It’s Getting to Be that Time Again…

Time for SOUP!

I’ll admit.  I’m not a fan of the cooler months.  (I know, crazy, right?)  The shorter days, the bare, brown, landscape, the chilly temps…not my idea of fun.

But there are some positive things that come along with the cooler weather.  One being the return of “souper” suppers.  I don’t think there’s an easier or more economical meal to prepare than soup.  Plus, soup is a one-pot-wonder, so there are less dishes to clean when you’re done cooking.  Plus, plus, all you need is a pan of cornbread (or if you’re really in a pinch, a pack of crackers) and you’ve got a complete meal.  Plus, plus, plus…it’s yummy!

I know it’s not really cold out yet, but with the summer we’ve had down here, anything less than 90 degrees is cool, right?  So this weekend I decided to stir up a big ‘ol pot of Taco Soup.  Mmmmmm…..  The recipe I use (ok, so I don’t use a recipe) is so simple that I’m not even sure it qualifies as cooking.  Basically, if you can open a can, you can make this soup. (No pun intended.)

I decided to take a bunch of pictures to go along with this post to get your tummy growling.  And while I was making the soup and taking the pictures, I had an idea about a tip that I could share with y’all.

The Tool Man is always bragging on my onion chopping skills, so I thought I’d show y’all just how I do it.  I’m not saying that mine is the absolute right way, but this method sure does work for me. 

First things first.  Grab yourself an onion.

Then slice the onion in half from root to top.

Working with one half at a time (I leave the other half cut-side down on the board.  It helps with the whole crying thing) slice off the top end of the onion, about a half to one inch depending on your onion.

Grab the outer layer or two of onion and peel it off.

Time to chop!  Please notice how I’m holding my fingers in these photos.  I’ve got my fingertips curved under so my nails are touching the onion.  This protects my fingertips from the blade.  Should the knife slip while I was cutting, my knuckles would stop it before it could cut my finger.

Now, work your way around the onion, with your knife blade aimed at the middle of the onion.  This is the important part:  Leave the root end intact.   Keep the tip of the knife about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the root.  This will help hold all those layers together while you’re slicing.

Once you’ve slice all the way around the onion, turn it 90 degrees and begin chopping across the cuts you just made.  If this is starting to sound confusing, just take a look at the pictures.

Just keep chopping until you work all the way back to the root.

There!  A perfectly diced onion.  And I still have all 10 fingers.  Woop woop!

Taco Soup

• 1 lb. ground beef (or in my case, venison)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1, 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 2 cans pinto beans
• Corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large stock pot, over medium heat, brown meat.  Drain if necessary.  Return meat to pan. (Since I used the venison, I had absolutely no fat in my pan. Yippee!)
2. Add onion and cook 5-7 minutes.
   
   
3. Sprinkle meat and onion mixture with taco seasoning and stir to combine.
   
   
4. Dump in all the canned ingredients.  Yep, just open them up and dump ‘em in.  No draining required.
   
   
5. Add a can or two of water if needed.
6. Mix well.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.  (See.  I told you this would be easy.)
   
   
7. Serve soup over corn chips. Top with cheese and sour cream. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can bake up a pan of Mexican cornbread to go with your soup.  Yummy!
   
   
   
   

Feel free to adjust this recipe any way you like.  I said earlier, it’s not really a recipe, more like a guide.  If you want more meat, add it.  If you want more tomatoes, corn, or beans, just pop open another can or two.  It’s totally up to you.  Just remember, if you add too much more, you’ll want to increase your seasoning too.

Hope y’all enjoy!

Linking to:

Tutorials & Tips @ Home Stories A to Z

Ta-Da Tuesday @ Mommy by Day, Crafter by Night

Lindsey