December 1, 2010

Doily Necklace + Chicken Tortilla Soup

I went to Gas Lamp Antiques today in search of doilies for that Anthropologie-inspired doily necklace I told y'all I wanted to make. Gas Lamp Antiques is my favorite place in all of Nashville. I like it better than my own bed. I would sleep there if they'd let me. I gave myself a $10 doily allowance. Along the way, I tried on several spot-on vintage fur coats. Then there was a pile of colorful Pyrex cookware that stopped my heart, and a martini set that beckoned me. But Tessa was fussy, and I had a zillion doilies to rifle through. I got out of there with five doilies and 11 fewer dollars to my name.

I came right home, gladly put Tessa down for her nap, and made myself the necklace. I love this particular doily; it's cross stitched by hand. So sweet. This took 10 minutes, and I think it'll look great with a solid-colored tee-shirt or dress. Here's how to make it.



Then I made chicken tortilla soup. I tried to recreate the magic of Mas Tacos' chicken tortilla soup, which I seriously think is the best soup in the entire world. I did a pretty good job! I used this Food Network recipe, but simplified it like some people in the comments suggested by just shredding up a rotisserie chicken and using store-bought chicken broth. It took maybe 30 minutes from start to finish, I learned how to make my own tortilla chips, and it turned out so yum. I'm not really any kind of a cook and this isn't a cooking blog, but I'm proud of my soup.


Tessa helped make the soup. Not.