Tortilla Soup

A Mexican Restaurant in town serves a Tortilla Soup that I really love. I have managed to duplicate their recipe fairly closely. It is delicious and just spicy enough that my little ones don't complain. It is even better with some avocado, but I didn't have any.

Tortilla Soup

2 T Canola Oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
3 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 gallon chicken stock
14 oz. frozen corn
3 cups diced red potatoes
1 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
4 bay leaves
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lime

Saute the onion in the canola oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and saute just until you start to smell it. Add the corn tortillas and cilantro andcook another minute. Add the diced tomatoes and their juice, the chicken stock, cumin, chili powder, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the corn and potatoes. Return to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are done. Add the cooked chicken and cook until heated through. Add cayenne pepper and lime juice. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve with fried tortilla strips, sour cream, shredded cheese, and avocado if you've got it. Warms you up!

The Birthday Boy!

Taran was long overdue for a big birthday party, so this year he got it! We had a great time playing laser tag with eight little boys!

Snow Fun!

Our Homeschooling Highschool group had a sledding party at a State Park this year. It was perfect! In the 20s after not getting much above zero for days, lots of snow and lots of food. Can you pick me out in these pictures?

The Holiday is over...

Monday and back to the old grind. Half of our school year is gone. 'Tis the season for resolutions and so it's a great time for me to evaluation how our school year has gone and update plans for the rest of the year. I never seem to have accomplished what I set out to back in August (and this year is no exception). I spent the summer praying over the needs of each child and painstakingly reading catalogues and homeschooling reviews. I spent hours writing out assignments. Unfortunately, those assignments have not all been checked off the lists. A good friend recently reminded me of the saying that, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. I'm afraid He must laugh at me all the time! I have a tendency to focus on how "behind" we are in various subjects. Certainly it is good to work hard and I think that we have. If we worked hard and did what we could, then perhaps it was not God's will that we check off every science experiment and history project. So, among my resolutions this year, I will focus on the things we have accomplished, I will give thanks to God for the opportunity to be with my children every day as they learn and grow, I will be grateful for the tremendous blessings He has bestowed on us, and I will marvel at the generosity of our Lord who, as Father John Bartunek says in his book The Better Part, allows us to be "collaborators with the Blessed Trinity, ambassadors of God Himself."

Feast of the Epiphany!

Really, it isn't until Wednesday, but the Church celebrates today. We are celebrating, too! Troy picked up two turkeys when they were on sale at Thanksgiving time and we're cooking the second one today. Lunch today is crock-pot beef and barley soup with orange rolls. I started it this morning and we came home from Mass to the wonderful smell of hot soup. Especially nice since it is about 5 degrees outside right now! I should put soup in the crock pot every Sunday morning.


Crock pot Beef and Barley Soup

Layer in crock-pot:
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. browned ground beef
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 cup pearled barley
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
3 T chopped parsley
8 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

I started it on low and four hours later it was delicious!

My New Year

Well, I finally did it. My son asked me why I spent so much time reading blogs and why I didn't just write my own. So here it is. I hope this will be a place where I can write things down so they won't be forgotten. A place where I can reflect on my life with my great compensation -- the wonderful husband and children God has blessed me with.