Last week I helped my mom prepare a quick dinner. We started with a package of soup ingredients that we purchased at Wegmans. It was “South Of The Border Tortilla Soup Mix,” made By Frontier Soups. The instructions say to use chicken broth and add some salsa and chicken. We added some other ingredients to make it a bit more hardy, like extra frozen corn, cut green beans, and a can of black beans. The photo has white beans, which we have used previously but decided on the black beans for that night.  

You just bring the broth to a boil and add the dry ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes. We added the extra ingredients towards the end. Earlier we made Trader Joes cornbread and added mixed berries.  If you like you can also crumble tortilla chips on top. It was fast and filling and really tasty!

Last year, I posted about my California trip and going to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Maria’s Italian Kitchen. In June 2019 I received sad news that “Maria” was in a car accident that ended her life. We are friends with her daughter Maddy who is the owner and operator of the many award winning Maria’s Restaurants, as well as her two new restaurants, Holy Cow.   Her Mom, Maria moved from Hoboken, NJ, to California when Maddy was young. She was a very smart woman with a great vision and lived her life loving food, family and friends and cooking for everyone. She opened a small Italian Market and Take-Out. Maddy worked there with her family, and after college opened her first full service restaurant.  Maria’s recipes are still used and that’s why the food is so good and the restaurants are so successful.

I met Maria when I was very young, but don’t remember her.  Maddy said she had a great personality and sense of humor and that she loved people and they loved her. She was still cooking for family, friends and neighbors everyday right up until her passing. I am glad she followed her passion to open the first Maria’s because it is truly one of the best Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles.  I love eating there and seeing photos on of Maria, Maddy and her family decorating the walls! Her name and recipes will always be there for everyone to enjoy.  All locations are accessible and there is an accessibility tool on their website. If you are ever in LA you should definitely stop in for a great Italian meal!