The Ultimate Classic Tacos

When I was writing about the Taco Bell lawsuit a couple of days ago, I thought it would be handy to link to my own recipe for meaty, ground beef tacos. If you're craving tacos, you don't have to go out to eat or resort to one of those yawn-inducing taco seasoning packets. You can make them yourselves with my handy recipe! Um, just a second while I find that recipe. It must be crumpled and dog-eared at the bottom of my blog somewhere. Where is that darn recipe? It's not here. It never was. If a tree falls in the forest, or if a recipe is made but never written about on a blog, did it ever really exist? But hang on; we love tacos. We eat them all the time. Why weren't they here? What excuse could I have for this glaring omission? I think this is it: Sometimes I forget to share the everyday classics, maybe because they seem a little, well ordinary. But ordinary food is usually the favorite food, the food you return to again and again and find yourself making for dinner every Tuesday night. It's the food I like to make when people come to dinner because I know the grown-ups and the kids will both love it. There's nothing wildly exotic about these tacos. They're the ultimate classic with fried corn tortillas, chili and tomato flavored ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese and spicy and cooling pico de gallo. They'd be just as heavenly teetering on a plate on your lap while you watch the Super Bowl, as they would be around the dinnertable on a plain old weekday. So here they are, never to be lost forgotten or non-existent ever again. Long live ordinary, extraordinary tacos.

Ground Beef Tacos:

Estimated Cost for Ground Beef: $5.00-enough for 20 tacos

Notes: I love to double this recipe and freeze the leftovers.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

2-4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (If you like it spicy, use El Pato)

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. When the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Serve inside lightly fried corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. I like to make refried beans in the crockpot to go along side; they're so easy, it won' take you but a moment.

Up Next: Chinese New Year favorites

Beefier than Taco Bell Nachos for Super Bowl Sunday

Have you been following the crazy law suit against Taco Bell? A consumer is calling for Taco Bell to be more honest about the actual percentage of beef they use in their tacos, burritos, and cheesy gordita crunch-a-ma-jigs. I don't know what they have on their menu. I haven't been there in years. Not since my sister Heidi bought a burrito on our drive from California to BYU and it dripped all over her cut-off sweats as she cruised the I-15. I was riding shotgun, trying to sop it all up with napkins and laughing my head off. I don't think that incident was Taco Bell's fault, but if you think it was, maybe I should consider a lawsuit. It has caused me considerable emotional distress and I haven't been able to step into a Taco Bell or wear cut-off sweats since then.

I think we're getting a little too big for our litigious britches, don't you? Here's what you do if you don't like what they're doing at Taco Bell, at Mc Donalds, at Acme Roller coaster company-you don't go. You don't spend your money there. You don't have to sue, get it? Your dollar is your vote. And aren't we forgetting the obvious here? Who goes to Taco Bell because they are expecting the finest quality Angus beef? Unless I've got America pegged all wrong, I think people are there for taste and price. Taco Bell, like any good housewife, stretches their budget by adding a little of this and a little of that to their ground beef. Didn't your Mom put oatmeal in her meatloaf? Beans in her chili? Breadcrumbs in her hamburger patties? That conniving little penny pincher! Take her to court and sue her for all she's worth! How dare you, Mom? Um...It sounds ridiculous, because it is ridiculous. Businesses, just like people, balance their budgets by making compromises here and there. If you don't like the extended beef at Taco Bell, take your discriminating dollar somewhere else. (Or make your own food at home; I'm here to help.) I'm pretty certain you'll be paying more, but maybe you'll be so busy eating you can keep your litigious mouth shut.

That sounded a little harsh. Let me try that last line again. Maybe you'll be so busy eating, you can keep your litigious mouth closed. Was that nicer? Oh, good. This is nicest of all: I've got some big, beefy nachos for your Super Bowl Sunday. They're loaded with shredded beef, melted cheddar, sour cream and homemade super-fast salsa. Get a pot roast going sometime this week so you'll have plenty for nachos this weekend. And if you're too busy to cook, you can always go to Taco Bell. No suing though, OK?

Pot Roast for Mexican Recipes

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for lots

Any inexpensive roast will work well, since you're going to be simmering for a long time.

1 pot roast, about 3 lbs.

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, whole

1 cup smooth salsa

1 cup beef broth

Put everything in the crockpot on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8. Mash up the onion and garlic with the juices. You can also do it on the stove top; just brown the roast in a little oil, add all the ingredients and simmer until tender about 3 hours.

Quick Salsa

Estimated Cost $1.00 for about 2 cups

1 (14 ounce) can Mexican style diced tomatoes with jalapenos

juice of 1/2 lime

pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in blender and process to smooth, or leave it a little chunky.

Nachos:

Layer tortilla chips, refried beans, shredded beef, and shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, salsa, and chopped scallions and tomatoes.

Next Up: More Super Bowl food. Or Chinese New Year. Still thinking...

PS I might go to Taco Bell one of these days, just to show my support.

Blackened Corn Salsa for Quesadillas

I wonder if back to school month is on par with Christmas, in terms of cost. I think it just might be a little bit pricier, between you and me. There are school clothes and shoes, school pictures, school donations, school supplies, school registration fees galore, plus it's time to re-start all of the after school lessons, which for us are tap, ballet, acting, voice, and fencing, not to mention continuing with violin and piano. To be fair, since I homeschool, I don't have to pay some of the aforementioned fees, but then again, I am buying curriculum. And I don't have to pay for a piano teacher since I'm teaching the charges myself until they pass me up, which isn't too far off for Sailor. But still. Money. There's a lot of money flooding, rushing, oozing, hastening out the door. Hundreds and hundreds. And what we're hoping to have to show for our sizeable investment are two well shod, well dressed, well educated little charges, leaping and singing and fencing and dancing around the room....while their parents bite their fingernails.

Here's a good cheap dinner to help offset some of the costs of a modern education. Who doesn't love making quesadillas for dinner on a hot, summer night? Use a combination of a few different cheeses like cheddar, jack, mozzarella, cotijo, or colby for the best flavor. Stir up some quick blackened corn salsa to send ordinary quesadillas over the moon. It's so delicious, you could skip the quesadillas and just eat it with a spoon. Corn is so marvelous and inexpensive in August, so get your good, cheap fill. Have a great weekend, everybody and best of luck with all of your back to school costs!

Money Saving Tips:

I love making this salsa with leftover unbuttered corn on the cob. Boil a few extra ears next time with this dish in mind. You can always use frozen thawed corn in a pinch, too. If you've got fresh tomatoes, corn and chilies in the garden, then this one is practically free.

Blackened Corn Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups corn fresh or thawed, if frozen

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of one lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add corn and onion and cook, stirring from time to time, until corn and onion are blackened in places. Combine with other ingredients in a medium bowl and serve with quesadillas.

Up Next: Tamale Griddle Cakes

Sure Fire Salsa and Seventh Graders

Is it possible to feel old and young in the same moment? When I gave my cooking presentation to this group of 60 seventh graders, I felt infantile enough to wish that my mother was there with me. Or at least a really cool uncle with a motorcycle. But, I also felt ancient, since I was the only person in the room with wrinkles, love handles, and clothing items that were bought more than six months ago. (I wore my black beaded mini cardigan that I've had for more than a decade. I'll probably wear it to my own funeral.) I brought my own two charges, since they are homeschooled and must go whereever Professor Pennywise goes, whether it be Target, the DMV, or a junior high home ec class. My Sailor girl picked out some pretty seventh graders and quickly made friends, but my little cowboy West hid behind an overhead projector for most of the time. That didn't stop some of the extroverted boys from offering him some high fives, which he greatly appreciated, because even when hiding behind an overhead projector, it's nice to be greeted by others.
Are seventh graders nicer now than I remember? Because everyone was attentive, interested, quiet, and sometimes even laughed at my corny jokes. I don't remember being that nice, especially when there were sixty people around to talk to. For my cooking demonstration, I made my super fast blender salsa. Whenever I teach a cooking class, I almost always start off with this salsa recipe because it's fast, healthy, cheap, and infinitely useable. Plus, it's popular, and that's important in junior high. I promised the seventh graders that I would post the recipe on my blog, so maybe a couple of them will wander over and get another glimpse at the recipe. And for all of you older kids, from ages seventh grade to ninety-two, if you haven't made this one yet, make it today. It'll make you feel younger instantly.

Money Saving Tips:

Buy up cases of tomatoes when they go on sale. If you can't find cheap tomatoes with jalapenos, buy a jalapeno separately and use plain diced tomatoes. A lemon can swap in for the lime also. Use up some of the tender cilantro stems to save extra money here.

Super Fast Blender Salsa

Estimated Cost: $$1.50

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 white onion, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with jalapenos, undrained

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, with some tender stems

juice of 1 lime

salt, to taste

Combine ingredients in the blender in the order listed. Puree until smooth, or leave a little chunky, if desired.

NextUp:

Coconut Lime Short Bread Cookies

Super Fast Tex-Mex Salsa, Bean, and Corn Soup

A.K.A The absolute best thing to come from leftover homemade salsa
I wanted to share my favorite fast recipe for when you have leftover homemade salsa. Please make this salsa, eat it fresh for a couple of days, and then make this knock-out soup. It's ready in ten minutes, and it's so yummy and healthful and spicy and can change the world and you gotta have it in your fast dinner repertoire. Now I'm running out of breath from all that gushing. I even have a funny and embarrassing story about this soup, but you'll have to pick it up on my last blog project. Scroll down to the entry titled, "From the Mixed up Files of a Frenzied Holiday Cook." And yes, that's little ol' me with super famous RR. After tonight, I'm all out of Cinco leftovers. Moving on!

Super Fast Tex-Mex Salsa, Bean, and Corn Soup

Estimated Cost: $2.50

Notes: My preferred way to make this soup is with the S and W brand chili beans with chipotle, but any brand will work well. Don't mistake them for chili; chili beans are canned pinto beans in a spicy tomato sauce. They're a real time saver!

1 cup leftover smooth salsa

1 (14 ounce) can low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 (14 ounce) can chili style beans, or leftover whole beans and a 1/2 tsp. of chipotle chili powder

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

For Serving: Tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese (I used feta), avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro

Combine the first four ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Serve with any of the above toppings.

Coming Tomorrow: The cutest little Meyer lemon cakes to make for Mother's Day

Santa Fe Stuffed Zuchinni

A.K.A. Cinco de Mayo Leftovers RemodelMy mom used to serve leftovers. You know, leftovers. They were exactly like Thursday night's dinner, except duller, colder, and chewier. Luckily, this didn't happen very often; more often than not my family of twelve ate right down to the wood table, like a pack of ravished termites. My favorite nights were, surprisingly, when my mother cleaned out the fridge, purging all the leftovers in one full swoop. She would make us order by number, without knowing which leftover dish the number represented. One of the lucky numbers would be something fresh, new, exciting! like English muffin pizzas. Another number might be three day old Hungarian goulash. It was a game of chance with potentially devastating consequences. Since mom is a 5 foot tall push-over, we could always finagle a little pizza, but it was extra fun if you actually chose the lucky number and really ordered it.

Leftovers at my house are meant to be cleverly disguised, or as I like to put it "remodeled." I eat plain leftovers the next day for lunch, but by dinner I need variety. If you're like me, (which I am), then you have lots of Mexican favorites in the fridge from Cinco de Mayo. Rice, beans, Salsa, Flank Steak.... Use whatever you've got and put it into these fresh zucchini shells. If you've got a microwave, ten minutes, and Mexican leftovers then you've got dinner tonight.

Santa Fe Stuffed Zucchini

Estimated Cost: $4.00

If you don't like zucchini, red or pasilla peppers would make excellent subs.

3 medium zucchini

1/4 cup broth or water

1 and 1/2 cups leftover Mexican rice, or cooked plain rice

1/2 cup leftover homemade salsa, divided

Optional: 3/4 cup leftover fully cooked meat, such as steak, chicken, or shrimp

1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese

chopped cilantro, for garnish

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Place cut side down in baking dish. Pour in broth or water. Cover with plastic and microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until zucchini is bright green and just tender. Scoop out center with spoon, leaving zucchini "shells." Chop the zucchini you removed. In a medium bowl, combine rice, 1/4 cup salsa, and meat, if using. Add the tomatoes and green onions; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the mixture into the zucchini shells. Drizzle with remaining salsa and sprinkle with cheese. Microwave on high for three minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with additional tomato and cilantro if desired.

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

I used to think that you could only make good salsa in July and August, when tomatoes were at their juicy red best. The rest of the year I would mope at Mexican restaurants and wonder how come they had great salsa all year round. I reasoned that they imported fresh tomatoes at their peak from some well-guarded farm near the equator. Well, I wanted some of that secret stash too. So I started to snoop and ask questions. Finally a nice little lady cashier at one of my favorite southern California whole-in-the-wall taco stands filled me in. "Oh, honey... they're just canned tomatoes." When I finally got over my shock, I went home, fiddled around, and made 897 gallons and I haven't stopped making it since. Then I started blabbing my recipe all around town. It's been years and I still can't keep quiet. "Did you know you could make this great salsa at home..in the WINTER?" Not only is this salsa unbelievable on it's own, it's the base for countless Mexican dishes. I'm going to show you a few this week, so get started with this salsa recipe. Betcha can't wait for Cinco De Mayo. You can leave your salsa testimonials (and recipes!) in the comment section. STAY TUNED....TOMORROW IT'S CLASSIC RICE AND BEANS!!!

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

Estimated Cost: $2.00

A couple of notes: I'm making the salsa today with canned fire roasted tomatoes for a little extra smokiness. They are a bit pricey, so if smokiness isn't your thing , you can substitute plain canned diced tomatoes. The easiest way to make this is to get diced tomatoes with green chiles and you won't even have to add in a hot pepper.

1/4 medium white onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 hot chile pepper, such as serrano (you can use just a tiny bit if you don't like too much heat)

1 (14 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup cilantro, leaves and soft stems

juice of one lime

sea salt, to taste

Place the ingredients in the bowl of a blender or food process in the order listed. Process until smooth, or chunky, depending on preference. This salsa tastes best within the first two days it is made. After that, you can use it in cooked recipes for up to a week.