Tortilla Soup!

It's cold and rainy here so I decided to make a warming and healthy soup for dinner.

TORTILLA SOUP

olive oil
l onion, chopped fine
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1-28 oz. can pureed tomatoes (I used 2 cans of whole tomatoes and peamed them)
1/4 c. diced green chilies
4 c. chicken broth (can use 6 c.- if need for taste)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 1/2 Tbsp. chilie powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
salt & pepper
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed


Saute onion & garlic until soft. Add tomatoes, green chilies, chicken stock, beans & seasonings. Simmer 30 min.

I made mine with black beans and topped it with a little bit of crema Mexicana (a milder type of sour cream you can find in Mexican grocery stores), cheese, lime, tostada, and fresh chopped tomato.

Here are some other things you can put on:
shredded chicken
cilantro
green onions
avocado
black olives

I couldn't resist making corn bread muffins to go with the soup. I am particularly fond of the Adler's cornmeal recipe (found on the back of the box :)

Preheat to 400 degrees.

In one bowl mix
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 c sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt

In another bowl mix
1 lightly beaten egg
1 c milk
1/3 c oil

Add wet to dry ingredients just until blended. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti with White Chocolate

I am dying to make macaroons. Dying. But, it rained all weekend and its supposed to rain tomorrow. So I decided to make biscotti, the perfect curl up with coffee and a book cookie. I got the recipe from The Ghiradelli Chocolate Cookbook.


Biscotti
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
4 oz semisweet chocolate finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup hazelnuts chopped

Chocolate Coating
1 12oz bag Nestle white chocolate chips melted
* White chocolate can be quite finickey. Nestle brand white chocolate melts like a charm and goes on much smoother.

Preheat to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients excluding the nuts.
Combine eggs and vanilla.
Add wet to dry. Mix with an electric mixer to form dough (2-3 minutes). More flour can be added if dough doesn't form.
Transfer dough to floured surface.
With floured hands mold dough into 2-3 inch wide logs that fit the length of a cookie sheet.
Place on cookie sheet and bake until firm. (25-30 minutes)

Let cool on sheet.
Remove and cut 1" slices with a serrated knife.
Lower oven to 300 degrees.
Bake about 20-25 minutes until crisp.

Melt chocolate in microwave or double broiler. Dip cookies in or ice with chocolate.

Stolen Ideas!

This cookblog idea was stolen from the Mistress of Baking, Allison. Her new blog,

http://cinnlove.blogspot.com/ has just started off the year with some sweetness.

For the moment I am out of the kitchen, but into some good reading. Cookwise, by Shirley is a wonderful cookbook. It discovers the science behind cooking in an effort to help cooks understand the importance of age old cooking tips.