Chocolate Castles as wel

I know it is still Monday, but what a great soup this would be to make tomorrow for your dinner. Finally made it to the store for groceries. Because of eating at home so much and trying to think of different meals, other than the weekly spaghetti, meatloaf, tacos, or friend chicken, I was really in the mood to think of some new things to make. As I stood there on the aisle with the hamburger meat, I began to think of taco soup. From there, I started thinking about sloppy joes, homemade nachos, baked pork ribs and homemade chicken noodle soup. As soon as I put away the groceries, I started the taco soup. We just finished dinner and both of us sat there and said how much we enjoyed it. All that to say, I thought I would share the recipe with you. Sometimes the recipes (that really aren’t a recipe but just items you throw in to cook together end up being really better than you hoped). Remember I was making this for 2 people but it still made enough for us to have for lunch tomorrow, even though we both ate 2 bowls tonight.

1/2 lb ground round

1/2 large onion

2 medium carrots, diced (or 1 large carrot)

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1/2 green bell pepper, rinsed and diced

2 celery ribs, finely diced

1/2 can (8.75 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 small can (8 oz) of tomato sauce

1 can Ranch Style Beans, not drained (use juice and all)

2 cups water

1 teas garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste

1 teas Goya Adobo Seasoning

Brown the hamburger meat in a large cooking pot with the celery, onion and bell pepper. Sprinkle the Goya Adobo seasoning and garlic over the meat as it cooks.

Add the rest of ingredients and cover. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours, depending on how large or small you diced the carrots or potatoes. After 1 1/2 hours, I removed soup from the oven to check on it. I ended up adding about 1 more cup of water to the mixture and continued baking for another 1 1/2 hours.

Top with garnish, such as fried tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, sour cream and shredded cheese. I fried tortillas and sprinkle sharp Cheddar cheese on them. Placed in a preheated 450 degree oven until cheese melted and served them along side the soup. A great soup for a cold evening!