Taco Soup

Here is something interesting. My kids? Hate my food. Okay, one of the four actually eats what I make and does so very happily. And another has started to eat what I make and like it since he moved out. Another eats five things - none cooked by me and the final one will eat on occasion but tends to favor things like hot dogs (cold) and macaroni & cheese (Kraft box please).

There is one dish that has been a favorite of my two oldest kids for many years now. I'm puzzled and have tried to figure it out for a long time. I finally think I have figured it out. I started making this when they were about 10 and 12 years old. I was not a good cook back then. I just didn't care about cooking. I didn't think I even liked to cook. Well, my mom tasted this recipe somewhere in Texas I believe and was raving about it. I did a little internet research and found what I thought was the same recipe - Taco Soup. It is a very simple brown meat and onions and dump a bunch of stuff in the pot. Serve it with chips, cheese and taco toppings and you're done. It doesn't really even seem post worthy. But I'm onto a new thing... I used to think I could only post recipes that seemed, well, chefy. But I'm not a chef. I don't even pretend to be a chef. I'm a haggard mom with a house full of picky and occasionally (like right now) whiny children whom I need to feed on a regular schedule. So here it is, Alex and Greg's very favorite, most requested recipe:

Taco Soup

1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz can pinto beans
15 oz can black beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3 14 oz cans tomatoes with green chiles
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning mix

Taco Toppings
shredded cheese
sour cream
diced tomatoes
green onions
diced avocado
tortilla chips

1. Brown meat and onion in large skillet and drain well. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients (up to taco toppings) into slow cooker and mix well. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve in bowls ladeled over tortilla chips and topped with toppings your family likes.

See? Cans. Packaged seasonings. I should be embarassed but I'm letting that go. I am. Really.