By January 2021. Kayla got the vaccine. First dose, on a Tuesday morning, at Memorial Health, in the same hospital where she saves lives and where Earl was saved and where Michael was pronounced dead. She sent me a photo — her arm, the Band-Aid, her face behind the mask, her eyes bright with something I can only describe as the look of a person who has been fighting a war and just received reinforcements. She texted: "One down. You're next."
I made chicken soup the day she got it — not because the vaccine makes you sick (it didn't) but because chicken soup is what I make when something important happens and I need my hands to process the emotion. The emotion was relief. The relief was enormous. My granddaughter, who has been in a hospital full of COVID patients for nine months, has protection now. The soup was very good. The relief was better.
The book is at eighty pages. Eighty pages of recipes and stories and the voice recordings that Kayla turns into text. I've written about thirty-two dishes so far, each one a chapter, each chapter a story. Kayla says we need forty chapters for a full book. Eight more. Eight more dishes. Eight more stories about food and love and the people who sit at the table and the people who stand at the stove and the distance between them, which is the shortest distance in any house.
I made Brunswick stew this week — pork, chicken, beans, tomatoes, corn. A big batch, same as always. Left some on Mrs. Crawford's porch. She called and said, "What is this?" I said, "Brunswick stew." She said, "Where is Brunswick?" I said, "Mrs. Crawford, it's not a place. It's a feeling." She said, "Well, the feeling is delicious."
Now go on and feed somebody.
The Brunswick stew got me thinking about the pot of soup I made the morning Kayla got her vaccine — how there is a whole category of cooking that is less about feeding and more about doing something with your hands when the feeling is too big to just sit with. This Creamy Taco Soup is that kind of recipe: a big, generous pot, thick enough to matter, bright enough to feel like good news. I think Mrs. Crawford would approve of this one too.
Creamy Taco Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes, plain
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 1 packet (1 oz) dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15–18 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Set aside.
- Build the soup base. Return the shredded chicken to the pot over medium heat. Add the black beans, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and plain diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Season generously. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix. Stir well so the seasonings are fully incorporated throughout the pot.
- Add the cream cheese. Drop in the cubed cream cheese and stir continuously over medium-low heat until it melts completely into the soup, about 5–7 minutes. The soup will turn rich and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Simmer and serve. Let the soup simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken slightly and let the flavors come together. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, or crushed tortilla chips as you like. Leave some on a neighbor’s porch.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 890mg