The Recipe Box Swap for March

It's time for the March edition of Randi's Recipe Box Swap . I've had a full month to prepare for this, and had planned to offer up pictures of recipes being shared as they were prepared. All I can say is, I had good intentions. Oh, well. You'll have to use your imagination.

It's still soup weather for many of us so I'll share one of my favorite standby's. I nearly always have all the ingredients on hand for this quick-to-fix and hearty soup.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 package storebought taco seasoning (or your own)
1 16oz can corn, undrained (you could also use frozen corn)
1 16oz can kidney beans, undrained
1 28oz can tomatoes (any cut or variety) , undrained-if you have non-tomato eating kids or husbands, try using pureed tomatoes instead

shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream

brown ground beef & drain
add next four ingredients & stir well
bring quickly to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes

partially fill individual serving bowls with tortilla chips
ladel soup over chips
sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top
add a dollop of sour cream

Enjoy!


This soup tastes even better then next day, after the flavors have had time to marry. It also freezes quite well. I always make at least a double batch so I can freeze some.

An alternative to serving it over chips is to accompany it with fresh, from scratch, homemade cornbread. Yum!

One way you can make this soup more economical is to choose store brand veggies and chips. I've prepared it with name brand tomatoes, corn, and beans, served over name brand tortilla chips; and I've also prepared it using cans of generic brand veggies and beans, served over generic brand tortilla chips. It tastes equally well both ways

PS-If you have eaters in your family who don't think they like beans, try running the beans through a food processor before adding them to the soup. Not only will it change their texture, which is what puts some people off of beans, but it will add a nice 'thickness' to your soup as well.

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Swiss Steak

1 1/2 pounds bone-in round steak
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Cut steak into serving sized pieces, discarding the bone.
Salt & pepper steak pieces, then dredge in flour.
Pound into both sides (alternatively, you could buy steak without the bone and have it tenderized)

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown meat pieces on both sides.
After browning, transfer meat to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Combine the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and garlic and pour over steak.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Serve over rice or noodles.

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Okay, I'm off to Randi's to see what everyone else is cooking. Be sure and stop by there, too, if you haven't already!