Southwestern Pork Soup

I've been way behind on posts because the snow has made me extremely lazy and extremely grumpy, and I feel like that episode of "Gilmore Girls" where Lorelai always had an affinity for snow until one year when it turns against her. And if you don't know what I'm talking about--really?! "Gilmore Girls" is a classic!

Anyway, I've become fond of trying out new soups/stews during these wintry days, so I chose a Cooking Light recipe, Southwestern Pork Soup. This really is a soup, not a stew, because it's of a thinner consistency, but it was quite tasty. Again, I added more salt because I'm a firm believer that any kind of meat should be seasoned properly and not just dumped into a pot without a lick of salt and pepper. Also, I used fresh ingredients, because the thought of using pre-chopped vegetables makes me want to bang my head against a wall. So, if you choose (wisely) to use freshly chopped vegetables, then the saute time will take a little longer, but not much. Oh, and ALSO....I've worked hard to properly season my Dutch oven, so there is no way I will even think about spraying it with cooking spray, thank you very much. A few drops of olive oil work just fine.

When I make this again, I may sear the pork pieces first before adding to the soup base and make it a little thicker by draining the tomatoes. I just served this with shredded cheese, sour cream, and Tabasco (of course). I also served it with pieces of heavenly cornbread drizzled with honey.

Pork has been the main dish of our snowed-in weekend. Last night's dinner was a smoked pork and various sides, so a separate post will go up soon...Until then, I'm going to sit here and seriously rethink my past wishes for snow: