Soup is Good News

My dad likes to make up his own versions of songs and product jingles. Some of his favorite songs to parody are, of course, songs that my mom likes. He has his own versions of "Always On My Mind" and "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." I don't think I should type the lyrics here. My dad fancies himself a Weird Al of sorts, but most of his songs are filled with potty humor and he doesn't play the accordion.

My brothers and I inherited this songwriting...um...talent. We would spend entire evenings locked away in a room together making up our own lyrics to popular songs and shrieking with laughter. My mom and dad once made the mistake of giving us a tape recorder to play with. We cut up so much with that thing, we got ourselves in trouble.

One of my dad's best is his "Banan-Os" song--his version of ABBA's "Fernando." Here's where my dad really had a moment. "Banan-Os" is an entire song about a banana-flavored ring-shaped breakfast cereal that "stays crunchy in milk, but goes down smooth as silk."

But, "Soup is Good News" is one of his favorites...mainly because it annoys my mom so much. Every single time he sings "soup is good news," she says, "Food. Soup is good food." Then he sings, "soup is good news" again, she rolls her eyes and sighs. It's just what they do. I have no explanation other than that.

Soup was never good news for me. In fact, I think canned soup is pretty awful news. My husband and I have discussed, at length, why it is that we don't like soup. It's just what we do. I have no explanation other than that.

Part of our dislike comes from the fact that we don't find (most) soups to be filling. But the big reason, we've decided, is because of that red and white label. That's what we grew up on and that's why the word "soup" has such negative connotations for us.

I'm slowly building a collection of soup recipes that we actually like. This is one of our favorites. And, I admit, it's the melty cheese cubes tossed into each serving that makes this soup good news. And good food.

Lime Chicken Soup

from Ms. enPlace

2 chicken breasts (cooked and cubed or shredded)

1 qt chicken stock or low sodium broth (4 cups)

2 Tbsp lime juice (don't skip)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp minced chipotle pepper

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper, to taste

1 cup diced tomatoes

½ cup julienne cut red onions

1 Tbsp minced cilantro

½ cup cubed Jack Cheese (or Jalapeno Jack)

Soup toppers (mix and match or use them all):

2 corn tortillas, cut in thin strips

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

tortilla chips, whole or coarsely crushed

4 lime slices

4 cilantro sprigs

Combine stock, lime juice, oregano, basil, chipotle and bay leaf in stockpot. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes.

Add cooked chicken, tomatoes, red onion (see note) and cilantro. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Ladle very hot soup into warm soup bowls. Drop in cheese cubes. Garnish each serving with items from the "soup toppers" list. Makes about 1 quart.

* Note: if you like onions softer, add them when you add the seasonings, or cook them while you cook the chicken.

The meez. I use parsley instead of cilantro because no one here but me likes cilantro.

Stock, lime juice, chipotle, and seasonings are all added to the pot. I like to add the onions now too because I like them softened. Sometimes I just saute them along with the chicken. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Or longer if you have the time.

Add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, and cilantro. Add the onions now if you want them to still have crunch. Bring to a boil again, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve the soup. Add cheese cubes. Top with whatever makes you happy.