Good morning, world!

It is officially 11/1/11, which means today is the kick-off for NaNoWriMo.  Which also means that I need to get my lazy butt in gear and actually get to writing.  See that shiny, purple progress bar to the left? That’s how I plan to keep up with my progress for the world to see.

Yeah, I haven’t gotten very far yet today, but I will be updating it on a daily basis.  And on the NaNo site, too, if I can ever figure out how to work it.

So this morning hasn’t exactly been the best introduction to November ever, but I’m doing my best to turn it around.  It’s been a busy morning in the real world at the real job, but even before that I managed an attempt at dismemberment – while tossing dinner in the crock pot this morning, I tried to cut my thumb off.  Luckily it’s a finger that isn’t used regularly in my typing rotation, since I only use one thumb on the space bar.  Lucky me, huh?

It’s not quite noon and I’m hungry, but I still have to wait until 1:00 to go to lunch.  Again, lucky for me that I have crackers and a laptop to keep myself entertained.

And because I’m feeling so generous today – and because I know many of you NaNoers don’t have the time to build a huge dinner and still get your word counts in, I’m going to share with you the recipe for my family’s dinner tonight:

Taco Soup

1 tbsp. oil
2 lb ground beef
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans (seasoned or not)
2 cans light red kidney beans
2 cans corn (any combination of whole kernel and creamed – I use one of each)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans stewed tomatoes, chopped OR tomato sauce
1 can green chiles (optional)
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 package dry taco seasoning

Tortilla or corn chips
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Cornbread (cheat! use Jiffy corn muffin mix – recipe on the box)

~+~

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until tender.  Add beef and brown, crumbling well.  Drain.

Mix together next 8 ingredients in a crock pot.  Add browned beef and onions.

Cook on low 8 hours, or on high 4-6 hours.  Soup can also be made in a pot on the stove – bring to a boil and simmer at least 1 hour before serving.

Serve with chips, cheese, sour cream, and cornbread.

~+~

*Note:  This recipe will FILL a 6-quart crock pot and will feed 8 people with leftovers.  And the leftovers are just as good reheated.