Giving Back & Comforting Chicken Tortilla Soup

It has been a CRAZY busy month!  I've had a hard time fitting in as many posts as I'd like, so forgive me for stepping back a bit to a post I wanted to make but couldn't seem to find the time to.  Although Scott works MANY hours in a week and we are busy running for sports in addition to school obligations, we do our best to stay involved and volunteer at our church, community, school, and other organizations. Our kids often ask why we are - going to another meeting, making a meal for someone, organizing events - and then they usually answer their own question - it's something important to our family, it's a way we can help, if we don't do it, who will?  Over the past few weeks it has looked like this:

Helping organize concessions....

Making a ton of mini cupcakes for a "Friends of the Library" event...

Being "timer" or having to actually "speak" (which you may or may not be deathly afraid of...) on behalf of Farm Bureau at the FFA Discussion Meet...

Making fruit salad and cookies to pair with Grandma's meatloaf and potatoes for a laid up neighbor...

Every now and again I stand back and look at our kids and my heart overflows with pride. This is our second year in 4-H.  Our club went to the local nursing home, Pleasant View, on February 10th to visit with the residents, play picture Bingo, play piano, and deliver the Valentines we made at our January meeting. In this world of entitlement and instant gratification it was so wonderful to see these kids having real face to face conversations and fun while performing such an important act of service.

Keeley was paired with a lady from our church.

Kate was paired with our wonderful neighbor from our first house.

Jacob, sweet Jacob, was paired with a WWII vet.  I honestly teared up when I heard him tell Jake that he has a farm back in Minnesota and he wants to take him home there someday (my grandpa had Sundowners and passed away a couple of years ago - Jake was quite attached to him).  Jake just smiled and said "That would be nice."  How many other 10 year olds would answer that way?

The kids and the residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

Keeley and a few other girls shared their piano talents.

When life is busy it is important to have a few quick recipes that feel indulgent when you eat them.  For Scott and I, one of those is Chicken Tortilla Soup - sounds overwhelming, but I promise this recipe is SUPER easy!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

2 - 12.5 oz. cans of chicken

3 - 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth

1 - 15 oz. can black beans

1 - 15.25 oz. can corn

1 - 15.5 oz. jar of salsa - you pick the heat!

1 - 10 oz. can Rotel - original or cilantro and lime - you choose! If you don't want added heat,  skip it! 

3 - 4 T. tomato paste if you have it - if not, skip it!

8 tortillas cut into strips - divided

Olive oil

Optional Toppings:

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Cilantro

Avocado 

Lime

The ingredients.

  

Pour the chicken with the juice and the chicken broth into a 5 quart soup pot over medium heat.

Drain and rinse the black beans and drain the corn.  Add to the pot.

Now it's time to turn it RED!

Add the salsa, Rotel, and tomato paste.

Take 4 tortillas and cut them in half and then into strips.

Place them on a cookie sheet.

Drizzle them with olive oil.

Toss them with your hands to distribute the oil.

Bake at 400 degrees, tossing every couple of minutes, until they are lightly browned and crunchy - about 10-12 minutes and look like this.

When the soup is heated through...

Cut 4 more tortillas the same way.

Then stir them into the soup.

They will float to the top.

Ladle some soup into a bowl.

 Now it's my favorite part - time to make it look pretty!  Start with some shredded cheese and diced avocado.

Then break up some crisp tortillas and put them on top.  Add a dollop of sour cream, some chopped cilantro, and a slice of lime.

Perfect quick dish to warm you up when the Minnesota winds are gusting 40 MPH and the windchill is 5!

A Very Brown Christmas & Taco Dip

After changing the date several times we were finally able to have our "Brown Family Christmas" this past Sunday.  It has been close to 5 years since we've had a full family picture taken (by Scott's sister at SR Photography), so finding a date everyone could be there at least long enough to get a family picture taken was a challenge - but a necessity.

MAY 2010

FEBRUARY 2015

Scott and I are opposites in many aspects and our families are no exception.  Where Scott's family is small and quiet, mine is BIG and LOUD!

 There were several INTENSE card games!

 And a lot of catching up! 

Rather than adults exchanging gifts, we play a dice game.  Everyone brings a $30 gift ($15 for kids). We break into groups and roll dice - when you get doubles you take a gift.  When the gifts are all taken you steal one from someone else.  In the end, if you have more than one you share - everyone ends up with a gift.

The upstairs table.

Grandpa keeping tabs on the living room table :)

The downstairs table.

 There always seems to be 1 or 2 presents everyone wants to steal - some try to hide it where it won't be easily taken!!!

Then came the family picture....  Traditionally this is taken in front of the fireplace.  This year we decided to test the lighting - Scott volunteered ;)

Zac helped, too!

Finally, the gift opening - no small feat to pass out gifts to 23 people and maintain some sort of order while opening!

It is chaos, wonderful chaos!

Grandma had threatened her 2 oldest grandsons that if they didn't provide her with a list she was buying them footsie pajamas!!!  Lance didn't supply a list!

Apparently Josh and Scott have had enough Christmas!

Oh!  And I didn't mention the food!!!  It is a wonderfully, beautiful all day buffet including fruit, veggies, meat, crackers, chips, dips, prime rib sliders, chicken wild rice soup, cheesy potatoes, pizza, Christmas goodies, pie...you name it, we probably consumed it!  My contribution this year was mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, apple pie, and taco dip - yep!  I'm healthy like that!  My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and everyone who tries it loves it!

TACO DIP

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

Black pepper

8 oz. bottle taco sauce (you pick the heat)

1/4 C. water

1 lb. Velveeta, cubed

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 1/4 oz. can chopped black olives

1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

Cilantro (optional)

Brown the ground beef and onion over medium heat.  Drain.  Sprinkle with black pepper.

  Add the taco sauce, water, and Velveeta.  

Melt over medium-low heat.

 Stir in green pepper, tomato, black olives and jalapeno.  

I normally transfer the dip to a crock pot at this point.

Chop some cilantro and stir it in and add some more on top for garnish.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! ;)

A Mom, A Boy, and a Box

So my blog this week is going to work in reverse because today's events are freshest in my head!  It has been a CRAZY busy week in the Runge household between meetings, volunteering, practices, cupcakes, a funeral...

Beginning with the end - Jacob had a Tween lock-in for 4-H tonight and they were supposed to bring a cardboard box decorated like a car to sit in to watch the movie at the "Drive-In".  Despite efforts early in the week and a couple of attempts in Mankato today (Scott and I spent our morning volunteering on behalf of Farm Bureau at the Region 7 FFA Discussion Meet at SCC), we were unable to attain a large box.  When Jake got off the bus we hopped in the car and drove a few blocks to Nelson Furniture and asked owner, Tim, if he POSSIBLY had ANY box?!?!  We went to the warehouse where he handed us over to his wife, Jean.  We shared our sad story (we were really desperate!) and she managed to find a LARGE box the warehouse boys had drawn a target on and used as target practice for screwdrivers.  It was a BIT beat up, but we thanked her profusely and said we could absolutely make it work!

Notice the big bullseye and holes ;)

We get this large box home and we're sitting in the living room looking at it and I tell Jake we don't have much time and there's probably not much we can do with it.  We look on Pinterest and can't possibly achieve anything on there in the 2 hours we have....So we look at each other and know exactly what we're going to do - old school Kenworth Cabover.

Never even notice all the screwdriver holes from the front - Jake didn't mind and added gauges right over them.

Not perfect and not as detailed as Dad would do it, but the smile on Jake's face says it all - a happy boy with his truck - and not too shabby for 2 hours work!