Spiced Hot Cocoa

Spiced Hot Cocoa
Can easily be a traditional hot cocoa recipe if you leave out the spices. No other changes needed for this.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
dash ginger
dash cloves
1/3 cup water
4 cups milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. You may want to sift the cocoa and spices so there are no clumps.
2. Bring the 1/3 cup of water to a simmer in a saucepan. As soon as bubbles appear, whisk in the dry ingredients. Boil while stirring for 2 minutes.
3. Add milk and heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat, then add vanilla. And none of that sissy imitation stuff, neither. (But if that's all you have on hand, double the amount).
5. Add some marshums. Duh.

Serves 4

Cilantro-Lime Taco Soup

Ingredients

          1 lb ground beef

          1 large onion

          1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped very fine

          1 large sweet bell pepper

          1 packet taco seasoning

          1 packet ranch seasoning

          1 can RoTel Cilantro Lime Tomatoes (undrained)

          1 can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)

          1 can pinto beans, undrained and pureed in blender

          1 can corn (drained)

          1 can black beans (drained)

         

Garnishes: Fresh cilantro, lime wedges or juice, sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, etc.

Directions

1.    In large soup pot, brown the ground beef. About halfway through cooking, add onion, chipotle pepper, and sweet bell pepper. Continue to cook until the meat is fully browned and onions are tender.  (Note: The chipotle gives the soup a nice “medium” amount of spice. Add less or more as desired).

2.    Drain the fat off the meat and return to the pot. Add seasonings and stir well.

3.    Add the remaining canned ingredients and stir well. If the soup seems a little dry, some water or beef broth can be added.

4.  Bring to a boil, then serve. Garnish each bowl individually with fresh cilantro, avocado, lime juice, sour cream, and cheese.

Note: If doubling the recipe, puree both 1 can of pinto beans and 1 can of black beans and leave the other two cans intact for more variety. The pureed beans give the soup a creamy base.