(First of all, you will please excuse the other random table accoutrements in today’s photo. Let’s just say it’s going to take a day to get my kitchen table back to photo-readiness! The tortilla chips, however, are indeed supposed to be there.)
Happy New Year!
I knew we’d be running short on time tonight – LeeLee had a 6:30 meeting that’s going to run late, and of course there’s the BCS National Championship game at 8 – so this morning I took all of 10 minutes to throw one of our favorite meals, taco soup, in the Crock-Pot. By the time we got home from work, the house was smelling great, and a piping-hot meal was waiting.
I’ve extolled the virtues of the Crock-Pot many times on this blog, but it’s a new year, so let me do so again: I adore it. I was chatting with my mother last night, answering her questions about Kitchen-Aid stand mixers (which I heartily endorse, by the way), when it occurred to me – the Crock-Pot gets even more use than my beloved Kitchen-Aid in the kitchen! Especially in the winter, we pull it out for service at least once, often more, and over the last decade-plus it’s become part of the family.
But back to the taco soup. It was a hit, as ever, and the mild version of Rotel made the broth not quite as spicy as usual, which was a welcome change. (I suspect we’ll go back to the regular version of Rotel before too long, as LeeLee and I both enjoy some kick, but it was nice not to have our tongues scalded by jalapenos tonight for a change of pace!) And the best part? We’ve got at least three or four more servings waiting for lunches!
The stats:
Chik’n strips: $3.99
Rotel: $1.59
Black beans: $0.79
Chili beans: $1.00
Taco seasoning: $1.19
Broth: $3.49
Corn: $1.00
Tomato sauce: $0.45
Tortilla chips: $4.99
GRAND TOTAL: $18.49 … or $3.70 per person for five servings!
:)