Taco Soup!!!

I'm sure everyone has their own tried, tested and true Taco Soup recipes... but I'll post mine anyway. I've  been seriously addicted (like, "I may need an intervention" type of addicted) to Taco soup lately. A little background info: I hated Taco soup for 24 years. My Mom made it a lot, or at least it seemed like she did... probably because it was something I never looked forward to. Truth be told, I don't even think I had ever actually TASTED it. I just assumed because it had onions... corn... beans... basically everything I didn't like (I was piiiiiii-cky) that I wouldn't like it.

Last year, however, things changed. We went to dinner at a friends house and they were having.... [gulp]... Taco Soup. Since I didn't want to be a jerkface by refusing to eat it, I decided I would spoon out a nice small bowl for myself and force it down my gullet.

I had three huge bowls.

It. Was. Delicious. I got the recipe, tweaked it a bit, and have made it MORE times than I care to admit in the last 2 months. Gotta make up for all those years of refusing to eat it.

Enough talk. To the recipe!

TACO SOUP! <--- SO FLIPPIN' GOOD!

• 2-ish lbs Ground Beef
• 1 pkg (or ¼ cup) Taco seasoning
• 1 pkg Ranch powder mix
• 1 onion (chopped.. sliced... however you like it!)
• 1-2 12oz cans corn
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can chopped green chilies (Old El Paso - usually in the Taco "supplies" area) 
• 2 14oz cans sliced stewed tomatoes (sometimes I can't find the sliced ones... so I just cut them up with my cooking scissors once they're in the soup... lol)
• 1 14oz can tomato sauce
• 2 19oz cans kidney beans *the BEST part!*

In a large pot brown meat, drain, stir in chopped onions (I like to saute them for a bit, 'cause I'm not a fan of undercooked onions) and add all other ingredients plus 1 cup of water. Do NOT drain the canned goods, add all the canned juices into the soup! Cook until heated or until onions are tender. I heat mine until it starts boiling. There's nothing better than a steaming hot, burn your tongue, bowl of soup! Serve with fritos or doritos, cheese, and nice big dollop of sour cream (it's a MUST, people!)... THEN ENJOY! Make sure you have a napkin handy, 'cause those chilies will make your nose run like crazy.  Haha!

You'll have leftovers... 'cause it makes a lot. But like most other soups, it's even BETTER the next day!