Make soup with me!

So, one of my favorite things about the coming of spooky season means it's also soup season! (Hearty soup, possibly stew)

Here's what I'm using in this hearty southwest inspired soup.

Lemon juice
Dried cilantro
2 6 cup boxes of chicken stock
Crema (mexican table cream for serving)
Sambal olek (normally I'd use taxation or cholula)
1.5 lbs diced chicken, preseared in a skillet
1 packet taco seasoning
2 avocados
Salsa (only using like half a cup so I'll just use the rest of this bottle)
Baby spinach ( and some frozen since that equates to like 3 table spoons of cooked spinach)
Mire poix I prepared earlier, roughly 3 cups ( mixture of cut carrot, celery, diced white onion)
Half a can of petite diced tomatoes ( normally I use a whole 14.5oz can but this is a bigger can that I had already used half of for something else)
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
Minced garlic

Not shown:

3 bay leaves
Pre cooked brown rice, roughly 3 cups

Got my soup pot, put in enough olive oil to coat the bottom unhealed, threw in my Mire poux and a hefty amount of garlic. Measure the garlic with your soul, iykyk. Brought to a simmer. Stirring every 10 seconds or so.

After a minute or some of stirring and simmering ya gotta let it all sweat out. This take 5-10 minutes and only needs to be stirred a couple more times to distribute heat and not burn anything. When it starts steaming alot, that's when u start to let it sweat.

After to sweated out, I throw in a whole box (6 cups) of the stock, and bring it all to boil. This is when you turn it all the way up to high.

Once boiling, I throw in the taco seasoning and the heat. Stir it in really well and I turn it back down to just above medium. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

After that 10, toss in tomatoes, do not drain! Artichokes, drain! Bay leaves, And about 1.5 tablespoons of the dried cilantro. Stir it in, bring it back to a boil on high, then let it simmer around medium another 10 minutes.

During this time I split the avocado with a knife, then cross scored the halves with a butter knife. Don't use a sharp knife, try not to go through the skin, gets a lil messy when that happens.

One of these guys was just pretending to be ripe. Just had to make due.

After that 10, I threw in the chicken, rice and spinach, then poured more stock in until everything I just put in was covered. Stirred it real well and brought to a boil. Then to a simmer for 5 more minutes.

After that 5, take it off the heat, use a spoon to scoop the avocado chunks out and directly into the soup. Give it a few squirms of the lemon juice (a few tablespoons? Iunno.) Normally I use fresh chopped cilantro but mine had turned into a goo, hence the dried, but I'd also throw that in now. Stir and try to break up the avocado chunks.

Usually while doing this, the bay leaves will make an appearance at the top.

I just grab them out when I see them.

I like to serve with a lil bit of the Crema in the middle, fresh cracked black pepper, and salt to taste. I got soup Fer days boys! Gonna give my new neighbor a good amount. He's from Wisconsin and apparently Noone else around here does soup right? Hope he likes it.

Suzy, dog tax

Luna, cat tax
Harold, plush tax

My movie tonight:

Uncle Peckerhead

Got some gory moments but holy hell is it a fun movie. 100% on rotten tomatoes if you haven't heard of it. Check it out!

Thanx for hanging in there with me, if this gets any traction I'll try to do some campfire cooking stuff. Oh and minestrone!

Peace!