10 Can Taco Soup

With the temperature dipping down in to the 30's at night...This is perfect soup weather.  So go grab your soup pot and lets get to cooking.  And yes there really is ten cans in it...So it's the perfect recipe to clean out your pantry.

And it's really simple...I mean really the only cooking required is browning some meat and chopping an onion...and opening 10 cans...makes we wish I had an electric can opener. 

And the soup is pretty mild so it's perfect for the whole family...well you might want to leave the olives out if you have kids...since I don't know many kids who eat olives.

And if you want it spicy put a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce...Mine is Cholula...Always been my favorite...I think it has something to do with that little wooden cap...And the really cool thing is Cholula sent me a few bottles  of all of their different varieties of hot sauce.  Just one of the perks of being a food blogger...So start a food blog and you might just get some free stuff.  I think I'm going to start a car blog and see of I can get a free BMW.

And this recipe makes a big pot of soup!

10 Can Taco Soup

adapted from Paula's Home Cooking

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2- 15.5 oz cans pinto beans

1- 15.5 oz can kidney beans

1- 15.25 oz can whole kernel corn, drained

3- 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chiles

2- 4.5 oz cans diced green chiles

1- 3.8 oz can sliced ripe olives, drained

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

1- 1 oz package taco seasoning mix

1- 1oz package ranch salad dressing mix

In a large dutch oven brown the ground beef and onions.  Season the meat with salt and pepper.  Drain the excess fat, if needed.  Add  the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix.  Then add one tomato can full of water.  Bring to a simmer and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Serve with corn chips, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped green onions, pickled jalapenos, and Cholula Hot Sauce.

Quick Dog Treats - A Recipe for the Pups!

Since we have three VERY SPOILED pups...we go through a lot of dog treats!  Not all of them are homemade, but I do enjoy making them...and they do enjoy eating them!  And this is the easiest recipe I have found...no rolling...no cookie cutters...and only two ingredients.  And it is much better for your waistline to make treats for your pups, than for yourself.

Quick Dog Treats
adapted from Eco Dog by Marshall & Deskevich

1 cup wheat germ
2- 4oz jars baby food (meat or vegetable flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet.  In a bowl combine the ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the greased baking sheet.  Flatten the balls with the back of a fork.  Then bake for 25 to 35 minutes.  Cool the treats on a wire rack.

For variation: Add 1 tbs pureed  garlic to ward off fleas, or 2 tbs ground flax seed meal for a shiny coat.

Have you ever tried taking group photos with dogs?..I think it's impossible...especially when treats are involved.  So Sampson got to be the lucky model in the photos...I'll have to make some more treats so y'all can meet the other dogs.

S'mores Brownies

Black Friday Sales are not my thing.  So Friday we skipped the sales and went on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree...but first I did a little baking...I figured we might need a energy snack..nothing too serious...I mean it started with a box of brownie mix. 

You probably have this stuff on hand...Right?

Then make some S'mores Brownies!

S'mores Brownies

1 family-size brownie mix, 9x13-inch pan size

10 whole graham cracker squares (5 sheets), broken into pieces

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup milk chocolate morsels

ingredients to prepare brownie mix

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.  In a bowl mix the brownie mix according to the directions on the package.  Pour into the greased pan and bake for 18 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Sprinkle with the graham cracker pieces, pressing down lightly.  Sprinkle evenly with marshmallow and chocolate morsels.  Return to the oven and continue baking for 12 minutes.  Let cool, and cut into 24 squares.

And the tree....

Every year we try to pick a bigger tree than the one we had last year, but I think we have MAXED out.  It's practically touching the ceiling.

A picture of Michael stringing lights on the tree.

And the decorated tree!

So have you got your tree up yet?