Andrea's Famous Tortilla Soup

There are no words for this soup. Seriously. I have been on a quest lately to find tasty tortilla soup, and have encountered nothing but disappointment. The soups either already have actual meat in them(I'm ok with chicken stock or boullion) or are disgusting. I had one that was basically a chicken stock with carrots(!), celery, cilantro and melted cheese. It was.. terrible. I've had this recipe in my collection for quite some time, but hadn't ever made it. I gave it a whirl this weekend and was blown away. I have never been so full and satisfied by a soup. I'm really not doing it justice here... It's amazing!

Tortilla Soup
1 C rice
2 T chicken boullion granules
2 tsp lemonade powder (with sugar)
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cilantro (you can used dried, but I use fresh and add it last with all the other fixins)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C dried chopped onion
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
10 C water
Diced cooked chicken (OPTIONAL! who wants chicken anyway? psh.)

Dump everything in a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken, if using, and cook five minutes more. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips.

Soooo good!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I've always been intimidated by meringue, and pies in general, but this one was so easy. Almost too easy. Easy enough that I thought I was doing something wrong. But it's not a lie, (it's a pie... ha ha ha... sorry) it is in fact that easy.

This comes courtesy of my Merm's mail order "McCall's Cooking School" cards. I was laughing to myself at how old and funny the pictures in the recipe looked, until I saw the date was 1991. I was six, and I remember that year quite well. Not so funny anymore. Good thing the pie is tasty enough to take away the bitterness of the being 25 :)

Lemon Meringue Pie

One store bought pie crust
Lemon Filling:
1/4 C cornstarch
3 T flour
1 3/4 C sugar
1/4 t salt
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 C lemon juice
1 T lemon zest
1 T butter

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 C sugar

If you bought the roll out pie crust, then... roll it out. Onto a pie plate. Fold the edge of the crust under and pinch rim decoratively with thumb and finger. If you bought the frozen kind, just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Prick the pie crust with a fork and pop it in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 450. Let it cool. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

For the lemon filling, combine cornstarch, flour, 1 3/4 cups sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually add 2 C water and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for one minute until shiny and translucent.
Stir some of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then stir the eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, lemon peel and butter. Pour into pie shell.

To make the meringue beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add sugar, 2 T at a time, beating after each addition. Once all the sugar is added, beat on high until stiff peaks form. Spread it over the lemon filling in the crust, sealing the edges. Swirl the meringue around so it looks pretty and decorative. Bake 7-9 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown on the highest points. Let it cool for at least 2 hours and when you serve it, cut it with a wet knife!

Now, wasn't that easy??