Day 24

We have not done this perfect, but we have cut our eating out bill by over 3/4....I am proud of myself for cooking and the girls for keeping the kitchen clean.  I have been able to come home and cook 21 days out of the month.  I consider that a huge accomplishment in my book.  We have had extra money to do more things with that we really want to do, such as getting ready to buy baby chicks. 

But I have had several request for recipes so here goes:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 roasted chicken (or roast your own cheaper and better for you)
1 2lb brick of regular Velveeta
2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes
4 cans of chicken stock or broth (they are the same thing)
2 cans of Mexicali corn
2 cups of heavy cream (hey you said you liked it!)
2 cups of a quality enchilada sauce
1 T. of chili powder
1 bag of inexpensive taco chips crushed up
topping; fresh limes, shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, fresh diced jalapeno

Tear as much meat of the chicken and you can and shred it.  Set it aside for later.
In a large soup pot add your chicken stock and rotel tomatoes; bring to a rapid boil.  While you are waiting dice up the cheese.  When you have a boil turn the temp. down and add the cheese and the corn.  Let the cheese melt into the liquid slowly.  Keep an eye on the soup and stir often.  Once the cheese is melted add the cream and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce.  Add the chili powder, 1/2 the bag of crushed chips and the chicken.  Let everything heat up and come together.  If it is to thick you can add chicken stock or milk or water to thin it down. 
Serve with the toppings and the remaining crushed chips and enjoy.

Ina's Tuscan Bean Soup

lb white dried cannellini beans

4 cups onions, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large fresh rosemary sprig (6-7 INCHES)

2 quarts chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

2 In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes.

4 Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft.

5 Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed.

6 Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

I did not puree the soup but left it whole, many others who made this recipe also left whole and raved about it.  If you don't have or can't find the cannellini beans you can use white navy beans.  I have used canned beans in a pinch-just rinse them well.  The cannellini beans  are worth the effort to find though, look at Green Acres or you can order them online.