Easy Dump Taco Soup

This is another recipe from my mom. I made a huge batch of this for my husband's office at work awhile back and it went over really well. We also like to go camping, and making this ahead of time, freezing and heating in the dutch oven over a campfire makes for an easy camping meal.

This makes a really large amount, so you may want to scale it down, or just freeze the remainder. You can also make this on the stove or in your crock pot, the choice is yours!

Taco Soup

2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped (I used green onions this most recent time)
3 cans zesty diced tomatoes (I use a mixture of hot and mild)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can chili beans
1 can corn, drained
1 pkg or 3 T taco seasoning
1 pkg or 3 T ranch dressing mix


Brown the ground beef. Drain well. In a large pot combine the canned ingredients and spices. Add the hamburger and mix well. Cook on low for 30 minutes or longer until everything is hot and flavors are mixed.

With sour cream and cheddar cheese added!

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips.


**A quick note if you are cutting this in half - chili beans generally are flavored pinto beans. Use half the can as chili beans and rinse the second half to use as your pinto beans. Saves you money and less waste trying to figure out how to use up the rest of those beans!

Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwiches

Oh sweet, sweet summertime! I love sandwiches and summer and the two just go so great together. I also love this recipe since it's always a hit and is great to make for crowds. And did I mention it's a crock pot meal so the house doesn't get warm? The barbecue isn't spicy and actually errs on the side of sweet. All sorts of goodness about these great sandwiches!

Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches

~ 1.5 lb. pork roast
1 small chopped onion
1 garlic clove
2 T olive oil (or canola oil)
1 C ketchup
1/2 C water
1/4 packed brown sugar
3 T Worcestershire
1 t salt
2 t ground mustard
1/8 t ground thyme
few dashes of tabasco sauce (make as hot or as mild as you like)
~ 1 t lemon juice

Place pork roast in crock pot and cover with water. The meat cut is pretty flexible, so use what your family likes. I think I normally buy a loin roast or a shoulder roast. It also depends on the price for me.

Cook the pork as long as you can on low, but for at least 4-6 hours. This could vary if you get a larger roast and how you crock pot cooks.

Remove the roast from the crock pot and shred the meat. It will be very hot, so I usually start with two forks and work at it or let it sit for a few minutes.

Return the shredded pork to the crock pot.

You can make the sauce one of two ways -
1. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Pour over pork and stir.
2. Dump all remaining ingredients on top of shredded pork and mix well.
It's really up to you, but I don't like doing extra dishes :) The sauce gives the meat a reddish orange color.

Continue cooking on low for at least an hour, but if you can leave it longer, the flavors will continue to mix in for a great flavor.

If you're going for a more smoky barbecue flavor, you can always add a little liquid smoke if you have it on hand to the sauce. I often add a little more of the sauce ingredients depending on the size of my roast to make sure all of the meat is evenly coated. You don't want it too watery, but not completely thick so it's all a clump.

Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce, pickles, onions or even ketchup (which is how I used to eat these as a kid!)

Change of Plans...

I've inadvertently taken a break from blogging for a bit. We are attempting to switch up our diet so I am trying to find new recipes that fit into that plan and as such don't have many originals to share. Hopefully I will get the hang of this pretty soon and be able to share some of my new, healthy options with everyone!

I've also been steadily working on our move so once I figure out what I'm doing with that, I'll be sure to post my favorite moving/ PCS tips in a few posts. I will be inventoring our entire home and possessions soon so if that goes well and according to plan, I will share my tips for creating that document and ensuring a successful move.

Happy Spring everyone!