Taco Soup - Naked IM Professional Style

Noonie’s Taco Soup (Noonie is my mother-in-law)

Ingredients:

·         1lb ground beef or chicken (can be made with a vegetarian meat replacement)

·         1 large onion

·         3 x 15 and a ½ ounce cans of Mexican style chili beans (undrained) – can’t get those around here so I just use white and red kidney, sometimes pinto beans -whatever you fancy

·         15 ¼ ounce can corn, undrained

·         15 oz can tomato sauce

·         14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes (undrained) – I get these with chili if I can to make up for not having flavoured beans

·         4.5 oz can chopped green chiles (or jalapenos)

·         1 ¼ oz envelope of taco seasoning mix (I use hot)

·         1 oz envelope of ranch-style dressing mix

·         1 ½ cups water

toppings: tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, sour cream, shredded cheese, home-made salso

Method:

Cook beef and onions in dutch oven over med-high heat until meat is browned and onions are tender, stirring until meat crumbles; drain.

Stir beans and next 7 ingredients into beef mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 munutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon soup into bowls; top with desired toppings.

Slowcooker: brown meat etc. as above and then bung all ingredients in slow cooker

Serving Instructions - Naked IM Professional Style:

Put slow cooker on side board, at big drinking party, with bowls, spoons, napkins and toppings. Ensure all guests have lined stomachs with this fine, fine meal. While guests are eating, guzzle large quantities of wine and take new arrivals on "charming though somewhat stuttering"  tour of house (do not absorb a morsel yourself). When guests are satiated take them downstairs to recreation room for quiz, dancing, pool whatever (keep drinking wine). Eventually pass out on girlfriend of youngest employee (owing to lack of food and great quantities of wine), be put in bed by husband who continues to run the party. Next morning wake with minor headache and great appetite - scrape remaining soup from dark edges of slow cooker (which has not been turned off all night) - enjoy while deciding how to "frame" the "turn" of the night before. ;-)