Chicken Tortilla Soup with Quesadilla Dippers

I love mexican food. Who doesn't? My feeling is anything you can put sour cream on can't be all that bad. I love dips and I'm always looking for a healthier way to make the things I love.That's how I came up with this amazingly tasty soup with these delicious dippers. You can eat a lot of these and leave the guilt at the door because. Whenever I eat this flavorful soup I feel like I'm on vacation...without the moral hangover. (P.S. This is best served with a Corona or your favorite margarita!) — Jill

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8-10

You will need:
2 small rotisserie chickens (usually available already cooked at your local grocery store.)
1 large can of San Martzano tomatoes
1 large box of chicken stock or broth (I use 1 large broth and 1 small box of stock.)
1 green pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 small bag frozen corn (or you can shuck fresh if you are ambitious.)
1 can of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 small white potatoes, diced
3 tbsps hot sauce
1 packet of taco seasoning or you can use ground cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, and onion powder
1 small jar of your favorite salsa (or you can make your own by combining tomatoes, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, lime, onion)

Sautee the onion and peppers in a few drizzles of olive oil until tender.
Add in potatoes and sautee for a few minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth
Add the rest of the ingredients
Shred chicken off bone of one chicken and add to soup
Let all ingredients simmer for 30 minutes. (This recipe is great made in advance. You can even make it in a crock pot if you like that slow cooked flavor and want to use raw chicken. I prefer the rotisserie chicken because it’s moist and tender.)

Quesadilla Dipppers:
Your favorite flat bread or tortillas. I use Flat Out Italian or Flat Out Tomato.
Take 2 tortillas. Fill with your favorite cheese; I use jack and Monterey.)
Add some sliced scallions and shredded chicken from the second rotisserie.
Grill in a griddle pan until golden brown on each side and cheese is melted.
Top soup with sour cream, salsa, chopped tomato, raw onion, tortilla chips and serve w a quesadilla wedge on the side.

Enjoy!

Zeppole—The Fried Dough Treat!

When we were kids, our grandfather (pictured) would take us to the Feast of San Gennaro in Fairview, NJ. It wasn't quite on the scale of the feast in New York, but we loved it—The crowds of people, the food vendors lining the street, and all the excitement of being at "the feast." But the best part was that our grandfather would help carrying the Statue of San Gennaro through the streets during the procession. It was a great honor to be one of the about one dozen men that it took to carry the massive structure. We were so proud. I  can still recall the smell of the delicious combinations of food—sausage, peppers, onions, braciole, and of course, zeppoles. It didn’t get any better than when our grandfather would take us to the zeppole stand and buy us each a bag of freshly made zeppoles loaded with confectioners sugar.  We took the bag, gave it a good shake to make sure all the zeppoles were completely covered in sugar and dug in. And by the time we got home, we were covered in white powder from head to toe. Now, we don't wait for a feast to enjoy the delicious fried dough; we just make them at home. It’s easy, fun and you can do it, too. But beware...most of the time the zeppoles never make it to the table because the kids (and adults) will grab them right away! —Lisa

(Watch the video below and Lisa will show you how to make zeppoles!)