Tacos!

i know it's been a while since i've posted anything to this blog. my hard drive died about 3 weeks ago and i lost everything i had. a true bummer. but it's best to get back on track and post what i DO have.

so todays feature is TACOS!

phillip and i are not fans of mexican food, but we do enjoy tacos every now and then. actually, the last time we had them was about two years ago, so i guess we enjoy them more on the "then" side than now.

here's what you need to make awesomely delicious tacos:

one pound of ground beef. i use the leanest meat i can find, because all the grease from the fat freaks me out. and if you want, you can also use ground turkey or chicken.

any brand of taco shells, or if you like, tortillas for the soft taco choice. i chose old el paso because they were on sale.

one packet of taco seasoning. you can choose whatever spiciness level you want. because i'm a weiner and can't handle spices, i chose mild. also from old el paso because it was on sale.

garnishes: everyone is different, so you can top your tacos with whatever you'd like. we like lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. i've put black olives on my tacos before and that was pretty yummy.

sauces: again, because i'm a wuss, i bought the mild taco sauce. i got the ortega kind because it was on sale at the time. i also like to put sour cream on my tacos as well.

what you need to do:
place the ground beef in a large skillet. brown the meat until there is no more pink/red color in it. you never want to undercook your meat because you might get salmonella or E-coli poisioning. and no one wants that.



while the meat is browning, you can prepare the garnishes for your tacos. we chose lettuce, tomato, and cheese. chop up the lettuce in either strips or chunks, the tomatoes into chunks, and if you like to shred your own cheese, do so now. we take the easy way out and buy it pre packaged.




after the garnishes are ready, open the taco shells and put them on a cookie sheet. this is optional, but if you warm them in the oven for about 5 minutes on a low setting, they are crispier.




after the meat is thorougly cooked, drain any extra fat there may be in your skillet. since i buy the 3% fat ground beef, the fat burns off so there's no need to drain. after draining the meat, add the taco seasoning to the beef. always read the directions on the back of the package. this brand calls for 1+ cups water to be added with the mix and beef.




coat the meat with the mix and cook for about 3 minutes more. remove from heat and spoon into a seperate bowl.

remove shells from oven if you haven't already done so. place the garnished, meat, shells, and sauces on the table, making it easier for everyone to spoon as much or as little into their tacos as they want. personally, the taco sauce and sour cream are my favorite parts.




now it's time to eat!

if you're weird like me, you don't eat your taco with two hands. you mush everything up onto your plate like a salad. i don't know why i do it this way. to me, tacos taste better like this.




if you're NOT weird like me, you will pick one up and eat it the normal way. check phillip out! he knows how to do it!




verdict? tacos are awesome. especially when you make them yourself. enjoy!