Chicken Tortilla Soup - otherwise known as what I made for dinner tonight!

It was one of those nights.  I did not want to go to the grocery store! BUT I had to make something for dinner.  I was standing around in my kitchen trying to figure out what to do.  I looked around and did what I usually do, start throwing things together!

I started with thin sliced chicken breast.  I washed and dredged them in flour mixed with Southwestern spices.  I sauteed (oh okay, I fried!) them in some olive oil and a little bit of butter until they were done and nicely dark brown.  I put them aside on a plate for later.

Into a large pot I threw in 4 tablespoons of real butter to melt and added (1) large white onion, chopped small.  I diced up one jalapeno pepper (I removed the seeds) and tossed that in the pan along with an ample amount of minced garlic.

After they cooked for a while, I added a can of Mexican corn and peppers, juice and all.  (2) cans of diced Hunt's tomatos went next (I prefer Hunt's because they steam the skins off instead of using chemicals).  (3) tablespoons of Hunt's tomato paste and some frozen corn kernals went in.  I added a soup can of water (I really needed chicken broth but I did not have any).  To thicken up the soup and bolster the taste, I mixed about (1) tablespoon of cornmeal to some warm water and mixed it in the soup. A liberal sprinkling of salt, pepper, Southwestern Spice mix, Chipotle chili powder and garlic powder gave it the added kick it needed.

While the soup was gently boiling, I turned my oven to 400 degrees and sprayed a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray. I sliced (8) flour tortillas into strips, cut them in half, and put them rather randomly on the cookie sheet. I sprayed the tortillas very lightly with cooking spray (YES, I did that! And NO you could not tell!) and then sprinkled them with a healthy dose of Soul Seasoning.  Off to the oven they went to get all browned and crunchy and yummy! When they looked almost done, I turned the oven off and left them there while I finished the soup.

I shredded the chicken and tossed it into the soup (okay....I did not "toss" it as it would have splashed everywhere but tossing is so much more fun than sliding in).

I served the soup to the family in large hearty bowls and gave them the baked tortilla strips to add as much as they desired.  I also supplied sour cream to stir (it made it so creamy) and the requisite cheese.  My family does not eat dinner without cheese on or in it somewhere!

It must have been good because my pickiest eater Billieanne had seconds! I think it was a fairly successful use of the ingredients I found in my kitchen.  The only truly sad part is that I have also discovered I am in need of a MAJOR shopping trip to restock my pantry!!