Merry Christmas, I hope you make the big table, and get extra servings of dessert.

Chili Dump Soup

I am sure most folks have a "go-to" winter soup/ chili recipe. Well so do we, and here is our version. It goes by many names, but we often call it dump soup, because many of the ingredients are dumped in. Get it?

• 1 Lb hot pork sausage, browned
  
• 1/2 Lb cajun sausage cubed and browned
  
• 1 large chicken breast sauteed and cubed

• 1 medium onion diced, sweated

• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced and sweated with onion
  

• 1 box prepared chicken broth
• 1 can cut corn, drained
  
• 1 can black beans, washed
• 1 can white or navy beans, washed
• 1 can chili beans, unwashed
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain
  
• optional: fresh garlic for onion sweat, to taste
• 1 package commercial taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

So, start with the meat and get everything nice and brown, drained and set aside. Sweat the onions, peppers adding garlic last until translucent in a large 7 Qt or larger soup pot, or dutch oven. Add a touch of flour and splash of oil and mix until there are no lumps in the flour. Add 1/3 of the stock to deglaze the pot then Dump reserved meat back in to onion mixture add the rest of the stock and reduce heat. Pour in taco and Cajun seasoning and stir to remove any lumps. Now start dumping the rest of the ingredients.

You can vary the meats and of course the beans to suit your taste, you can also use beef stock or vegetable stock in place of the chicken. I have been making this for years and no two batches taste the same. We keep it on the spicy side as its great when you have the winter sniffles or just need to have something warm inside.

Garnish with some fresh cilantro and a spoonful of sour cream. Grab a piece of cornbread and you are set.