And it's still winter in Minnesota

I'll admit. I'm not a native Minnesotan. I didn't grow up with snow days and shoveling the walk and having a dad that never saw the family because it's ice fishing season. I grew up in the land of the "warm". Why the "quotes"? Because life in the Golden State isn't always sunny. That's why it lost to Florida for the title of Sunshine State.

Yes, winters where I grew up were humid, grey, and drab. The trees still lose their leaves. The humidity creates fog as thick as pea soup. Not kidding. We had Foggy Day Bus Schedule. Waits for the fog to burn off because it's too dangerous to cross a street (except for teachers, who had to be there on time for school- threw that one in there for you Mom!). It was cold. There are gaps in the walls around light sockets and windows and the walls are only 4" thick instead of the hearty 6" here in the land of the cold, even in the best of homes.

So, we used to have soup day.

Soup day was Sunday dinner. Mom would invent some of the GREATEST soups to keep you warm while you walked to the bus stop in the fog. (well, we walked the three blocks to the school, but you get my point)

And so, I shall impart my variations of Mom's best soup recipes. And they're all gluten free.

First one up:


Taco Soup
5- 9Quart stock pot is needed.

2lbs Chicken, Beef, or Pork, cubed (1 plastic wrapped package)
2 tbls of oil or butter
2 cans of kidney beans, NOT drained! (light or dark, or, gasp, one of each!)
1 can of ortega green chilis, chopped
32oz can of hominy, NOT drained!
32oz can of crushed tomatoes
32oz can of diced tomatoes

knorr chicken, beef, or pork boullion cubes
1 medium red onion*
1 tbls minced garlic (you can buy this at your regular grocery)
4 tbls ancho, chitpotle, or blended chili powder
2 tbls oregano
1 tbls thyme
Corn Tortilla Chips

Optional:
Shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese for topping (it takes about 4 cups to top the entire pot worth)
chopped cilantro (it takes about 1 bunch to top the entire pot worth)

1. Brown the onions in the butter or oil, on high heat.
2. Once the onions are soft, add the cubed meat. Once the meat begins to get brown, turn the heat down to medium.
3. Add garlic and cook meat on medium heat until it is completely cooked.
4. Ceremoniously dump in kidney beans, green chilis, hominy, and tomatoes.
5. Add chili powder
6. Bring to a boil, then maintain a GENTLE simmer on low heat**
7. Cook for AT LEAST 30 minutes. It tastes better if you cook it for at least an hour. If the soup begins to get too thick, then add some water. we don't want the soup to get too think, though. How you can tell is put some of the soup in a clear glass. if you look through the middle of the glass outward across the soup, you should NOT see a clearish edge on the soup. If you do, you need to keep cooking. :)
8. Add the oregano and the thyme right before serving. This is because if you boil these, you will only get a bitter flavor.
9. Serve topped with corn chips and the optional cheese and cilantro.

Happy eating!
The Irish Lass