Kari's Taco Soup

I LOVE this soup man!!! It's the BOMB!!!!!

Kari's Taco Soup:

2 pounds Hamburger Meat
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 can corn
1 bag Velvetta cheese (shreeded)

Brown meat (drain it too after its brown...you don't want the added grease...lol); add taco seasoning and ranch style dressing mix; add canned (you can use frozen if you prefer it) vegetables - cook to desired tenderness; add cheese a little
at a time so it all melts good…. Season with salt and pepper to taste… (Spoon you some into a bowl and top with cheese and sour cream...makes it extra yummy!!!)

**You can use any beans that you like...I've also used pinto beans and navy beans and it turned out great then too!!!**

ENJOY!!!!!

Something Yummy....

Ok...I know...I know...I didn't do it every working day last week...lol...

So...here's one for today....


Kari's Cheese Soup

1 bag Colby / Monterray Jack cheese
1 bag Monzerrella cheese
1 block Velvetta cheese
1 packet Knorr Spring Vegetable Soup Mix
2 Tablespoons Chicken Base (not the cubes...use the paste kind...it's the best!!!)
1 pint Half & Half (I use the fat-free one...you CAN'T tell the difference!!!)
1- 2 pints 2% milk (I use skim milk...because that's what we drink...)
1 stick Butter
8 cups Water
1 cup Carrots (finely grated)

Put water, chicken base, butter, carrots, and Knorr soup mix in a soup pot and bring to a boil.
Cook long enough to get the soup mix and carrots good and tender. Cube up block of velvetta and add to the pot as you cube it up. Let that cook a bit until the velvetta is melted and combined with the other ingredients. Add the bags of cheese one at a time to let them melt and combine with the other ingredients. Add the 1/2 & 1/2 and one pint of milk. Bring it back to a boil and add the remaining pint of milk to make it to your thinkness. (It is also good if you add broccoli florets to it but if you add the florets, add them in when you add the carrots, so they cook through.)

This is REALLY, REALLY good!!! Rich as can be...but GOOD!!!! I love making it on a cool night (face it...we live in Texas...we don't really have cold nights...LOL). We also throw some crutons on top of it...makes it better!!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Until next time....

YUMMY Cheese Straws!!!

Ok...so I've thought about this for a long time. I have some GREAT recipes...so I thought that I would share one a day (work day) with you... (This one I got from one of the other blogs I read...so I thought that I would share her's first...it sounds YUMMY!!!!) I have a TON of them...so if you want something...I'm sure I have it... I'll take requests...

Day One: Cheese Straws - Starwoodgal http://starwoodgal.wordpress.com/

2 cups grated cheese (sharp or regular)

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cold water

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cream butter and cheese together. Sift flour and baking powder. Add salt and cayenne pepper. Form in dough as pie crust (this means not to stir or handle it too long.....it will make the dough tough and you don't want tough cheese straws!!!). Roll out as thin as pastry (which means get it pretty thin...but not TOO thin...LOL). Cut in strips with a pastry wheel (a pizza cutter works just as good as a pastry wheel...). Spray pan with cooking oil (I use butter flavored Crisco in the can). Lay cheese straws on the pan...not too close together...about 1/2 inch apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan and place straws on cooling rack to cool as soon as you take them out of the oven... Enjoy!!! Let me know how you like them!!