Chicken Taco Soup & Apple Crisp...Fall is HERE!

Well, I think it's officially fall.  It was a little chilly today- I LOVE this weather!  It was a perfect day for this soup and the apple crisp.  


Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans (drained & rinsed)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
16-20 oz chicken broth
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning 
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts

I put everything in the crock except for the corn (I find that if it cooks too long, it gets mushy).  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I had to improvise a little today--we didn't have any chili/kidney beans, so I used pinto beans.  I also didn't have 3 whole chicken breasts, I had chicken tenderloins leftover from another recipe, so I used those.  And the last thing I changed was that I used 1 can of the diced tomatoes with chiles, and 1 can of regular diced tomatoes. That also makes it less spicy, so the kids can eat it.  (That's why you grocery shop BEFORE you cook....LOL).  That's what's so great about this recipe.  It's so versatile; you can change it up in so many ways!

About 30-45 minutes before you want to eat, take the chicken out and shred it all with 2 forks.  Add it back to the crock, along with the corn.  Serve with a nice big sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream!  

I really need to get some nicer looking plates and bowls.  White is SO boring!  

And now to the best part: DESSERT!!!  And I totally take the easy way out and use apple pie filling for this.  Peeling apples is too much work!

Apple Crisp in the Crock:

2 cans apple pie filling

For the topping:

2/3 C oats

2/3 C flour

1/4 C packed lt. brown sugar

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t cinnamon

3/4 C margarine-cut into chunks

Spread the apple filling in the bottom of the crock. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the margarine.  Using a fork, make a crumbly mixture.  Spread that over the apples.  I cooked this on high for about 2 hours, then turned it down to low until we were ready to eat....maybe 3 more hours?  The topping gets a little crispy, not too crunchy, and oh SO good! Maybe some of you would consider this a cobbler?  Top with vanilla ice cream.  


I've also tried this with cherry pie filling before and that was really good too!  

Yummy in the tummy!