let’s talk about taco tuesday

I can’t stop with the tacos. Anything I can put in a tortilla can and will be put in a tortilla. And, yes, I realize today is Monday, but tomorrow will be Tuesday and you (unlike me) might be planning ahead.

Last Tuesday morning, as the little kids went off to camp and the older kids went off to the pool, I asked what everyone wanted for dinner. I got nothing. “Oh, I don’t care. Whatever you make will be great.” This, by the way, is the pickle that got us into this blog in the first place if you needed a little reminder. 

So I resorted to the old stand-by. Tacos. It was Tuesday, after all. I don’t ordinarily make ground beef tacos anymore. Something about the sodium load and the unnatural color of the meat once it has been seasoned with those little packets. But I had a lot of work to do and was not interested in marinating a steak or chicken or seasoning fish. My older kids were also very much interested in standard taco night fare. Or sandwiches. They (bless their hearts) really were not feeling picky. A quick Pinterest search yielded the perfect solution: homemade taco beef. 

Throw away your taco seasoning packets. This is easy. All you need is onion, garlic, chili powder, tomato paste and salt. I know you have those things in your pantry already. I may have also added cumin, oregano, and parsley. I can’t leave well enough alone. It’s a problem.

Sauté your onion and garlic in some oil. I used a half of onion (another problem I have – never, ever using the amount of onion that is actually called for in a recipe) and three large cloves of garlic for two pounds (instead of one pound) of ground meat. Add your meat, tomato paste, chili powder, and various other sundry seasonings (see above). Cook for a bit. Spoon into a nice, soft tortilla and load up with cheese, lettuce, chopped bell peppers, salsa, beans, guacamole…. The world is your taco bar.

Taco night is the best night ever. You should absolutely adopt Taco Tuesday. I’ll be throwing away those seasoning packets now. Let me know what you do with yours.