Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Saying Hello to Say Goodbye

But not forever! Anyone who's been checking this will see it has been ages since my last post. Well, my husband and I have been trying to buy our first house! Turns out just finding a house is a very time-consuming and energy-burning process. As much as I love to cook, I'm not like *certain* friends of mine, one of which will pack her entire house in four days and still spend time on a decent meal (and write a post about it). I did do allspice ribs the other day that I would love to share with you in the future... But mostly it has been bread, tabbouleh, chopped veggie salad, and other things of like convenient, noncooking nature. One day we even tortured our poor bodies with chips, salsa and sour cream, a mashed avocado with lime and sea salt, and Vernor's soda for dinner because we had worked so hard and felt like it!

However! In an effort not to disappoint, there is one recipe I made recently because it is so convenient, healthy and delicious: Crockpot Taco Soup. My intention in making it is to have leftovers that taste great, but my husband loves this dish so well that he always eats two portions; therefore, it lasts a lot less than it should! =)

I will get back on the ball as soon as my priorities allow! I can multitask well enough on a less focused level, but when it comes to big things, my focus tends to get directed to that and away from other things. Being so new to this kind of cooking, hopefully next time in the future I will feel more confident and be more knowledgeable about recipes that it won't seem so time- and energy-consuming to continue this level of cooking no matter what is going on. Until then, there's Taco Soup!

1 can each:
kidney beans
black beans
pinto beans
corn
diced tomatoes
tomatoes with green chilis

1 lb ground beef, browned
1 med onion, diced

2 packages of Ranch dressing powder
1 package taco seasoning

2 cups water

In a crockpot, throw in onions and browned meat. Add all the cans with their juices except the corn. Drain the corn, then add it. I like to stir in my Ranch and taco seasonings here because the water will bring the level up almost the edge, making it difficult to stir, but you can do it the other way around if you like. Turn the heat up to high and let cook for at least one hour. The longer the better. I think mine cooked for three to three and a half.

Do whatever you like afterwards. My husband likes to add cheddar cheese. We both put a dallop of sour cream on top. One day, we put the last crumbs from our bag of chips over top. It was yummy!

*I substituted a can of chili beans for the kidney beans. I can't buy kidney beans that aren't packed in high fructose corn syrup. Yuck.
*I also use frozen corn versus a can of corn. Not a big fan of canned corn, although I like creamed corn well enough.
*I use ground turkey instead of ground beef as well. Still very delicious!
*I'm sure if you aren't in hurry, it would also taste good with some roasted garlic and maybe a fresh herb. Seeing as how this is only the second time I've made this, I haven't tried either yet. I have it in mind to.

I guess that's it. Please be patient with me! I'm hoping to be back in about four weeks. If I do any more quickies worth posting, I will try to save some time and energy. (Yes, yes, I know, it's just a blog. But me being the writer that I am, I can't post it without it being it's best! This little post has already taken me 35 minutes and there aren't even any pictures! Sad, I know.) Anyway, in the meantime, take care, y'all!!!