Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

 A love story about ...

C H I C K E N   T O R T I L L A   S  O U P

Soup should always be in your bag of tricks for those beginning of Fall days when the weather turns to crisp and cool temperatures. Nothing feels better than heating up over a hot bowl of healthy vegetables, chicken, and garnishes of your liking. This recipe will make you fall in L O V E with soups again and if you want to turn things up a notch you can add cayenne pepper or Mexican hot sauce on top. It's always nice when there's a kick of spice. 

 

  INGREDIENTS:

3 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion (diced)

3  clove garlic (minced)

1 cup carrot (cubed)
1 small zucchini (diced)
2 earns sweet corn, cut off the cob
1 15-oz. can black beans (drained)

1 15-oz. can white frijole beans (drained)
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans (drained) 

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbs cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
6 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breasts
5 corn tortillas (Sliced into strips)

salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

 In a large pot boil the chicken, about 15-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Remove the cooked chicken and cut into thin slices.  Pour out the chicken broth, but keep about a quarter to add flavor to the stock. 

Saute all the vegetables in olive oil to soften, about 15 minutes. When vegetables are cooked through, pour the remainder of the ingredients into the pot with the stock and the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Cut the tortillas into strips and fry in olive oil until crispy.  Then lay on a plate with a napkin to soak up the exess oil. You can add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper if you want to make them spicy. (Spicy is better!)

                   Then dress it up with garnishes just the way you like it!

 

 

GARNISHES OPTIONAL:

 Fresh Cilantro / Sour Cream / Cotija Cheese / Cayenne Pepper / Lime / Mexican Hot Sauce

xO,

Rach

Angels Stadium

 I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I think I'm going to go to more games here because I did my research on the food selections and they do not disappoint at Angels Stadium! The third base food court to the left of the main entrance has a lot of different options from your standard ball park food to what I'm  into such as, poke!!! Saint Archer upstairs also has Poutine Spuds that I didn't get but will definitely have to try at the next game.

 Oke Poke was really fresh. You had the option of getting Salmon or Tuna in either a poke bowl or a burrito. I got the burrito because it looked really good. It was the best poke burrito I've ever had.

 You get to choose the sauce you want. I chose the sweet chili because she recommended it as the best option to go with the salmon.

 You have to have ice cold beer at a ball game, but if you're not into beer you can get cocktails or soft drinks too.

 I had a bite of my friends nachos, but I was too full from the burrito to have more than that. I was also working on a large michelada too.

 The jalapeno modelo michelada was really good. I thought the jalapeno would be too spicy but it just made it tastier with a little kick aftertaste.

 Even if sometimes I don't know whats going on in the games its still fun to just be out with friends. It felt like a high school game and we were just rooting on our friends. I was actually cheering on both the Phillies and the Angels.

Xo,

Rach

Venus Spa

I usually wait until my muscles beg me to get a massage.  Since I've started bar-tending I've needed one more than ever.  Last night was especially exhausting because I had to work an open bar, 21st birthday party.  I woke up tired from working and my body ached because its been so hot this Summer.  This morning I decided to sweat and do the bike for 19 miles.  After the gym I headed over to Venus Spa.  I didn't have an appointment, but that was alright because they take walk-ins, no big deal.  The receptionist asked me if I would be okay with a male masseuse and I said yes.  The one thing I like about walk in appointments are that you always have a different massage therapist, giving you a whole different experience each time.

This place is so special.  They do a great job and when you walk into the room you sit down and put your feet into a hot bucket of water.  They give you jasmine green tea to sip on while you listen to relaxing music.   They proceed to wrap you up in white towels while they massage your back.  This is the most painful part for me because I think that's where I hold most of my tension.  Its nice to feel like jello afterward though so I try to endure as much of the process as possible.  People come and go at different times, but they are really quiet and you barely notice them.

This masseuse had a strong and hard technique.  I had to ask him to go a little easy on me more than a couple of times, but then I asked myself as I peered through the opening in the massage table at my purse and flip flops on the floor...No pain no gain, right?  Maybe my body needs to rid its self of these knots through this deep tissue massage.  My absolute favorite part of a massage is when the therapist rubs the forearm and down to the hands and fingers.  He did this little snap on the end of each finger that sounds like he was cracking something but it felt so good.  I love those pressure points on the ends of the fingertips.  In that moment I say "Thank you! Thank you! yes, that feels so good!"... In my head of course, wouldn't want to mess up his flow.  To me that feels better than anything in the world!

 Beside me today was a man face down in the middle of his massage who began to snore.  I felt like maybe he was missing out since he was asleep, but his body will still know the difference even if he wasn't awake to remember it.  Then something that I'm always fearful of happened... His phone went off with the six sequence chime of the Sports Center app... "dunn nuh nuh, dunn nuh nuh".  I laughed because its a sounds I'm too familiar with.  It didn't bother him or anyone else in the room.  Then I started to think about the camaraderie of sports and how it brings people together to play and have fun.  I started to think about how I want to to start watching games with friends and family, making yummy food and snacks for everyone to enjoy.  It had me thinking about how I want to start going to basketball, baseball, football and hockey games.  I was thinking about how it could be cool to try all the different foods that professional stadiums and fields have to offer.

Its funny how your mind wonders while your supposed to be present in the moment, relaxing.  I was relaxed I was just also dreaming away of where I could take this blog if I wanted to.  Today I had one of the best massages I've ever had! Can't wait to go back.

Xo,

Rach

Mexican Fruit Salad

What is more simple of a snack than a fruit salad?  The Mexicans got it right when they chose to spice it up a bit with chili powder and fresh lime juice.  I can't believe I'm just now learning how delicious and healthy this is.  I never really crave fruit unless if its in a smoothie, but if I had fruit like this I could eat it everyday.  I picked up a half watermelon from Northgate Market and just cut it in cubes.  I didn't need a whole watermelon anyway.  Cutting a half watermelon is much more simple than cutting up a whole watermelon.  Then I cut up one cantaloupe and a few cucumbers.  I purchased jicama that was already sliced and just cut it into thirds.

SERVES: 10 people

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 large watermelon cut into cubes
• 1 cantaloupe cut into cubes
• 2 cucumbers peeled and sliced
•  Package of sliced jicama
• 4 limes
• Tajin chili powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss fruit in a bowl
2. Squeeze lime juice on fruit (I used one of those lime squeezers)
3. Add Tajin to taste

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

When you're at the beach laying out the sun is draining. What you really need along with some water, while absorbing that good old vitamin D are some light and healthy snacks. These Mexican chicken enchilada roll-ups are perfect for a day at the beach. They only take a half hour to whip up and another to let sit in the refrigerator to harden. I found the recipe from Christy Denney's blog AKA The Girl Who Ate Everything (Hey, sounds like me), here. They were delicious and my crew ate them all up.

INGREDIENTS:

• (2) 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 tbs taco seasoning
• 2 cups shredded chicken (Rotisserie is great)
• (1)  10-oz can diced tomatoes with green onions, drained

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a large bowl blend all the ingredients except for the tortillas
2. Spread 1/2 cup of mixture to an entire surface of tortilla
3. Roll the tortilla tightly and add a little more of the mixture to the ends if needed
4. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to harden (makes the rolls easier to slice into)
5. Cut rolls 1/2 inch wide with a serrated knife and serve

Mineral Pools

 Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort

70875 Dillon Road

Desert Hot Springs

CA, 92241

Sam's Hot Water Resort is built on a naturally occurring hot water mineral aquifer on the outskirts of Palm Springs.  It's basically just on the other side of the 10 freeway towards Joshua Tree in Desert Hot Springs.  I usually prefer natural hot springs, but those can be hard to find if you're not in for a day of hiking to a remote location.  These hot water pools are drained each night and refilled with water from the hot water well each morning.  Pulling up to it you see a bunch of trailers because its a trailer park, but as you drive in there are tons of palm trees to make it the perfect little oasis for a day of sun bathing and soaking in each of the different temperature pools.  

Therapeutic benefits of mineral pools:

• Soothes aching muscles
• Eases high blood pressure
• Helps with nasal congestion
• Boosts circulation
• Helps with digestion
• Very relaxing  
• Good for the mind body and soul

Rate - $15 per person (Weekdays) $20 (Weekends)

Project Poke

16051 Brookhurst St.

Fountain Valley

CA 92708

Project Poke was really good!  I tried the spam musubi, s & t burrito (salmon and tuna), salmon and combo donuts.  My favorite item was the burrito because they give you a lot of fish.  I would have to say the spam musubi was my second favorite and the donuts were okay just because there wasn't enough fish on them.  All in all great place if I go back I'm going to have to get the burrito again because it was a ten out of ten for me. 

Xo, Rach

Grilled Lobster

Journal: 

Yesterday I bought a small charcoal barbeque that I spotted at Home Goods.  I had my eye on it a couple months ago, but I didn't think it was necessary.  I mean we already have two grills at home, but they use propane.  I've always wanted to try a charcoal grill.  I just love the smell for some reason.  So when I saw this cute little guy still sitting on the shelf I had to buy it.  It was just calling my name.  It's a cute teal one that's portable and perfect for beach camping.  The first thing I made on it was grilled lobster tail.  This was so simple and absolutely delicious paired with a little Pinot Grigio, rice and beans.  I saw the episode of Chef Avec Erick in Puerto Rico where he made lobster on the beach with the same sides and it made me want to make this.  Except he used the big spiney lobster and I couldn't find those at my market.  I'll have to get those big lobsters at a real sea food place  next time or go and catch them in La Jolla which I'm planning to do soon with my friends.  I love watching Avec Erick because he's so different.  His whole thing is to cook from life and to appreciate the food that you're putting into your body.  I love that because his ingredients in his recipes are simple.  It's always a bummer when you have to go to the store and buy a whole load of herbs and spices and other stuff that you might never use again.  So the simpler the better in my book. Good thing this lobster only needed a few things to make it a mouth watering delight. 

Ingredients:

Lobster Tail (As many as you are feeding people)

Butter (Enough to drench the lobsters)

Minced Garlic

Lemons

Pepper

Skewers

Directions: 

1. Cut the lobster shell down the middle of the meaty side with cooking shears or just regular scissors

2. Take a knife and press down the cut, but leave the end portion of the tail together and insert the skewer down the middle. (I heard this is so the tail doesn't curl in)

3. Melt butter and then mix with the minced garlic and lemon. 

3. Separate the lobster shell so the meat comes through. Then rub the butter sauce on the meat.

4. Put on the grill for 10 minutes (legs side down) You can add more butter while you're grilling.

5. Flip for 2-3 minutes (meat side down)