Saturday, January 16, 2010

Hibernating

When I was getting ready for bed Sweetie said, "Are you setting your alarm? It's supposed to ice tonight." True, I said, but there was no reason to think I wouldn't go to work the next day.

And it iced and I went to work and they closed it twenty minutes after I got there. Super!

Before everyone from Minnesota and Chicago and other snow-ain't-no-thing parts of the country get all judgey, remember this - we have no snow plows. We have no snow tires. We have one or two salt/sand trucks. Oh, and we have a LOT of people who have never driven on snow or ice before.

The year Atlanta hosted the Felon Frolic Superbowl we had two ice storms in a row. I was sloooowly making my way to the supermarket around 7am that weekend, just post-storm, when a car behind me became terribly impatient with me. Horn honking, one-handed gestures waving, yelling in the car - the whole dramadeal. Where he had to go at 7am on a Sunday morning I couldn't tell you.

So as soon as it was possible to do so, he passed me - screaming at me the whole time.

He floored it, skidded, and ran into a phone pole.

Sometimes you get to SEE karma instead of just hope it's out there...

So anyway, after I made my way back home (the ice! the skidding! the cooooold!), I hit the supermarket to get what I needed to finally, finally make my sister's tortilla soup crockpot recipe. She sent me a passionate defense of her beloved slow-cooker after this post, and sent the accompanying recipe.

It is said that no two siblings grow up in the same household. And sure enough, I started researching recipes before I hit a double-digit age and Sis lost 8 pounds when I went away to college because "all I know how to cook is salad." She has become a terrific cook and hostess-with-the-mostest since then.

It's FABULOUS. It was just what we needed on an ice-bound day and the leftovers made a terrific lunch. Pork tenderloin is the most healthful/low-fat option. I suspect a Boston Butt would also work at less financial cost, but would be fattier. The texture would be different as well, since it would be more of a shredded/Southern barbecue deal. YUM.

Sis's recipe in Sis's words. I bought a big pork tenderloin and used 1/3 for the soup, froze 1/3 to use as a roast, and chopped the last part into, well, chops.

Tortilla Soup
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 garlic cloves, chopped or squashed through the press
1 can diced tomato with jalapenos
1 small can green chilies
1 can (15-ish ounces) corn
32 oz chicken broth (I prefer low-sodium, especially since there are also tortilla chips in here)
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Heat skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook till softened - about 6 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and garlic - cook for 1 minute.

Transfer to slow cooker and add cubed pork, tomatoes, chilies, broth, and tortilla chips.

Cover and cook about 4 hours on high (or you can do all day on low, and turn it up for 30 minutes or so when you get home from work). Stir in corn at end (I have added it at the beginning with no difference). I have added canned black beans the last few times I made it. Definitely adds nutrition and flavor.

2 comments:

Tara said...

SO not true!! I made a mean Kraft macaroni and cheese back in the day!

Anonymous said...

We actually have four sand trucks.