What's For Dinner....Thursday???

I've taken a break from "What's For Dinner Wednesday's" because....uh.....I'm lazy (hey, at least I'm honest!). However, I was asked no less than 6 times this week by different people for one of my recipes, so I guess that this whole cooking thing seems to be what I'm known for. What I like about this new "title" is that people seem to think I can cook-ha! I've always thought of myself as a "baker", but nosomuch a "cook". I mean, if you need a cake, cookies, or bread (oh, I do love me some good bread), then I'm your girl (well, I've vowed to be more adventurous in the yeast breads category, but I digress....). To be called a good "cook", well, I'm flattered, but I hate to disappoint you. I'm a pretty simple girl, and lots of my food is just that-simple! What I think I'm good at making is simply easy, family friendly food that rarely has funky ingredients, because you know...I do have 4 kids!

Because it's now officially FALL, which is my second favorite season (I'm a July baby, therefore I must LOVE June, July, and August more than any other months!), I have found myself once again in soup heaven. I love soup! I love everything about soup! It's the ultimate comfort food for me, which is why most of the soups I dream about and crave also happen to have things like butter, heavy cream, cheese, and.....more cheese in them! But, today I'm going to share one of my more innocent and "less-fattening" soups with you. However, don't lose heart! If you are a girl after my own heart (which I know you are) I'll teach you how you too can add some devilishly delish garnishes to this innocent soup that will strip the purity right from it's marrow. Yes, I can be that kinda girl too.............

Spicy Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken broth (I will beat you with my broom if you use that crappy Swanson's junk in this precious soup!)
15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans rotel tomatoes (Do not use the "mild" version)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
juice from 2 limes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste (Please, make me happy and use Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper)
half cup cilantro (or about 2/3 of a "bunch")
2-3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (I use about 2 really good sized chicken breasts and cook them in the crock pot all day with some onion and rotel so that they will shred beautifully when they are cooked. I think I usually have about 3 cups)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can of black beans

1 can of sweet corn

Toppings:
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
avocado

1. Let all ingredients (except tomatoes and chicken) boil for 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and chicken and black beans.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Add corn and let it warm through
5. Serve with chips, cheese and avocado

*Promise me, for the love of Oscar, that you will not skip the "toppings". They MAKE this soup everything that it was meant to be. But...if you wanna be one of "those" people that is too good for back fat, cellulite, and thunder thighs, then go ahead and eat the soup without all the sin on top. I'll still talk to you, but you can't be my best friend. I'm just sayin'......