Sunday, July 18, 2010

Guest Post: Homemade Tacos

Greetings Cupcake Massacre readers!

I'm guest posting on Nicole's blog today to share a wonderful recipe for Homemade Tacos. I learned this technique from a dear friend of mine, Mike. Now I know these aren't cupcakes, but sometimes you just need a great dinner to prep those taste buds for the treats to come.

Information:
Prep Time: 0-10 minutes (depends if you use pre-grated cheese and shredded lettuce, or do it yourself)
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: roughly 12-16 tacos, depending on how full you fill them (feeds about 4)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or ground chuck (I use ground chuck if I can find a good price)
1 packet taco seasoning (brand of your preference)
1 pkg corn tortillas; the small ones, not burrito sized!
Vegetable oil
Grated cheese
Shredded lettuce
Other toppings you prefer: olives, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, avocados, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Directions:
1. Take out a large, high walled skillet/frying pan and brown the ground beef/chuck.
2. When meat is thoroughly browned, drain grease and season taco meat according to packet's instructions. (Usually add packet contents, water and bring to a boil, then let simmer 5 minutes.)
3. Set meat aside in a bowl and keep handy.
4. Wipe out any left over grease and seasoning from pan and fill with oil. Again make sure it only goes up the pan walls about a quarter of an inch. Any more and you'll get what Mike and I fondly refer to as, Grease-acos.
5. Heat oil until you hear popping and see tiny bubbles forming in the oil. It is important the oil is very hot, so that the cooking process is quick. If the tacos sit in the oil for too long, you will also end up with Grease-acos.
6. Once your oil is hot, take a corn tortilla and fill with about 1 TBSP of the pre-made taco meat. Fold the tortilla in half and using tongs slowly lower the taco into the oil, gently laying it on it's side. (At this point some people use toothpicks to hold the top of the taco shut, I find if you use the tongs to hold it in place for a few seconds the oil does the rest.)
7. Fry each taco for about 1-2 minutes on each side. This will take a little eyeballing depending on how hot your stove has been able to get the oil. Continue until all meat is made into tacos. This will take a few batches. Most skillets will only fit about 4 tacos at a time.
8. Between batches lay tacos on top of a few paper towels to absorb any left over oil. Be sure to let the tacos cool for 3 -5 minutes. Any liquid inside the taco will be superheated from frying and could burn your mouth when you bite into it. Don't want that to happen!
9. Top with cheese and lettuce as well as any other favorite toppings and enjoy!

These tacos are a huge hit at our home and I hope they will be in yours as well especially if you compliment them with a desert from The Cupcake Massacre (like this one here that I'm dying to try)! The recipe may seem daunting, but truly it's a simple technique. Best of luck, and feel free to leave comments with questions if you have them!

Happy Cooking!
-Tanya

Tanya is a self-proclaimed cupcake aficionado and a lover of new challenges. When not watching science fiction or playing with her son, she often finds herself pondering questions without real answers. It’s definitely interfered with her getting the recommended amount of beauty sleep. ;) To see more of her writing, check out her blog Cupcakes and Plato at foreverambrose.wordpress.com

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