"mama, add a little water to that soup" - Newsies

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  Not only do we get to celebrate Jesus Christ defeating death and the glorious relationship we can have with our father because of this, but we also get to sit around for a long Sunday dinner with sweet friends.  Then, if you're me, and you're really lucky, these folks drop in and you get to sit around for another long meal with more sweet friends: 

(this might be the most awkward picture we took. so i decided to post it)

chris, holly and meagan stopped by on the way back from birmingham and i twisted their arms into staying for dinner. miraculously, i had everything i needed to make sara butler's famous fiesta soup, seen here:

and i feel like i need to say here that this soup tastes much better than it looks. 

This soup is actually completely fantastic.  Everybody loved it and i somehow managed to freeze a good bit of it. By holly and meagan's suggestion, i will post the recipe so that you too can entertain with grace and ease, and really good mexican soup.  

Sara Butler's Fiesta Soup (feeds 5 with enough to freeze for another meal)

8 cups chicken broth

4 chicken bullion cubes

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

1 box mexican or spanish rice-a-roni (both rice and spice packet)

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (i used fresh lime juice - thanks for taking the time holly)

2 cloves garlic (sliced or chopped or pressed)

1 medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon cumin ( i accidently bought three things of it, so if you need some . . . )

1 2/2 - 2 cups chopped or pulled cooked chicken ( i used the second half of a rotisserie chicken)

Sara's Directions:

Add all ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer with lid on for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with grated cheddar, monterey jack, tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.  

My Directions (b/c i had to text Sara to clarify a few things, and then i changed a few things):

Get out a huge soup pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. saute onion for a couple minutes, throw in garlic, saute til onions a little soft. Dump everything else in, turn on med. high and stir a lot cause the rice will stick. once it boils, turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. stir it every 5 to 10 min or so so the rice doesn't burn to the bottom. After about 35 minutes its done!