Chile Con Carne

2 pounds ground beef
2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cans (4 cups) tomatoes, broken up
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
3-4 teaspoons chili powder
2 bay leaf

In a stockpot, cook meat, onion and green pepper till meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf. Makes eight servings.

Taco Soup

This is a recipe my family picked up somewhere in the mid- to late 90’s and has been a big hit just about everywhere we’ve tried it. It’s exceptionally simple, which is great for those days when you really don’t have the time or energy for much but still want a nice dinner.

1 lb. ground beef
1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can green beans
1 can navy beans (undrained)
1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes
1 12-oz. can beer
1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 1-1/4 oz packet of taco mix
1 1oz. envelope ranch dressing mix
tortilla chips

Brown beef in stock pot until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Return beef to pot. Rinse and drain pinto beans. Stir them and next eight ingredients into beef. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins. Yields 10 cups of soup.