I can haz Crockpot!

I can cook!


After I helped some friends make "stoop" for a church event (it's half stew, half soup and 100% delicious!) and reading A Year of CrockPotting, I was inspired to ask for one for Christmas. I liked the idea of coming home to a hot meal.

I never cook because I have to do all the work after I come home from work, when I'm tired and hungry. With a Crockpot, I can do most of the prep the night before, dump it all in first thing in the morning and eat when I get home.


I decided to start with Taco Soup. This recipe makes 10-12 servings. Now I wanted leftovers, but I thought this was overkill. So here's what I put in my soup:

1 pound of cooked ground beef
Dash of pepper
1/2 package of ranch seasoning
1/2 package of taco seasoning
1 can of corn (plus a little bit I had leftover from Bill Miller earlier last week.)
1 can of pinto beans
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
cheddar cheese to put on top

You're supposed to blend the tomatoes, but since I have no blender, I decided to have chunkier soup.

I mixed most of the ingredients in tubs ahead of time so I didn't have much to do in the morning. This is what it looked like before I left for work:



And this is what it looked like when I got home:



Because I cut down the recipe, I was a little worried about overcooking. But it did just fine, except for the edges of one or two tomatoes. Good enough for me.


It was just what I hoped for. A hot, satisfying meal as soon as I got home.


And there were leftovers. If it freezes well, I'll probably make the full recipe next time.


Of course, I still have to do the dishes.