EASY CHICKEN TACO SOUP

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 7 Hours

Attention all Foodie Friends with a slow cooker!!!

This one dish wonder is a hearty combination of beans, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasonings, slow cooked with white meat chicken. It's deliciously finished with Cheddar cheese & Sour cream, then served with your favorite tortilla chips!

My instincts told me that this would be a crowd pleaser, so I bravely decided to serve it to guests my first time making it. What a hit!! Everyone loved it.

Made mostly of canned ingredients that are easily found in the grocery store, this tasty soup lets the slow cooker do the work so you don't have to! This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with

green chilies, undrained 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts Shredded Cheddar cheese Sour cream Lots of tortilla chips!

Directions:

1.	Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.	Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and put chicken back into the soup. Continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and your favorite tortilla chips. Muy facil y delicioso!!!

PASTA RAPIDO! Quick & Delicious

Whew! I just got over a terrible case of writer's block. Sorry!

I hope this yummy, easy recipe will make up for it. It's called Pasta Rapido, and I've been cookin' this stuff for at least 20 years. I usually make it as a side dish for breaded chicken cutlets, but it's hearty enough to stand on it's own if you prefer.

You know where I got this recipe from? One of those good old fashioned Sunset paperback cookbooks. The collection of  Sunset cookbooks definitely fall into the "oldie but goodie" category. You may want to pick one up if you see any at a yard sale this summer.

PASTA RAPIDO

1/2 cup olive oil
2 small dried hot red chilies, broken into pieces
3or 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (I usually use Italian parsley, but we had some fresh curly parsley from the garden so I just used that this time, and it tasted just as good)
1 lb your favorite pasta (we like thin spaghetti)

Start salted water boiling for pasta. Then heat olive oil over low heat in medium saucepan. Add chilies and cook until they begin to brown.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until limp (do not brown). Add salt and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes more. Remove from heat.

Your water for the pasta should be boiling by now, so add the pasta and cook until Al dente. Drain, toss with your freshly made mixture of parsley goodness, and it is ready to serve. We always like it topped with a few shakes of Parmesan cheese. 

                                  It's quick ("rapido"), easy, and delicious! Mangia!