Chicken Tortilla Soup from the Poodle Skirt Slayers

We are the poodle skirt slayers.

Two weeks ago, 12 ladies from church got together to make poodle skirts for the girls starring in our Christmas play.  3 lovely ladies volunteered to bring lunch, and we are so glad they did.  Our luncheon turned out to be lots of fun with great food and great company.   

My friend Dianna shared her sister's recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup...not because I was licking my bowl and begging for her recipe...they are just nice folks that way.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
~from Dianna and Debbie

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans Cheddar Cheese soup
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Cream of Celery soup
2(15 oz) cans Chicken Broth
1(15 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup Medium Pace Picante
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning
4 cooked chicken breasts, cut in chunks
Tortilla strips

In large stockpot combine until smooth all cans of soup. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, picante, onion, taco seasoning and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add chicken chunks and simmer 1 hour.  You can also make this soup in a crockpot.

If desired add 1-2 cans drained mild chili beans, a can of corn, shredded cheddar cheese. At the same time you add chicken.

Note:  This makes a huge batch of soup so I made half a batch with low sodium ingredients and still had enough soup for 6 large bowls.

Here are the ingredients for my half batch recipe, using all low sodium products:
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (hubby doesn't like cream of mushroom soup)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1(15 oz) can Chicken Broth
1(15 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup Medium Pace Picante
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning
3 cooked chicken breasts, cut in chunks
2 cups broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
1 can black beans
1 can Bush medium chili beans
1 can of corn
1 Tablespoon chili powder
Tortilla strips
Cilantro for garnish

Same cooking instructions as above.

p.s. In just one afternoon, we managed to finish all 19? of the poodle skirts we were assigned to make :)

Crockpot Fajitas

Eureka! Thought I lost this yummie recipe, but found it in a suitcase while cleaning up today.  Yes, I would take this recipe with me if I was deserted on an island with my husband, it's that good and easy too.

My husband printed this recipe off in 2004 from a news website, so credit goes to the two names listed on the original recipe, "Prairie" and "Hispanicmama", each contributing their own variation.  Easy, tender and oh so delicious! Here is my version:

Crockpot Fajitas
Into a crockpot/slow cooker, stack in this order:
1 beef rump or shoulder roast
1 envelope low salt taco seasoning
1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can of chopped green chiles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 onion
1 can Rotel chopped tomatoes and green chiles

Stack in order above.  DO NOT MIX.  Cover and cook on high for the first hour, then low for 8-9 hours (depends on the size of your roast).  DO NOT OPEN LID.  DO NOT STIR.  Do not even look at it until it's done.  When done, remove all but the liquid from the crockpot and put into a large casserole dish.  Drain off excess liquid.  With large forks, shred the roast and serve with flour tortillas and eat like fajitas.  Garnish with cheese, sour cream, etc.

This recipe makes A LOT of food, so plan on left overs, or serve it to a crowd.