**This Post May Contain Affiliate Links** 

We just received our first snowfall here in Iowa, and I’m already contemplating packing up all of our belongings and moving to Hawaii. There’s not much that I hate about living here, but the winter weather is definitely on that list.

Snow is all well and good for Christmas, but before and after December 25th I just don’t really see the use of it. For one, it’s COLD. Two: I’m clumsy enough without having snow and ice around to slip, trip, and slide on. I can’t go one day without tripping over my own feet let alone snow and ice! Three: It’s just miserable. You know what you can do when the mercury dips below 40 degrees? Nothing. You can stay inside and eat or sleep {unless you have kids, then you can pretty much kiss the whole sleep idea goodbye}. So that brings us to our last option: EAT!!

Taco soup has always been one of our go to favorites for cold winter days. It’s simple, has very few ingredients, and doesn’t take a lot of time to throw together. Every busy mom’s dream! The downside? It takes 6hrs to get all those yummy flavors to marinate together, but that’s the great thing about crock pot cooking, throw it all in before you leave for work and turn the knob to “low”. God bless the inventor of the crock pot!

The Hamilton Beach crock pot that I have is definitely my favorite. It’s got a great little handle that doubles as a ladle holder (which is AWESOME because I don’t come back into the kitchen to find the ladle on the counter top) and it has two latches that attach to the lid from the warmer itself to make it perfect to take to potlucks.

What You’ll Need:

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can corn (NOT creamed corn! Just regular, good, old fashioned corn)

1 taco seasoning packet

1 ranch dressing packet

1 1/2lb ground beef

Optional: Diced onion

Instructions: Brown and drain ground beef, put in crock pot. Pour in all other canned ingredients. DO NOT strain the beans or corn – just dump em in – juice and all (yes, even the corn). Pour in the taco seasoning and ranch packet, mix well. Cook on low for 6hrs! Serve and garnish with tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese!