Hatch Chile Tortilla Soup

Hatch Chile Tortilla Soup

4 large summer tomatoes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 frozen package corn
4 hatch chiles, roasted, stemmed and seeded, then diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Slice the tomatoes in half, place cut side down onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Broil for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining olive oil to a dutch oven and heat over medium. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic, cumin and salt, cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pan. Stir in the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend with a hand blender. Stir in the black beans, corn, hatch chiles and chicken breasts. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred with two forks, return the shredded chicken to the pot. Serve, topped with tortilla chips, cheese and avocado slices.

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Houston

I had a recipe set to post today, but in light of the last few days, I decided against it.  Houston and the surrounding areas have suffered massive losses.  We have been incredibly lucky to only have to deal with a leaking roof and fireplace.  So many of my dear friends have suffered so much through the rains of Hurricane Harvey.  Many people have been forced to evacuate, leaving their homes and all their possessions behind, not knowing what they will be coming home to or even when they will be allowed to return home.  I have a friend who's neighborhood was overwhelmed with rising flood waters and her amazing husband got in his canoe and rescued hundreds of people.  The devastation and sadness is immense.  The life changing decisions that are having to be made right now in our city breaks my heart.  I didn't grow up here, but for the last 22 years I have been proud to call Houston my home.  I love this city and the people in it.  And I hope the rains stop so that we all can get a chance to collect ourselves.  

A friend texted me a picture of a fresh baked loaf of bread she had just made from a recipe on the blog.  Most grocery stores aren't open and the ones that are certainly don't have bread, that was sold out last week.  I know it's a silly thing, especially in such a dark time, but I got a little smile this morning knowing that bread was being baked through all this mess.  We baked  my grandmother's Lazy Daisy cake on Saturday, having a slice of cake each day has brought a tiny bit of joy to us.  Cooking and baking is part of my family life and I am so grateful to be able to share that with you.  I hope that all my neighbors are safe, warm and enjoying a good meal through this storm.  The rescues continue and Houston's strength is showing. #HoustonStrong

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Peach Lemonade

Miss F's school participates in the program, One School, One Book, every summer. The whole school reads the same book and activities are planned around it during the start of school. This summer, they read The Lemonade War.  The kids were encouraged to have a lemonade stand over the summer.  Miss F wanted to incorporate the fresh Palisade peaches we were loving in Colorado in her lemonade and the results were fantastic.  As a side note, our house in Colorado came furnished, complete with a peach and lemon breakfast table.  I despise it and hope to replace it soon, but it was the perfect backdrop for fresh peach lemonade.  Miss F made some pocket money after purchasing her supplies and had a great time with the lemonade stand.

Peach Lemonade

8 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 large peaches, pitted and chopped
1 cup lemon juice, from about 5 large lemons

In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups of water with the sugar and the peaches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Place a sieve over a bowl and pour the peach liquid from the saucepan through it. Press to extract all the juice from the peach pieces. Stir together the remaining 6 cups water, the lemon juice and the strained peach juice. Refrigerate and serve over ice.

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