The lost

has now been found. Rossana got her ornament last night.  You can not imagine how ecstatic I am. I was at the point of planning a re-stitch, and that alone inspired me with great dread, since I do not get much stitching time, and having to redo an ornament, let alone a design I already did, I was a little upset. At least now I can stitch for myself!

I have been going through the old freebie charts I have and pulled out a few to kit up and do, now that I am determined the sewing machine is coming out of the box. I am going to try something new, at least for me. I have so many pretty things, have been blessed to be able to have them, and it's ridiculous that so many of them end up in boxes, usused and underappreciated. All that sewing fabric that I have, I am going to try to match it up, color-blind, to the designs I have, then tweak the colors to match the fabric. They may not look good here for a while til I find my way, but what is the point of having things if they bring me no pleasure and are never used?

I have a recipe to share with you today, an easy one! Best friend Brea came up for Babygirl's baptism this past weekend (yes, Mummy got teary), and she said this is one of her family's favorites, perfect for a cold winter day! We told Left-brain it was chili, because he doesn't eat soup. He ate two bowls.

Southwestern Soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with chilis)
1 can regular diced tomatoes.
(Note on these: Brea used small cans, she said the recipe calls for two cans of Ro-tel, but she substituted regular tomatoes for the second can. I will check definite sizes when I go to Safeway next, but they were smaller. If you want bigger cans and can find them, use them, or if you want spicy, use two Ro-tels)
1 regular can tomato paste
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can shoepeg corn (you can probably substitute if your store doesn't have, we don't tattle in Crazyville)
1 pack mild taco seasoning (you can always add heat, but you can not replace a burned tongue)
1 pack dry ranch dressing mix
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, diced (if you have a food processor attachment for the blender, use it. Much easier)
1 bag tortilla chips
1 bag Mexican-style cheese blend
a container of sour cream (optional)


Brown the ground beef in a pan. Saute the onions in a large pot with a little oil til they are somewhat translucent. Drain the ground beef, put it in the pot, add the canned stuff, the taco seasoning, and the ranch dressing, along with a can of water.

Let simmer for a while, until you're hungry. It should look a lot like chili, but it is not.

Serve with the tortilla chips and the cheese.

It made enough for us to eat, and I still froze some for another meal. I love low-effort recipes that make enough for two meals. It's like a little food bank account!