A Culinary Tip

I do not profess to be a Rachel Ray or Emeril in the kitchen but I do think that I can hold my own most of the time. Tonight was a true testament to my cooking prowess. I had some hamburger in the fridge that was about to expire and since we have about overdosed on Meat Lasagna and Veggie Lasagna leftover from our Sunday party, I decided that it was time to use up the meat. I started to skim through the online cookbooks but every hamburger casserole sounded like a variation of Lasagna or Beef with mushroom soup and rice and I am not a fan of that recipe. I went to the Soup section and decided to go with Taco Soup because I have never made it and I know a teacher who brings it to lunch and I want to be more like her.

Here is the original recipe:
* 2 pounds ground beef
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 can pinto beans
* 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes
* 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.)
* 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)
* 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

Before I started, I was sure that I had ALL of these ingredients in my pantry or my basement grocery store so I started browning the meat. Immediately I should have noticed that I was doomed. I had just 1lb of ground beef not 2 lbs as the recipe stated. I should have made hamburgers. Because in looking back at this recipe, I only had 3 ingredients (and one of them was water) out of 9. This was really going to be a stretch for my better than Paula Dean cooking contest.

Here were my substitutions in italics:
* 2 pounds ground beef 1 pound ground beef
* 1 large onion, chopped Had this!
* 1 can pinto beans 1 can black beans
* 1 can whole kernel corn ,drained 1 can creamed corn!!
* 1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style 1 can diced tomatoes
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes Huh? What is this? Added 1 small can chilies and a can of tomato sauce
* 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.) Had this!
* 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)Read the ingredients on my hidden valley ranch dressing bottle and added a splash of vinegar and dash of garlic salt
* 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth Who can't come up with water?
So, how did it come out?


It actually tasted really good! Especially if you added grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on the top. And don't forget the side of tortilla chips! :)

Blessings and bon appetit,
Heidi