This blogging thing has been a work in progress and ‘learn as I go’ sorta thing.
When I first started blogging, many years ago, I just jumped right in, head first, and have been ‘swimming around’ in the internet ever since then.
I have tried many different things over the years, from different special features to different blog designs and layouts. But despite the challenge of learning about social media, html codes and food photography; I feel that my passion about food, cooking, and blogging have stayed strong and never wavered.
And that is what I have, and always will, focus on.
Because I choose to focus on my passion for food I sometimes forget about the technical side of things. Over the weekend I played around with different settings for commenting on Kitchen Concoctions. I apologize if this caused any confusion or frustration for you all. I am doing this to see what will work best for EVERYONE; you as readers and me running this blog.
I have almost always had it set up so that ANYONE can comment as long as you typed in the combination of words and numbers as part of the ‘making sure you are human and not a random computer’ verification. When I first started blogging these words were short and easy to see, but now they are more blurred and clumped together. In fact, I couldn’t even read the number/word combo, recently to comment on another blog and realized my frustration was something you all might have experienced on my site, and thus maybe lack to comment.
However, when I opened it up to comment without this verification, all these pesky spam comments came flooding in! Not only is this plan annoying, but I have also know bloggers who’s sites have gotten hacked this way; and that is not something I wish to deal with!
Currently I have it set up that you must be a registered user (you can register a number of ways) and currently all comments have to be ‘approved’ before they are visible to the public. I really don’t have time to approve every.single.one.of.your.kind.comments but at this point I don’t know what to do! I also feel bad for those of you who genuinely want to comment ‘anonymously’ but unfortunately those darn spammers have ruined it for you!
So today I am asking you for your honest thoughts and opinions regarding commenting on blogs and websites! What things do you do or have you seen that make commenting on blogs/websites easy? What is your preference? Or do you not really care one way or the other? Please comment!!! 🙂
Whew!! That was intense! How about an easy dinner that would also be perfect for the Super Bowl as well? This week I will be sharing some great Super Bowl party food and then will be back with a special Valentine’s themed week next week.
First up, a flavorful soup that is perfect for this time of year! This Smoked Turkey Enchilada Soup is essentially a twist on tortilla soup. The difference? The base of this soup starts with a can of enchilada sauce and then has some popular enchilada ingredients, such as corn, black beans, corn tortillas and shredded turkey, stirred in. I chose to use some leftover smoked turkey I had on hand and then built upon that rich smokey flavor. This soup is spicy, peppery, and was totally a favorite in our house!
Note: Be sure and check out the recipe notes at the bottom for substituting smoked turkey and cooking this recipe in the crock-pot!
One Year Ago: Website Review: Food on the Table
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal
Three Years Ago: Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup
Smoked Turkey Enchilada Soup
By Heather of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Printable Version
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (24-28 ounce) can enchilada sauce
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups shredded leftover smoked turkey or chicken
1 ½ cups frozen corn
1 ½ cups OR 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (such as Del Monte)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with chipotle (such as Del Monte)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
Salt and black pepper, as needed
Toppings (optional, if desired):
Fresh cilantro
Avocado
Cheddar cheese
Fresh lime juice
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Stir in remaining ingredients, except corn tortillas. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. During the last five minutes of cooking stir in corn tortillas.
Serve topped with desired toppings.
Crock-pot directions: Combine all ingredients, except corn tortillas, in crock-pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. During the last 30-45 minutes, stir in corn tortillas. Serve topped with desired toppings.
Note: Feel free to use smoked turkey or chicken. Traditional roasted chicken or turkey could also be used as well.
Other soup recipes you might enjoy:
Crock-pot Pizza Soup
Fast and Delicious Black Bean Soup
Lentil Bean Soup
Spicy Tomato and Turkey Soup