Easy, lovely posole.

This morning we have been taking it easy. We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground and the little mister was still all coughs and snots. So we watched a little Veggie Tales, played in a fort we built, made up our own games, and basically enjoyed each others company. I must say, despite all the icky Cole must be feeling, he still manages some of the sweetest smiles and best giggles. And that is why I sit here feeling blessed by my little man.

I am also very blessed by my big man.

I just have to take a moment to tell you all how I married that best man in the world.  Yesterday was Valentine's Day....and while I got all consumed taking care of Cole. I was horrible and went to the store to buy a card and at least write a promise gift of something to come. But while I stood there reading through cards, Cole started crying, and I started feeling sick. So off we scooted out of Target empty valentine's handed. Sad day. Because I really love Valentine's Day and usually look forward to celebrating the love that God gave to me. Kyle on the other hand stepped it up. He surprised me with homemade truffles when I returned from being gone over a week. He had the sweetest card that made me teary eyed. Then he text me in the middle of the day to see if he could pick up something for dinner so that I wouldn't have to cook. And while all of that would have been enough he also said that he was going to treat me to a brand new maternity outfit! Seriously, he is the best. 

While I was lame in the gift department I did however manage to send him to work with a hot bowl of my latest craving.

Chicken Posole Soup. YUM.

 

This soup will warm you from the inside out. It has a nice spice and heat to it that makes it perfectly addicting and tantalizing. The best part, you can totally customize it to your liking. I prefer many textures in my food so I love to top it with sliced radishes, thinly cut raw cabbage, chopped avocado, cilantro, lime and tostada. Perfection. I adapted a recipe I found from allrecipes.com but found that it was a bit bland. So I added a can of green enchilada sauce, that did the trick. I also didn't add the total amount of chili spice as I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle super duper spicy. But feel free to spice it up to whatever level you are comfortable with. I have made this numerous times and it never fails to make me fall in love all over again.

Easy Chicken Posole Soup

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds shredded chicken ( I usually poach chicken breasts, or use a rotisserie chicken)
•  2 Tbls tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 can Green enchilada sauce
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
• 3 cups white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 10 tostada shells

Directions

1. Shred cooked chicken with a fork.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth, water, enchilada sauce, oregano, salt, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 90 minutes.( sometimes I added chicken later so it doesn't get dry and over cooked) Stir in the hominy and cook until tender, about 15 minutes more. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and chili powder, if desired. Serve in soup bowls with1 tostada shell per serving. Garnish as desired.( cheese, sliced radishes, cabbage, lettuce, avocado, cilantro, salsa, chips, olives, whatever you want.)