Cheeseburger Soup

For Christmas Eve this year, I made my mom's Cheeseburger Soup. It's a lot of prep work, but it was certainly tasty! We think it should be our new Christmas Eve tradition!

Cheeseburger Soup

Makes 2 and 1/4 quarts

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter,( divided, 1 T. and 3 T.)
3 cups chicken broth
1 can creamed corn
4 cups diced peeled potaotes (1-3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups (8ounes) process cheese (Velveeta)
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

In a 3 qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside.
In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1
tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 min.
Add broth, potatoes, corn and beef; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter (3 T.).
Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.
Add to soup; bring to a boil.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low.
Add cheese, milk, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts.
Remove form heat.
Blend in sour cream.

Taco Meat

4-5 pounds ground beef

2 15 ounce cans tomato sauce

2 onions, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon cumin

1 and 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon crushed red chilies

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain. Add remaining spices and stir thoroughly. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Great for a crowd, or freeze in quart containers.

Pirate Punch/Sunshine Slush

This is my mom's recipe for a tasty treat called Sunshine Slush. Great for baby and wedding showers, pretty and yellow. With a bit of rum added, it becomes a perfect Pirate Punch for a party.

3 cups water

1 cup sugar

2 ripe bananas

2 (12 ounce) cans pineapple juice (I used a 64 ounce carton in mine)

1 can frozen orange juice

1 can frozen lemonade

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 liter or so club soda (I used ginger ale as that's what I bought by mistake)

Boil water and sugar 3 minutes and let cool. Put part of pineapple juice and bananas in blender and mix. Mix all ingredients together except soda. Freeze. When ready to serve, add soda. Let set at room temperature about 30 minutes until slushy and serve. For Pirate Punch, add rum to taste.

Chili

There's nothing unusual about this chili, but it's a sure fire hit with our friends. I recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. If you have some left, freeze it. It's even better after spending a month or two in the freezer.

4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 pounds hamburger - the fatty greasy variety
4 tablespoons crush red chile
4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
3 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (14 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes
4 cans kidney beans

Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add meat, crushed chile, chili powder, cumin, garlic, pepper. Mix well and brown meat. Once meat browns (do not drain!), add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered. Stir occasionally. Simmer for 4-8 hours - the longer the better. We serve it with Fritos, cheese, sour cream, and chopped onion.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Uncooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 15oz. cans black beans, undrained
1 15 oz. can diced tomatos
1 15 oz. can Rotel
1 c. salsa
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cans cheddar cheese soup

Extras: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, or cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients (except extras) in a large crock pot.
2. Cover, cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Just before serving, remove chicken and slice or shed into bite sized pieces, add back to soup.
4. To serve, put a handful of chips in individual soup bowls. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and or sour cream.

From About.com. This could easily be cut in half for two. My crockpot (a medium/large size) was full to the brim once all ingredients were added.