Chili

At my "Hofflander/Krutz Bridal Shower" last year the incredible hostesses, my cousins Sheri and Shea, organized for each guest to bring one of their favorite recipes to put in a cute recipe book for me to take along to CA. It was so fun to see everyone's personalities come through their recipe choices . . . for example:

Aunt Kelly: smothered burritos - a Krutz classic
Pam Gagnon: scotcharoos - these dessert bars got me and Janie through some brutal volleyball tournaments
Karen Jones: beef stew - one of Andrew's favorite meals, he loves his mom's stew
Caroline Jones: popovers - the twins love these
Katie Lee: banana muffins - her world famous muffins have chocolate chips too but she knows me better than that

and last but not least

Abi Nass: Mexican chili (aka chicken tortilla soup) - she would make this for the "college crew" back at the U of M, ahh the good ol' days. So without further ado...

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts (boneless)
2, 15oz. cans black beans, undrainded
2, 15oz. cans Mexican stewed/diced tomatoes
1 jar salsa
2 cans tomato soup

Toppings
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream

Place chicken on bottoms of crock pot. Add beans, tomatoes, salsa and soup. Mix well. Cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice (shred with a fork) into small pieces. Place back in pot. Serve soup over tortilla chips and top with cheese and/or sour cream.

Voila! Enjoy this delicious, easy and CHEAP meal. It's great for big groups :)


BONUS COOKING SHOT: isn't he a darling dork :) This is from one of our steak nights.

I didn't cook much in college (PopTarts, PB&Js and Lean Cuisines were staple items in my daily diet then) but I can't tell you all how much I've enjoyed cooking more out here - it helps that our kitchen is totally stocked with top of the line stuff :) So thank YOU for that!