Rainy Day

So today was one of those days where you truly get a glimpse of the awesome force of God's hand. At 3:00 am I was snapped out of my usual crazy dream-like state, where I'm pretty sure I was at the grocery store and all of the sudden Julia Roberts showed up as my best friend (only in dreams!). Anyways, that's when round 1 of the thunder and lightening show started. I used to love the summer thunderstorms growing up - and there is still a mysteriousness .about them that makes my heart race a little...(maybe I'm just scared out of my mind that I might get electricuted, with permanent hair damage :) So after about 3-4 rounds of the thunder/lightening show I drifted back off to sleep. Little did I know that this was just the beginning of what soon followed as the "storm of all storms". Yes, it was so magnificent that I had to surround it with quotes. So, no kidding, when it started raining around 11:00 am today - I thought our house may just float away! A part of me wanted to just run outside and let the rain pour down on me - they always make that look so cool in movies :) But as I just looked out the window with my boys and stared at the rain, I thought about God's blessing and how much He wants to pour it out on us like the rain He had dumping out of the sky. I want that. I want to grab one of those huge theme park drink cups (with the extra long straw) and just say "keep the refills coming". How's that for rainy day philosophy? Not bad, eh? So, to go with the theme of "rainy days", I have a pretty good soup recipe for you to try sometime. As some of you know - I am a sucker for good soup recipes. So now you know what to make for dinner tomorrow night! This could be the best chicken tortilla soup I've had in a looong time! Let me know if you try it and what you rate it as!

torrential downpour!


Tortilla Soup Recipe
by Eddie Shipman
1 hour | 10 min prep
SERVES 8
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, diced or 1 fresh garlic clove, diced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons corn oil
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 can black beans drained
1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes, diced (optional)
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, diced
1 (1.25-1 1/2 ounce) packet taco seasoning, I use McCormicks
8 corn tortillas (broken or cut into small pieces)
12 ounces chicken meat, poached, diced
1 cup milk
12 ounces monterey jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese, shredded
corn tortilla chips, broken into small pieces
Saute carrots, onions, celery in corn oil, garlic, salt and pepper until tender.
Add chicken broth and bring to boil.
Add tomatoes, Rotel, taco seasoning, and chicken.
Cut Tortillas into small pieces and add to broth mixture.
Let boil for 20 minutes or until tortillas are thoroughly incorporated into soup stirring
occasionally to keep from sticking. Reduce heat and add 8 oz. cheese. Simmer for
additional 10 minutes. Add milk and simmer for additional 10 minutes.
If thicker soup is desired, add more diced tortillas and let incorporate into soup.
Garnish with shredded cheese and broken tortilla chips.