Frozen Dinner Swap: Taco Soup

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments yesterday. Chris went home last night and all of his test results came back negative. They think it may have been a severe migraine and from here, he'll follow up with a neurologist. He's at home today sleeping off the side effects of all that pain medicine and recovering.

Raise your hand if you've never eaten taco soup?

Hello?

Anyone?

Yes, we're all familiar with taco soup. So familiar, in fact, that this dish has been banned from my house by my husband. Someone call the abuse hotline. Just kidding. Our problems begin and end with soup ... and a few black eyes. Just kidding, again. I may have just crossed a line. Umm, I meant black eyed peas. The band, not the dish.

Moving on, Ty passionately hates taco soup. I think this stems from his years as a volunteer with our church's youth ministry. Parents provide the meals, and I suspect they provided many bowls of taco soup. But I adore taco soup for five primary reasons:

1. It's cheap.
2. It's easy.
3. It feeds a lot.
4. It's hearty.
5. It's good with cornbread.

I was thrilled to receive Carrie Taylor's taco soup at the frozen dinner swap. I didn't make it myself, so Ty can't be disgruntled. I can save it for just the right time, and eat it all for myself. This was literally a pot of gold waiting for me in my freezer.

I strategically planned my evening with the taco soup. I waited on Ty to go on a hunting trip, and I warmed it up with a side of cheesy cornbread. I lit some candles, slipped into something more comfortable (Ty's sweat pants that I stole from him) and indulged myself with several episodes of "Parenthood," a show I watch primarily because I love Lauren Graham. Lauren, if you're reading, call me. I'll make taco soup and we'll watch the first seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls."

So, here's Carrie's recipe:

Taco Soup

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans pinto beans (1 plain and 1 jalapeno)
2 cans tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can Rotel
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing mix

Cook onions and add ground beef. Drain ground been and add all other ingredients. Let cook for several hours.

I realize there are probably hundreds of variations of this recipe. So, to make it more interesting, tell everyone what you do differently to your recipe.

Lauren Graham, I'm for real. I'll even let you paint my toenails and call me Rory!