Tortilla Soup--Ah Yummy!

I went looking for a copy cat recipe for Cafe Rio's tortilla soup--and found one here.  I have to say, pretty good stuff.  I made a couple tweaks based on what I had in my cupboard and the time that I had (got home from work at about 5:45 and had the soup done and ready by about 6:15).  I do love Cafe Rio's soup, and this one came as close as I've ever gotten to replicating it.  Totally worth it.  I think the key to speed and tastiness was my stop at my local Hispanic grocery store (they have already made pico and guac and fresh tortillas).   This recipe made 4 servings. 

Ingredients

Broth
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 T. vegetable oil
3 cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water

Heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion for about 5-6 minutes until transparent and soft.  Add the spices and cook another minute before adding the broth and water.  Simmer for about 20 minutes while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.

Chicken
1/2 a  rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 T. taco seasoning
1 T.  Herdez salsa ranchera (look for it on the Mexican food aisle)
1/2 c. water

Toss the shredded chicken in a bowl with the taco seasoning and Herdez sauce
(the Herdez is pretty spicy, so use more/less to control the heat)-add about 1/2 c. of water and heat up.  


For garnish
Pico de gallo
Guacamole
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips
cilantro
lime wedges
warm flour tortillas

Build your bowl of yummy soup like they do at Cafe Rio:
Get your bowl
Mound up some chicken
Scoop of guacamole
Scoop of pico
Cheese (if using)
Now add the hot broth
Top with corn chips and cilantro
Squeeze a lime wedge over the top.

Serve with a warm flour tortilla and enjoy the yumminess. 

Joy to the World Chalkboard Prints

Chalkboard art seems to be very popular these days. I'm getting ready to deck the halls around my house and decided I wanted to go with this look for my mantle art. I thought about painting up a board in chalkboard paint and actually writing on it, and I toyed with doing vinyl, but nope, I decided to do some Photoshop instead-not sure it was any faster- but it is easier to share :)

So, the first thing I needed was a chalkboard background, which it turns out I had to make because if you want to print something in large format, no such background exists out on the internet.  I found some great instructions here--but I've uploaded my version so  you can just use mine if you want.  It is HUGE, 20x30 and at 300 dpi, so you can print it (I think it's a 12 MB file).  

I did the Joy print in both 20x30 and 8x10.  I suppose you could try it at other sizes too--should have plenty of pixels to print whatever you want.  I'm doing the giant size from Costco for $8.99 and will put it up in the mirror frame already on the mantle.
 


Downloads

Blank Chalkboard background 20x30
8x10 Joy to the World
20x30 Joy to the World