Taco Soup

That's Taco Soup. It's delicious. And I'd love to share the recipe but it's a long road to get there, so hang with me.

When I was around 12 or 13 years old my mom joined a bowling league. Every Tuesday night she had to leave the house around 5 p.m. to head to the local bowling alley. She had to get dinner on the table for our family of 5, fast. So Tuesday nights became pizza night. As a result, Tuesday nights became my favorite night of the week. You have to understand that my family just did not do fast food back then. We went to Western Sizzlin' for mother's day but that was about it. This whole take out thing was new and exciting and Pizza Hut secured a place in my heart forever.

But back to bowling. Each year the ladies would have a party and everyone would bring food. One year, one of the other bowlers brought Taco Soup and my mom got the recipe. It's more like a chili than a soup. Thick, hearty, beany, delicious. It also has half a pound of Velveeta in it, which, coincidentally, has a permanent place in my heart, too.

Taco Soup (from the Tuesday Night Ladies Bowling league potluck)

2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can white hominy
1 can pinto beans
1 can southern ranch beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can Rotel
8 oz Velveeta
Corn chips

Add everything to a slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours. Don't worry about draining and rinsing the beans, just dump everything in. Serve over corn chips.