Cooper’s Café Delivers

With 2 good friends sick at home Cooper's Cafe is in full swing. I have been in the kitchen most of the week including cooking a TURKEY. My very first turkey. I know that dumbfounds you that after all these years (not actually telling you just HOW many) of cooking and being a foodie, I have never cooked a full turkey. There’s a story about that. You’d be disappointed if there wasn’t right? When The Husband and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together it was just the 2 of us, oh and the dog. Anyway I thought it was senseless for our little family to have a whole turkey and suggested a nicely cooked and decorated breast. He was astonished, astounded and stunned. No turkey? It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the huge turkey to feed 10 people like his mom has every year! So I calmly said “fine then YOU cook it.”  So he did and after a few years of dried turkeys, undercooked turkeys, burnt turkeys and the charred bacon across them we ended up with a nice tasty turkey.

However, sick friends don’t need a turkey, they need soup. The Cooper's Cafe devoted and friendly staff thought it would be best to start with a few of our most popular soups and a loaf of honey wheat bread. Then we can send a casserole later on, hence the deboned turkey in my fridge. In the meantime here is one of my favorite soups to make and send. It’s easy, tasty and filling. If you use a mix of the colored peppers it makes a rather festive looking dish.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced peppers ---red, green, yellow peppers -whatever your preference
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 diced Chile pepper

Directions

1.    In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.

2.    Place the ground turkey, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.