Dirty Dozen: Taco Soup

The most important ingredient in this cold weather staple is a can opener. It's so easy. And delicious.

Taco Soup
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (I use a bag of freezer corn here)
1/4 lb browned hamburger
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes (un-drained)
1 can tomato paste
1/4 of a taco seasoning packet (about a Tablespoon)
1/4 cup water if necessary
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Fritos

Warm beans, corn, burger, tomatoes, paste and seasoning and water in a pot over medium heat, or if you're pressed for time you can dump it in a crockpot (low-6hrs, high-3hrs) and forget about it. Serve with a dallop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a handful of fritos.


My favorite memory of this soup? We took my aging and somewhat dementia plagued grandfather on a disorienting family vacation to the California coast. After a day at the beach we returned to our condo to warm up over a bowl of this stuff. We sprinkled his with the Frito scoops instead of the traditional Frito strips and he refused to eat it. He thought we were trying to feed him seashells. It's a little sad, I know, but I can't eat this without thinking of him and giggling a little bit.

Norwegian Kringle

Every time I am pressed to pull out a heritage-inspired dish, this is the recipe I turn to. My Grandmother was born in Norway, and somehow this is the only piece of Scandinavian cooking our family still has. Even so, it's a favorite.

Kringle is a  kind of a dry sweet bread/scone/cake. I'm not sure how authentic the chocolate chips are, but they're much tastier than raisins, so I'll not debate. The dough is a little sticky to handle and it takes a few tries to get the pretzel shape right, but it is pretty as it is tasty.

When we were kids we called this "Creme-la", but I think the real pronunciation is closer to "Krin-gla". Feel free to correct my Norwegian!

Norwegian Kringle

1 c butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c whipping cream or milk
4 c flour
4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt
chocolate chips or raisins

glaze

1 cups confectioner's sugar

2 tsp milk

2 tsp Karo syrup

Almond flavoring to taste

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix flour baking powder and salt (my grandmother's recipe doesn't call for this, but I find it enhances the flavor). And a little whipping cream or milk, followed by a little flour mixture, alternating until gone. Add chocolate chips or raisins. 

On a floured surface, shape dough into a long log. The dough is sticky, so keep your hands floured as you work. Gently transfer your roll onto a parchment covered jelly roll pan (you can also use a greased one, but I find the parchment cleans up better and looks nicer).

Kringle is traditionally formed in a pretzel. The dough really spreads while baking, so leave plenty of space in your pretzel shape.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Mix glaze while waiting and pour over top while the kringle still warm. Serve with a big glass of ice cold milk.