Souper Bowl

Ooohh it's happening.  I have discovered a love of cooking and last week I hosted my very first dinner party (for 10!- an experience worthy of it's own post as soon as I regain the strength).  I. am. becoming. domestic.  ated.  Which is the appropriate word?  Domestic/domesticated?  One of them is an adjective pertaining to the home, and I am pretty sure the other one has something to do with house-training a dog.  Either one is appropriate, I guess.  I am getting to be pretty house-trained.  I even made the bed, like, 4 times last week! 

Anyway, after finally discovering how to pin things without "repinning" to my pinterest boards on my iPad2 last night (the ultimate savy, domestic woman's tool), I was pumped  when big fat snow flakes started falling from the DC sky today.  Why?  Because yesterday I pinned what looked like a delish Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe to my board of yum yums with a caption pining for a cold January day to make such a tasty bite. 

Thanks mother nature!  Annnd Thanks Dad for dropping the Squash Soup off for me at the office today- it was such a treat and gave a hankering for soup for dinner.  Soooo, when Tory got home from work and saw me chop chop chopping fresh ingredients away in the kitchen, his first question was "where'd you get this recipe?"... the sight of fresh vegetables must have startled him... Anywho, I proudly informed him that I stumbled upon this recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog.  I say "proudly" because Pioneer Woman and everything she embodies has been quite terrifying for me.  I mean the woman cooks, cleans, crafts, homeschools her brood and then blogs about all of it.  And guess what else?  I was informed by my husband- who is clearly far more domestic(ated) than I, that she is soon to have a show on Food Network ("oh isn't that the farm lady on food network?"  "i don't think so."  ...It is.)

ANYWAY so I cooked up this tasty tasty batch of chicken tortilla soup and I have to say, the terrifying Ree Drummond aced my test.  First of all... while this recipe took foooorrrever (I am used to soups taking about 2 minutes in the ol' micro), it was super easy: blend spices, bake and shred chicken, add veggies, beans, and broth, and simmmaaaa.  Serve it up topped with a dollop of (lite) sour cream, and a sprinkle of crushed tortillas and cheddar cheese.  I simmered for 45 minutes less than the recipe called for- it took me forever to chop up those veggies and I wanted to eat before 8:00 pm (hello Bachelor viewing party)- so I am guessing that leftovers tomorrow are going to be even tastier.  Also- at Tory's request, I pureed the Rotel (he hates tomato chunks) and added steamed corn which was an excellent, EXCELLENT idea.  If you're not a part of the pinterest world, then you're living under a rock you can check out the original recipe: here.  It makes a freaking ton, so invite your soup-loving friends, but never fear... even Tory liked this one and he doesn't like peppers, tomatoes, onions, or beans.... or soup, for that matter.  And just to prove that I actually created a replica of this masterpiece, here's an iPhone shot as evidence:

just imagine how this would look with a real camera!

So, there you have it, I am slowly but surely finding a way to turn my love of food into a fun way to embrace housewifeliness- even if I am not a housewife.  Cooking for myself and others has become a wonderful adventure in learning, perfecting, entertaining, hosting, chopping, baking, grilling, boiling, and broiling. Spare me the commentary on the stark contrast from my most recent post.  I am a complicated woman with many different sides to my personality.  Or many different personalities.  The jury is still out on that one, but regardless...  Just to further emphasize my sophisticated, diverse, array of interests: after souping it up, I watched 2 hours of the Bachelor which consisted of rediculously sassy and slightly evil commentary and now I am sitting on the sofa beside a pile of unfolded laundry, watching Julie and Julia.... a movie about a working woman who cooks her pants off and then blogs about it.

Oh Happy Winter Soup Days!