A new friend for Ella

Last Wednesday our friends Chris and Carrie added a 4th to their familly. This is Ella and Logan when Logan was 2 days old. Logan is almost exactly the same size Ella was when she was born... hard to believe what a difference 11 weeks can make!

We took dinner to them last night just to help out. It was so cold Ella got to wear her hat that Uncle Aaron got her for Christmas. It's still just a bit too big, but she rocks it anyway.







Riley is Chris and Carrie's oldest, she's 2 1/2 and was very ready to play with Ella and ham for the camera. It's amazing to watch her with the babies, she wants to help all the time, hug them, give them kisses and make sure they're covered up and warm enough. She's so sweet to them!



We made them Taco Soup and it was a huge success, as always. I'm so glad I found the recipe, it's great to have on cold days and one batch is enough for leftovers for a few days. Also, it's super easy to make and is great for tailgates too because you can keep it warm in the crockpot. Not to mention I haven't come across one person yet who doesn't like it. Here's the recipe for anyone who might want to try it...

TACO SOUP
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

It's more of a chili consitency than soup, and very filling. Sometimes I'll make it with ground turkey to make it a little healthier. And I'll add different things to it, last night I threw in a can of drained White Hominy, I've also tried drained and rinsed black beans which was delicious as well. I always cook it for an hour on the stovetop because I'm not nearly organized enough to put it in the crockpot in the morning :) Enjoy!