There used to be a restaurant chain here in the Midwest called Max & Erma’s that had delicious chicken tortilla soup. It was creamy, lightly spicy and so comforting on a cold day.

Sadly, I think the chain mostly went out of business a few years ago, and the only one still around is at the airport, I think.

This Crockpot Taco Soup is inspired by, but quite a bit different than that restaurant soup. My version is a little lighter (less creamy) and uses ground beef instead of chicken.

Unlike many other crock pot soup recipes out there, this one doesn’t just have a dull, one-note flavor. Deeply browned ground beef, tomatoes, two types of beans, green chiles and lots of seasoning give this soup layers of comforting flavor.

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French Onion Soup Chicken is an entree with all the flavors of a favorite soup!

If you’re looking for a dinner with big flavors but a relatively simple ingredient list, this French Onion Chicken Recipe is what you want.

With big flavors from smart ingredient choices like white wine and Worcestershire sauce, this skillet dinner is the best cozy choice for when the weather starts to get cold.

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Best Lasagna Soup Recipe

This Lasagna Soup brings together all of the flavors of my family’s classic Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese, but takes MUCH less time than putting together a traditional lasagna.

This will definitely hit the spot for anybody craving lasagna but pressed for time. The combination of two different types of meat, herbs and spices, and a rich tomato broth make this the best lasagna soup recipe out there.

The post Creamy Lasagna Soup (2 Ways – Stovetop or Crock Pot) appeared first on Foxes Love Lemons.

This easy Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is perfect for a weeknight!

With grocery prices going up and up, steak isn’t something that we buy very often. Ground beef is more affordable, but what can you do with it besides tacos, spaghetti and burgers?

Turns out, ground beef stir fry with rice is a delicious way to prepare this standby weeknight protein.

While stir fry is usually made with sliced steak or chicken, I actually kind of prefer it with ground meat! The little bits of meat get crispy and delicious, and it makes a really nice bite when served with rice.

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When it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a meal, those of us who don’t love corned beef (except sometimes in corned beef egg rolls) don’t have a ton of options.

My colcannon soup is always tasty. And sure, we could just drown our sorrows in a beer charcuterie board and Baileys brownies, but you need something more than just cheese and brownies, right?

While my wine and cheese board can certainly make an argument for an entire meal based on cheese and alcohol, I have another idea.

This mini shepherd’s pie recipe is made in a muffin pan, producing perfectly portable, bite-sized versions of a classic St. Patrick’s Day meal.

If you’re attending a gathering this year, these would be perfect. No serving spoon needed, just grab them and enjoy!

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My favorite place for amazing comfort food (outside of my own home) is a tiny little hole-in-the-wall Ukrainian restaurant in a nondescript strip mall near the railroad tracks, called Christine’s Cuisine.

The best thing on the menu, by far, is their beef stroganoff. It’s decadent and creamy, and the meat just falls apart in your mouth.

When Christine’s was temporarily closed in 2020, I was craving that stroganoff and decided to try to recreate it myself. After many tests, this Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is my best recreation of this classic.

It’s creamy and comforting, just like “the original,” and it slowly cooks in your crock pot all day long. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Psst – I also have a chicken stroganoff if you’re not a beef eater.

“I love this recipe! It is very easy to make but tastes like I worked for hours making it.”

—Shannon

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I’ve been super, super into short ribs lately. My mom made me a batch of her beef begetable soup slow cooker last month, and I also made Smitten Kitchen’s short rib onion soup over Christmas break (so good!).

I wanted to make another short rib dish where they were utilized in something other than soup.

And while I don’t go quite as gaga for the Instant Pot as some people do, I think this appliance shines when it comes to something that’s usually slow braised.

While I love my slow cooker for baby back ribs like crock pot ribs (with my dry rub for ribs slathered on first), and a conventional oven for root beer ribs, the Instant Pot was the perfect choice for these braised short ribs with sweet and savory apple chutney.

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Along with my trip to potato country, I also got to visit a different type of farm last month: a dairy farm right here in Michigan. Milk Means More hosted a group of local bloggers to tour the Prairie Farms milk processing plant, as well as Crandall Dairy Farm.

As I’ve mentioned, during my kitchen remodel, I’ve been basically jumping at the chance to get away from my house and breathe in some fresh air out in the country. Yes, the air on a farm filled with cows is fresher than the air in my house right now. Plus, I just really like learning as much as I can about where our food comes from – I always find it interesting!

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My blog should really have two taglines, but there was only room for one above. The second one is “encouraging people to enjoy the act of cooking at home.”

While Jeff and I love going out to our favorite restaurants once (sometimes twice) a week, other than that, we are cooking at home. Even if it’s just simple sandwiches and salads, we think the effort we put into it is worth it.

Cooking a meal together gives us a chance to catch up before we go about our evening activities, like more work (ugh) or schoolwork (Jeff is working on a master’s degree).

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to encourage more people to follow this lead. Two strategies I recommend are prepping ahead, and using a little help from the grocery store when you can.

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I’ve mentioned it before, but seriously, I eat homemade tacos for dinner every single (or darn near every single) Saturday night. Allow me to explain my longest-running food tradition to you. #warning #itslong

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