Happy New Year!

Well, we made it through Christmas and all the good yummy food that comes with it. Now it's on to the New Year celebrations.

My mom always hosts a New Year's buffet. Each year, we have a new theme. Last year, we did Chinese New Year. This year, my dad wanted Tex-Mex.

I was talking with my husband and there are just so many possibilities for heavy appetizers/main entrees that could be used for this AND in everyday life.

I've touched on a few of them in earlier blog postings, but will rehash some titles below:

Touchdown Taco Dip
Chicken Enchilada Ring
Taco Ring
Mexican Chicken Lasagna

You could also do freshly made salsa and guacomole, which I am sure will appear at my mom's house for our festivities. You could also throw in the usual tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas and nachos.

Since winter is firmly entrenched here in MN, I'm thinking about a Chicken Tortilla Soup. I have a great recipe that's not too spicy and has good flavor. It's one of those things you could stick in the crockpot and forget about it. How nice is that?

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 corn tortillas
1/2 C onion. chopped - I leave this out
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin - I love cumin
2 cans chicken broth - (14 oz cans)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes - undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilis
4 t fresh cilantro - I like cilantro, but I think it's just a bit of a pain in this recipe...more for color than anything. You could skip it
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever type you have on hand)
4 thick slices of fresh lime - optional

Now, you are supposed to cook the chicken first if you are doing it on the stovetop. And then add in your seasonings and broth. Set aside the tortillas, cilantro, cheese and lime...and you can put everything else in the crockpot and let it do it's thing on low for 8 hours or so.

If you don't want to wait that long, dice the chicken and cook it in a 4Qt or larger pot with a little vegetable oil. Should take about 3 minutes or so. Then add garlic, onion, and cumin. Cook and stir a couple minutes. Add broth, tomatoes and chilis. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Now, you can buy your own already baked tortilla strips, or you can use corn tortillas and bake some yourself. Use a pizza cutter to cut them into 1/2-inch strips. Bake on a stone at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes.

When you are ready to serve, place tortilla strips in the bottom of the bowls. Ladle soup. Top with cilantro and cheese. If you want a little more presentation, add a lime slice to each bowl to squeeze into the soup.

In any case, this is a very simple, very tasty soup that everyone should enjoy. Don't worry about the green chilis...they don't have a ton of flavor and add more texture than anything to your soup.

You could also serve with some cornbread! Yum!

Enjoy!

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