As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Slow Cooker Tuesday ~ Week 4 {Chicken Tortilla Soup}


I am delighted today to be sharing my little blog space with Dotsie who blogs at Podso! 



Dotsie writes about a number of things...from family history to grandchildren, from recipes to missions, from decorating to funny stories, from travel to photography...it's all there at Podso, and I love reading it all!  

But there is another topic that has piqued my interest. Dotsie is a part of a women's mentoring group, based on the Biblical admonition for the older women to teach the younger (Titus 2:1, 3-5). I love that! How exciting to be involved in such an important work! (You may want to read a little bit for yourself, perhaps ~here~ and ~here~.)

So, I'll stop and let Dotsie talk...

  


Meals on Ice 

Our mentoring group is gearing up to have an evening talking about "make ahead" meals. We all know how nice it is to have a meal in the freezer for those times when we just don't have time to cook. Personally I like having a frozen meal or two on hand to give when someone is sick or has a new baby. There is nothing quite like having a meal arrive at our door when we have such a need. 


We usually give our mentees a take-away and for this meeting we have made each one a freezer crockpot meal. The nice thing about preparing this meal is that there is no cooking involved! I decided to make four of them as long as I was making one. I made one for us to make sure it actually was good, and three to give away. I was glad I did because in no time I learned about two young moms that could benefit by a meal for her family.  All she has to do is defrost and dump the contents into a crock pot (along with the box of chicken broth I included on the side, and two cups of water). I wrote directions with a sharpie on the bag, including a reminder to remove the bay leaf. Can't be much easier! And it was delicious.




Chicken Tortilla Soup  Serves 5-6

1 pound chicken (3-4 chicken breasts)
1 (14-15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
~~For later use in crockpot: 1 14 oz. can of chicken broth 

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag and freeze. When ready to use, thaw and put into a slow cooker with 2 cups water and one 14 oz can of chicken broth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot after cooking is done. Serve with tortilla chips, and cheese if desired. (Recipe originally from a blog, Loving My Nest.)





Thank you, Dotsie, for inspiring us, not only with a new recipe, but with the concept of cooking with a mind to serve!

12 comments:

  1. That is such a great idea! And a tasty-looking recipe to boot ;-)

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  2. Hi Cheryl,

    You have a lovely blog! I'm a regular reader of Dotsie's blog "Podso" and I was excited to see her guest hosting on your blog today. Dotsie and I live in the same state and participate in some of the same blog link parties. I always enjoy her stories, photos, and perspective on life.

    This recipe looks delicious -- I'm going to pin it right now! :) I think it's a wonderful idea to have these meals in a bag, ready to deliver to others or to use for your own family. I have read about Dotsie's mentoring group on her blog and I think it's a wonderful way to help young women grow and learn.

    I enjoyed visiting your post, Cheryl, and I appreciate Dotsie sharing her recipe with us. Have a great day.

    Denise

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  3. That sounds great! I love the entire concept of having such a meal already prepared for such eventualities.

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  4. Cheryl and Dotsie,

    What a yummy recipe and a great way to have it ready to use!

    We love Chicken Tortilla Soup, but I've never thought about making it ahead and freezing it!

    Thanks to you both!

    Deanna

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  5. Hi Cheryl! I'm here from Podso's blog, too. She's a real sweetie and so I'm not surprised about all the wonderful things she's involved in. Your blog is lovely and I'll be back.

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  6. Am I allowed to say "this is so Cool"? Thanks for sharing and for introducing Dotsie to us!
    I enjoyed your Sunday Snapshots, Your family meals are always so special, thanks for always being so gracious!

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  7. Cheryl, thanks for inviting me to be a part of your wonderful blog today. I hope you like how the recipe turns out. It you buy frozen chicken breasts, remember you don't have to defrost them before putting ingredients all together for the freezer. And now our snow, whatever it will be, has finally arrived.

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  8. Mmmm... Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing this recipe :) Have a blessed evening!

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  9. The soup sounds so good and it would be great to have this in the freezer for many reasons. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  10. Cheryl, you are the perfect "older" woman to mentor young women, or women of any age! Soup sounds good, too. I can see you squeezing in a mentoring program into your wonderful, blessed life! xo

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  11. Cheryl, this is hands-down the best crock pot recipe I've ever made. It's better than any chicken tortilla soup I've had in a restaurant! This is going to be in my rotation a LOT this winter. Thank you so much for your beautiful blog. I come here for rest and rejuvenation. Your home and your ideas are lovely. Thank you for sharing them.

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