brighten up the flavor of the sauce.

Variation: substitue with strawberries, blueberries or blackberries