Chicken Tortilla Lime Soup

I can't really take credit for this one as I stole the recipe from my sister-in-law.  Jenny made this for us forever ago... and it was so delicious!  I made it last night, and it was just as good as I remembered!  However, on a learning to be less crazy note, this is not a recipe you should make when it is 90 degrees outside.  It makes your kitchen feel all warm and cozy, which in the middle of summer translates to hot and sticky.  That being said, wait for a cool night and try it out!  It's worth it.  Just don't inhale too deeply after you put the cayenne pepper in... it burns!!

INGREDIENTS

5 flour tortillas, cut into thin strips
3/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing (Kraft is good!), plus 1 Tbsp
1 carton (32 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice from 2 medium limes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss tortilla strips with 1 Tbsp of the dressing. Spread onto nonstick baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Cool completely.
   
Combine remaining dressing, broth, tomatoes with liquid, bay leaf and pepper in large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken; simmer an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. 
   
Ladle into soup bowls just before serving; sprinkle evenly with tortilla strips and cheese. Garnish with dollops of sour cream or additional chopped cilantro, if desired.

Welcome to our Harper-ly ever after!

Ok -- so I realize "Harper-ly ever after" is a little bit cheesy.  Or maybe a lot a bit cheesy.  But I thought it was a perfect play on "happily ever after."  It's personalized just for us! 

As we're settling into our Harper-ly ever after, I've been realizing how crazy our life really is!  From a bike accident the week after the wedding to the chaos of establishing our home sweet home to our ongoing battle against Martin (our oh-so-friendly household mouse), we never seem to have a dull moment.  Whether it is making dinner at 9:30 when we're both finally home together or watching Warren dance around the living room after submitting an application to UPS (his dream job), I wouldn't trade our chaos for anything.

Rather than try to write everything in a journal (which would really never happen, as much as I like the idea), I decided I'd try out a blog.  Who knows.  Maybe it will still be around one day for our grandkids to read.  Or maybe I'll discover blogs are so much more fun to read and creep on than to actually write.  Whatever happens... we'll be enjoying our Harper-ly ever after! :)