january 18th

i woke up kind of early today and watched tv and made a grocery list while becca and matt slept in. 

becca left around noon and matt and i went to atlantic to get groceries. we were on a time crunch because i had to be back in exira around 1 pm to pick up 4-h kids and make soup for the soup contest at the rec center. i was a little late getting there, but i made it and we made taco soup. it was boys vs. girls. the boys made a chicken dumpling soup. after a long afternoon of making soup, i went to the rec center to get the crock-pot and find out who won. they didn't have them tallied up yet, so a small group of us helped take down the tables and chairs. the judges finally got the votes counted and the girls won with my taco soup recipe! it rocks, i knew it had a good chance of winning. 

matt and i watched some friends re-runs from season 9 and most of them were hilarious!

i read a little before i went to bed.

I hope others will enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Taco Soup Recipe

1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey)

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg taco seasonings

1 pkg dry Ranch seasonings

2 large cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can whole kernel corn

Brown meat and onion. Drain. Add seasonings. Drain beans and corn. Add meat along with tomatoes to Crock-pot or deep pan. Cook until well blended and hot. Eat and enjoy.

Add a bit of grated/shredded cheese or sour cream and serve with tortilla chips and this simple soup is perfect for cold nights.

more tomorrow...