the honorary swedish citizen

This morning I made crêpes for the first time ever, and I was nervous about it.  Everyone always talks about how it is really “hard” and there’s a “learning curve” but that only lasted for about 2 crêpes (which, by the way, were completely edible) and then they we’re consistently awesome.  I will post the recipe I used another time.  But on to the second awesome thing I made today…. TACO SOOOO-WAAHHP.  (That was said in my best Minnesotan accent.)

So I have made Taco Soup consistently ever since I got married.  I got the recipe from my friend Peter Janelle’s mom Tina, waaaaaay back when we lived in Chicago.  That recipe is one done on the stove-top and I have probably made it 100 times since then.  I have also tried other Taco Soup recipes for the crock pot, but they would come out dry or chewy or something else weird that Taco Soup should not be.  But then, I came across a recipe that was pretty darn good for the crock pot, enough so that I would make it again.

Today when I made it, I decided to follow the “dump” rule from the Janelle family recipe and just dump all the contents of the cans in- no draining allowed.  It was SO GOOD LIKE THAT.  SO GOOD.  

Taco Soup, Jenah’s Crock Pot Version

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of pinto beans

1 can of corn + 1 “can” of frozen corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes (or two regular sized ones)

1 can tomatoes with chiles (Like the Rotel brand.  Aldi has a pretty good one, too.)

1 Taco seasoning packet (Or you can make your own!)

1 Ranch Dressing Mix packet (Or 2 tbsp if you have the big container from Sam’s, yes, we’re that obsessed with Ranch)

1 lb browned ground beef (90/10 was the kind I used.  I don’t like to use much less than this for browning because I always feel like half my meat cooks off because of the high fat content.  Save 70/30 for burgers.)

Chips, sour cream, shredded cheese (For embellishment purposes as you serve it.)

Ok, so here are the directions:

Dump it all in.  Yes, ALL.  Don’t drain ONE SINGLE CAN.  (Except don’t add the chips and stuff, silly.)  Cook on low for 8 hours.  (Sorry you last minuters, you just can’t rush perfection.)

When you serve it, top it with a dollop of Daisy (sorry I couldn’t resist,) a sprinkle of cheese, and a handful of chips.  Mmmm!

This turned out amazing.  It was so hearty, but not thick like a chili.  It was soup, but not too watery, either.  Because of the tomatoes with chiles, this version comes out a little “warmer” than other versions, so if your kids don’t like spice, give them a double scoop of sour cream to cool it down.  This makes A LOT so don’t try to make it in anything less than your BIG @$$ crock pot, the 6 qt kind.    

Enjoy!

The other day, I was looking for Fajita Seasoning at Aldi, but they only had Taco Seasoning.  When I got home, I realized I had to think quick- and make my own.  This recipe is SOOO GOOOOD.  Really, its awesome.  I used it for Chicken Fajita Melts to season the meat and also to cook the peppers and onions in.  

I know people say that you should make your own seasoning to save money, or whatever, but 87¢ for a seasoning packet doesn’t scare me.  I just hate having to hunt through 800 ingredients on the back of the package for MSG.  If you make your own, you know exactly what you’ve put in.  

Another thing that was annoying was having to hunt for hidden gluten or casein when I was gf/cf.  There are lots of things gluten can be listed as, and chances are, it won’t be listed as PLAIN OLD GLUTEN, which makes it hard to know for sure.  Once again, if you make your own, problem solved!

Fajita Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon bouillon powder/granules (check for gluten or casein!)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

If you use this as just a seasoning, you don’t need the cornstarch.  I didn’t have it when I made this, so I didn’t put it in.  Its just used to thicken the “juice” from whatever your cooking.  You’ll survive without it. 

I made these today, for something different.  I have never made them before, and I would again!  They were not too vanilla-y, but more than regular old cookies.  

1 1/3 cups softened butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounces chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

BEAT butter and sugars in a Kitchen Aid on a medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.  Gradually beat in flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.  

DROP  by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.  

BAKE in preheated 375ºF oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool on cookie sheet for about a minute.  Cool on paper towels.  

MAKES about 5 dozen.

I really liked these.  They baked out a little more flat than traditional chocolate chip cookies so that made it easy for them to get a little crisp.  I just made sure to pull them before they turned into hockey pucks.  The vanilla flavor was really, really, good.

The original recipe called for 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup brown, but I only had 3/4 cup white sugar so I modified it a little based on that.  

Make sure to add the nuts, they really add a lot and the non nut lovers will shy away, leaving more for you.