Tortilla Soup on a snow day

Well, it isn't snowing in Houston. BUT, for fear of ice/snow on the roads, my office announced yesterday that they would close today. Houston drivers just can't cope with ice on the roads; it's a safety hazard.

So, last night after work I popped into The Fresh Market in anticipation of making tortilla soup on my snow day. I used my app for Eat Your Books to find a recipe and get the ingredient list for shopping. I found a recipe from a cookbook I haven't used in years -- Tortillas: El Paso Chile Company by W. Park Kerr. This cookbook was published in 1996! I've probably had it that long. It feels great to pull it off the shelf.

My Tortilla Soup: What attracted me to this recipe is its use of canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. I happen to already have a half-used can in the fridge (from last week's Shredded Pork Soft Tacos), and LOVE the flavor from these dried chiles in the thick savory sauce. Oftentimes with a recipe like this, I cheat and buy a grocery-store-roasted chicken. But since I knew I'd be home on a cold winter day, I picked up the recommended chicken pieces to slow cook the chicken in stock. This always improves the flavors, but sometimes short-cuts are equally important. Bottom line: This was a solid tortilla soup and really hit the spot on a cold day. It was spicy, but not over the top. I'll probably seek out the same recipe next time I get the craving.

Looking toward the rest of the week, my Wednesday bushel from Farmhouse Delivery is supposed to include red cabbage, carrots, beets, spinach, mushrooms and a few other goodies. I'll steam the spinach and probably saute the mushrooms for easy side dishes. Pickled beets can practically be done in my sleep. I still have a little Sweet-and-Sour Coleslaw, made with red cabbage, left over from the weekend. So, I probably need to find something for cooked red cabbage to change things up.

With a check of Eat Your Books, I found a recipe for Baked Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon from Vegetables Revised, by James Peterson. His cookbooks are very detailed with lots of step-by-step photography. I also have his books Cooking and Meat. Maybe I need to spend a couple days cooking from Peterson's books!