Chicken Tortilla Soup hits the spot

Dear Readers: Football season is in full swing, and it's finally cool enough in my beloved South Texas to think about making a big pot of soup. One of my favorites, Chicken Tortilla Soup (from Merry Clark, editorial director of Heloise Inc.), is easy to make, and you won't have to spend too much time in the kitchen. Also, if you have leftover turkey, you can use it instead of chicken.
You'll need:
12 corn tortillas
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
4 quarts rich chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Dash of cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese
Cut tortillas into strips and fry in oil until crisp (just like tortilla chips), remove them, then drain on paper towels.
Saut & eacute; onion in olive oil and add the tomato puree and stock. Add chicken, cilantro and tortillas. Cook over medium heat for about an hour. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Serves 12.
For more family soup recipes, kitchen shortcuts and hints, please send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Soup, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.
Here's a healthy soup hint: Puree celery, onions and some water or chicken bouillon in a blender, then add to a pot of soup for extra flavor and nutrients without the extra calories. Heloise
Dear Readers: It's time to check your food IQ once again. What fruit is waxy, yellow to green and, when cut, has a five-pointed-star shape? Still don't know? The flavor is rather like an apple and a grape combined. Answer: star fruit. These bruise easily, so treat them with tender, loving care. The next time you're grocery shopping, why not put a "star" in your basket? Heloise
Dear Heloise: I use tongs when cooking, but they are unruly in a drawer. Just slipping rubber bands from broccoli over the tips tames these renegades!
Also, I use oatmeal (unflavored, of course) to "stretch" as well as moisten hamburgers. The regular or quick-cooking kind is fine. A bonus is that the oatmeal adds extra fiber to our diet. Wilma Heberling, Selma, Texas
Dear Heloise: I keep potatoes, onions and garlic in a large clay pot on the floor of my pantry. The products need to be taken out of bags and wrappings so they can breathe. I place furniture felt tabs on the bottom of the pot so I can slide it out easily without scratching the floor.
The clay pot keeps potatoes from going mushy. This also works for yams and sweet potatoes. Tarja Brockington, Kernersville, N.C.
Dear Heloise: When I clean my automatic-drip coffeepot with vinegar, I save the vinegar plus rinse water and pour them into my outdoor city trash container to help eliminate odor. I let it sit a while and then turn the container over to pour it out. Joyce McCasland, Little Rock, Ark.
Just don't pour it on the lawn -- it might kill the grass! Heloise
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King Features Syndicate