The obvious, Christmas and time with family…love, love, love it! But I was born and bred in Michigan, so I have to love winter. I love playing in the snow, making snow angels and getting cold and wet and snowy, then running inside to have a mug of hot chocolate with a peppermint stick in it (my kids prefer marshmallows).

The other things I love about this time of year, are sitting in my recliner with a warm afghan over my legs, watching an old favorite movie and knitting.

I also love soup. Yup, soup. Here is a super easy soup recipe that you will love. In fact, I declare that if you try this soup it will quickly become one of your FAVORITE THINGS!

TACO SOUP
2 large cans stewed Tomatoes (or 4 15 oz cans or 2 quart jars)
1 large jar of White Beans (I use one can of black beans and 1 can kidney beans because I like them better)
2 cans whole kernal Corn (or 3 C frozen corn)
1 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1 packet Taco Seasoning

Open cans and dump all ingredients into a 5 qt slow cooker or large soup pot. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally. When hot, serve.

I guarantee that this is yummy!

Variations: this is not as good with ground meat in it, but if you want to add meat also add at least another half packet of taco seasoning.

Also, canned tomatoes are not your best health option because they are acidic and leech aluminum out of the cans they are processed in, jarred, frozen or fresh tomatoes are a healthier choice. If you use tomatoes that are not stewed then add onion and celery to the soup.

It is cheaper but takes more time to use dried beans instead of canned. If you use dried then let the beans soak over-night and then cook for at least 24 hours in the slow-cooker to soften them up.

The store brand of ranch dip mix works equally well. Once, I could not get to the store for ranch dip mix so I poured in 1/3 of a bottle of ranch dressing and stirred. That worked out well, too!

Hugs & Prayers
Lee