Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: Camilla Webb, my next door neighbor growing up, with some alterations/additions by me and my mom, Peggy

3 cans chicken broth (or ~4 cups H2O + 2 chicken bouillon cubes if that's what you have, like me -- and actually, now that I've done some more math, it turns out that it really should be more liquid than my calculations ... just add water if it's too thick for your liking)
2 cans cream o' chicken soup
1 med. onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large pepper, chopped (we prefer red bell pepper, but green works, too)
3-4 chicken breasts (we had tenders, and 4 of those is plenty)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2-3/4 cup uncooked rice
pepper, garlic powder and cumin, to taste

Boil the chicken. Remove from water and shred. Saute onion, pepper and celery (and season with a couple shakes of garlic powder) till barely crisp. Mix broth and soup in a large pan. Heat till boiling. Add onions, peppers, celery, chicken, rice and salsa. Add pepper and cumin to taste. Simmer until rice is cooked (or until your dishy husband gets home from class ... whichever comes last ;). Serve with avocado slices, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. But it's even really awesome all by itself. Dig in!

Blanchard note: We LOVE this soup. Haven't made it as much as the muffins I just posted, but we love it a lot. The smell of it cooking and the anticipation of it warming my stomach is almost as great as actually eating it, especially on a cold and snowy day.