Too Many Tabs...and Tortilla Soup

There I was...in the zone.

The kids were asleep, the washing machine was working overtime,

the pup was incessantly licking his favorite paw.

I was cozied up in my cushiony arm chair,  MacBook fully charged, 

steaming cup of earl grey to my side.

It had been six months since I had sat down to write a Mangiabella post.

As thoughts and expressions formed words in my mind and began to flow through my fingertips,

The door burst open.

My husband came home spilling over from a sublime encounter.

There was a distinct thrill in his voice as he began vividly recalling the fascinating details.

Without breaking eye contact, I slowly lowered my screen to closing position.

He had my undivided attention.

Each word that fell from his lips manifested in palpable exhilaration,

and I breathed it in until I could literally feel 

the texture, weight and thickness of each morsel as though it were my own.

I was completely intrigued & invested, hanging on every tidbit of the play by play.

Three quarters of the way into this gripping narrative,

I felt compelled to document what he was saying. 

I suppose that’s the writer in me, but I didn’t want to risk either one of us

forgetting such a captivating occurrence. 

As I lifted my laptop screen, and began to chronicle the events, 

something happened…

I was picturing in mind’s eye what he was telling me with precision,

vigorously typing shorthand phrases & notes to reflect on later,

while simultaneously reminding myself of what I had to get at the store the next day,

while opening another draft to put down a few phrases for that post I intended to write,

while making a mental note not to forget to put my daughter’s library book in her backpack,

while silently telling myself to switch the clothing from washer to dryer before bedtime... 

until he said “Babe! Are you still listening to me?”

I totally was!

But I was subconsciously multi-tasking at the same time.

Sigh. Too many tabs open.

I’m guilty of this more often than I’d like to admit, 

but I AM learning that another part of tasting the beauty of life

is reprogramming myself to slow down enough 

to savor ONE moment at a time by

mentally and emotionally committing to the experience at hand.

While I can laugh at the humorous e-card above,

I do believe we have control over our multi-tasking abilities.

And while I believe that without question, 

there’s a legitimate time & purpose for multi-tasking, 

there’s also a time for hitting the pause (or stop) button & switching gears.

Whenever I make a conscious effort to close down the other “tabs”

when the people in my life are front and center stage,

(however valiant, noble or important those tabs may be),

my "operating system" undoubtedly functions at optimal level,

and I find myself drawing more satisfaction out of these fleeting moments.

So does this mean I will resist the urge to Pinterest while watching tv with the hubs?

Baby steps, Bellas. Baby steps. haha.

But seriously, I acknowledge that people do feel disconnected

 when you’re only half present with divided interests,

so yes, I plan to be much more discerning 

as to when and where I get my Pinterest fix.

On a separate note, my husband has been known to be a picky eater have a selective palate.

However, this year, he has declared to be more adventurous and try anything I cook.

Whaaaaaat?

Did he say anything?

Indeed he did.

And an adventure it shall be.

To infinity and beyond!

Yesterday I made Tortilla Soup. 

I know, doesn’t seem like much of a leap from what he might normally eat. 

Baby steps, Bellas. Baby steps.

While he might eat what’s on top of the broth without hesitation,

what’s below the broth is not his usual cup of tea.

I’ve only had Tortilla Soup once, and it’s been years.

I didn’t want to search for any recipes,

I just wanted to throw together flavors that I imagined would bring this dish to life.

I made just enough for one serving size to experiment. 

We both shared one bowl and agreed it was superb!

Definitely one to keep for the repertoire.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for single serving:

2 Tbsp oil (I used safflower, but can use olive, canola, etc)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 of one green onion, chopped, starting with the white part

pinch of salt

1/4 of small yellow squash, diced

1/4 of small zucchini, diced

1 Roma Tomato, diced

1/4 of  Orange Bell Pepper, diced

1/4 cup of frozen corn

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2 oz. of shredded chicken, cooked

1 corn tortilla, crisped in oil, cut into slivers

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

pinch of fresh cilantro, chopped

dash of pepper

dollop of sour cream (if desired)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, sautee garlic & onion in oil with salt over medium/low heat

As soon as the garlic is fragrant, add squash, zucchini, 1/2 of the roma tomato, and bell pepper.

Cook for just a minute, add corn. Cook veggies down for just a few minutes

Add crushed red pepper and cumin and another generous pinch of salt, stir well. 

Add chicken broth cooked chicken

Cook for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, crisp your corn tortilla by using a tablespoon of oil,

letting the oil saturate both sides by flipping, allow tortilla to bubble, flip sides again. 

Allow tortilla to crisp to desired crispness.

set aside, cut into slivers (I used a pizza cutter).

You also could pre-slice tortilla before crisping, whatever is easiest for you.

Remove soup from heat, pour into bowl.

Garnish with sliced avocado, the rest of the roma tomato, cilantro, cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and sour cream (if desired).

Mangia!

And as always…Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!