Tortilla Soup with Shredded Chicken and Dices Avocado

I've made this soup once before, and it was just as delightful to eat the second time! The Pioneer Woman inspired this blog post with her own Chicken Tortilla soup recipe. This is my first time trying to photograph food, so bear with me! But despite what the photos look like, this easy soup recipe is a must try!! Recipe serves four (4).

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (You can use Cumin as a substitute)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups shredded leftover chicken
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups tortilla strips (recipe follows) or 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips broken into large pieces
1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens and becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and chipotle powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook for a couple of minutes to heat through. Carefully transfer this to a blender or food processor and purée it, then return it to the saucepan along with the broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, stir in the chicken, and cook for 15 minutes to heat through.
(To cook chicken, take about 4 chicken breasts and place in oven-safe pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle on some spice and cook at 375* for about 25 minutes...you can also boil it or just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it! )

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, gently toss the avocado with half the lime juice and half the cilantro, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir the remaining lime juice and cilantro into the broth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup with a large spoonful of the avocado mixture and a handful of the tortilla strips. 

Afternoon delight || Cleveland, TN Nature Photography

Most of us know spring is coming by the way our allergies act up or by losing an hour of sleep when daylight savings time starts. But here in the Southeast region of Tennessee, things are starting to bloom. It's a beautiful sight to see... dandelions and daffodils, the Bradford Pear and cherry trees, the grass is green and the trees are budding. I went out this afternoon to capture a little of our spring in hopes of brightening your day, wherever you may be!

Put a little Spring in your Step

It's a beautiful day here in Southeast Tennessee, and I'm as happy as a clam! (Btw... who came up with that expression?!) Since I'm in such a wonderful mood today, I thought I'd post a few of my current favorite things :)

 #1. We Could Happen - AJ Rafael


#2. Cookies and Cream ice cream. I mean really...who doesn't love it?!

#3. Handmade cards. I got a Valentines card from my Grandma that she made out of scraps of paper she had lying around. I LOVE it! It's actually a decoration on my desk now :)

#4. Warm weather in February. There were crazy amounts of snow in December and January here in TN, and it's SO nice having 60*-70* weather!

#5. Photographers For - This is an organization that I am working for now that connects photographers with non-profits that need media help. Check it out @ www.photographersfor.org

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Been a long time coming

I know it's been a few months since I last updated this. A lot has been going on in life, some good, some not so good. But, I've come out on the other end stronger than ever!

First, some updates:

• Our website has gone through a remodel and is now easier to get around to find what you're looking for. So stop by and drop us a note just to say hello!
• We will be having a booth at the Lee University Community Showcase this August, so if  you're in the Cleveland, TN area, we'd love for you to stop by and enter to win a free session!
• Weddings are already starting to book up for 2011 and 2012, so get your date booked as soon as possible!

Next up, we've got some great new products!!

We are now exclusively offering KISS books and Organic Bloom frames!

• All portrait and wedding packages now come with a KISS coffee table book

Thank you all for hanging in there while we've gone through some changes. I look forward to hearing all of your input and just getting to know you a little better!

Self Portrait

A self portrait is something that I believe every person should have done at some point in their life. It captures who you really are and allows others to experience that with you. This is the idea behind what Go{4}Pro is doing with this contest. It is an amazing thing when you see your self portrait photos and all of a sudden a million memories come flooding back. The look in your eye reminds you of a time when life was simple. The small smile you give tells a story of mystery and excitement. This is my story and a little of how I got into photography. Hope you enjoy it!

Self Portrait photo by a great friend and fellow photographer Kristine Neeley

It's 4th of July weekend 2008 and the entire city of Chicago is getting ready for the big fireworks show. The sun slowly goes down as the anticipation rises in the crowds. Friends and family surround us and we couldn't be happier, because two days later, we were getting married. Our journey together was just beginning and being young and passionate, we were ready to take on the world.

Going back a few years, my love for photography started my junior year of high school in a beginners photography course. We had our own darkroom and rolled our film in the black bags. Our teacher always knew when we cheated and bought film then developed it because it gave off a yellow tint on the pictures. This was before digital was a big deal. When I got my first point and shoot digital camera, I went crazy and became what I like to call a "photoholic." That's right...they need a meeting place for people like me. To this day I have boxes full of photos that I took, no matter how random, I keep them because they gave me my start.

Between then and now, it's all history.

An International Love || Chattanooga, TN Couples Photography

Johnson is from Nigeria. Jennifer is from Canada. They met and fell in love in Tennessee. Simple!

Some of you may recognize Johnson from previous posts, but the beautiful woman beside him now is his lovely girlfriend of the last year and a half. I met Johnson when he was working with my husband at our college here in Cleveland, Tennessee. Johnson is the person that everyone loves and makes everyone feel welcome. He'll come give you a hug or handshake and will always say thank you.

A few months after meeting Johnson, I had the privilege of meeting his wonderful girlfriend, Jennifer.We all went on a double date together and I quickly learned that Jennifer was a passionate person full of life and a love of photography. I recently got to do a shoot with her, where I was the model. She is such a fun and encouraging person to be around. Making her and Johnson the perfect pair.

 Johnson & Jennifer, you guys truly are a special couple and I am so happy you let me into your lives for a day!

One Child Campaign Social Justice/Documentary Trip

This holiday season, Wes and I are going to help give the hopeless and voiceless exactly what they need. Hope. A Voice. Awareness.
We will be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia documenting the orphan crisis that is going on over there. This trip is to raise awareness in the States of the desperation that is overwhelming the cities of Ethiopia.

Here is a brief run down of what we will be involved with while there:
Media/Documentary Team: Comprised of photographers, writers, videographers, bloggers and individuals to record and tell the untold stories of street kids and orphans.
Social Justice/Work Team: Comprised of individuals, university students, social workers and groups that want to delve deeper into the lives of orphans and street kids. This will be a diverse team that will explore the social ramifications of the vulnerable and traumatized. This will be accomplished through working with orphanages, orphan directors, street kids, doing work projects, etc.

The cost of the trip is $1590.00 per person. This includes includes lodging, meals,water, transportation, fuel, translators, team shirt, tips, etc. But we are responsible for our international airfare as well. So the total cost of the trip with airfare will be about $6000.

If you would like to be a part of this amazing opportunity, please feel free to message me on Facebook or email me at lindsi.rian@gmail.com.

Donations are tax-deducible if a check is written out to One Child Campaign, with our names in the memo field, and sent to us. PayPal is also available for accepting donations.

If there is anyone you know that may want to get involved as well, please email me!

Thank you all for your hearts and support in both prayer and finances!!! We'll be doing regular updates of how the fund raising is coming along! Stay tuned!


~Lindsi and Wes Luffman