Tortilla Soup with Crisp Tortillas and Avocado Relish (Page 95)

• Date: Thursday, December 21, 2006 -- 7pm
• Location: Madison, WI
• Kitchen: My Mother's Apartment
• Fellow Chef: Mel
• Dining Companions: Teri and Terry
• Recipe Rating: A-

I made dinner on Thursday and I picked this soup to go with the Cuban Roast Pork that my mom picked out. This soup was quite good. The deep-fried tortillas were, of course, delicious. The broth was very flavorful -- smoky and delicious without being too spicy. My mother was deeply skeptical when she saw everything going in to the soup, but she ended up loving it. My dad and Mel both thought it was a little too thick. It would also have been nice a little thinner, but the thickness didn't bother me too much. The avocado relish was delicious and complemented the soup nicely. Overall, this was a lovely version of tortilla soup that I would definitely make again. To see Mel's account of our dinner together, look here.

Yesterday we had our Christmas celebration on my mom's side of the family. Here is a picture of everyone! We were all there this year. There have been several years that either me or my brother Spencer wasn't able to make it, so everyone was excited that this year the whole family was there! We did our typical Christmas thing: ate, opened presents, and played cards. We also had a mean ping pong doubles match: me and Spencer versus my cousin Anne and her boyfriend Ryan. In the end Anne and Ryan won 4 games to 3! It was a fun day. It was a little sad seeing my grandmother though. Her health is really good for her age, but her short-term memory is completely shot. She asked me 3 times yesterday what company I work for. I explained to her each time that I am a student at MIT. She would say that she thought I graduated, and I would say that I was graduating in June. Ten minutes later she would ask again. On the up side, she seems really happy. I think it would be really scary to lose your memory, but she is very upbeat about it.

Today: more card playing and then some visiting with my dad's side of the family! Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!