BEST TACOS I EVER MADE.

I was sitting in my house at about 2 AM deciding on if I actually wanted to eat. I could make BLT, which had been sustaining me for quite a while, OR I could bite the bullet and take the time to make tacos.

Problem: no Taco Bell taco mix. I had assumed yesterday when I spent my last $10 that I had a stash of it somewhere. Under this assumption I bought all the fixin's, sans sour cream. But I'm a plucky gal and made my own combination not knowing if this would turn tragic. In the end I was rewarded. REWARDED GREATLY.

Here's what I had:

• 1 lb ground sirloin
• salt
• pepper
• chili powder
• cayenne powder
• Pico de Gallo (can be found in most supermarkets)
• 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno (you could buy a jar, but 1 jalapeno pepper costs approximately $0.07)
• olive oil
• taco sauce
• tortillas  you can choose the regular hard shell or soft shell, I chose the kind you fry up, so much better)

First brown the beef, put it in a frying pan at medium heat until all the meat is cooked through. DON'T add olive oil, the meat will create it's own grease. When it's ready, drain out the grease and return the beef to the pan on medium or a little bit lower, depending on your stove top.

Next, add about 1/4 TSP of salt, 1/4 TSP of ground pepper, and 3/4 TSP chili powder. This is important: use cayenne powder sparingly. It is very powerful.

Now, using your palm, roll the lime about on your counter top. This will get them citric juices going. Cut it in half and squeeze over the meat. Wash the jalapeno and chop off about a third and dice it. If you like it really spicy, try going for a half. Don't die though.

Toss in about four big spoonfuls of Pico de Gallo and stir it all together. The Pico de Gallo should consist of tomatoes, onion, herbs, and jalapenos and all this will mix into the beef nicely. Just for some extra flavor and tenderness, pour on some taco sauce or hot sauce, 3-4 TBSP should be fine. Continue to cook on medium for about 7-12 minutes.

If you got the kind of tortillas you have to fry up:

Pour about 1/3 cup of olive oil into a heated frying pan. Once the oil is hot, toss on a tortilla, but not literally because the oil might splash up and burn you. Fry tortilla on both sides for about 10 seconds then dry on a paper towel.

Top them with whatever. Sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, Pico de Gallo, taco sauce, more jalapenos, onions, lime juice, it is AAAAALLLLLLL good.

AFTER THOUGHT!! As soon as I was going back for my fourth and fifth taco, I realized I could have gotten a much richer, saucier kind of taco meat by adding maybe 2 TBSP of tomato paste. Try it out, see what happens, let me know. Odds are I'll be trying this recipe again REAL soon.

I had six of these tonight. Shut up. I pedicab for a living, I'm allowed to be a fat ass, haha.

On a side note, sometimes I really have to laugh at the grotesquely poor quality of my photography, and I find it necessary to apologize. Sorry.

Love,

Liz

My Nanna's Shepherd's Pie

My Nanna makes THE best Shepherd's Pie. Personally, I can eat it morning, noon, and night and I did for years. At least, that was how it was until I went to college and I was sad.

THANKFULLY my Nanna gave me her recipe a few months ago. Now, for the first time ever, I'm sharing this recipe with you, my beloved public.

Preheat the oven to 350 and here's what you'll need:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 2 cans of whole corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 6-7 Idaho potatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 1 stick of butter
• 3/4 cup of milk
  

This recipe might confuse you because you'll be making two things at the same time; the beef and the mashed potatoes. You might want an assistant on this one. But if you're flying solo it's no problem.

First off, we'll start with the potatoes since they take longer. Put a big pot of cold water on the stove. Don't fill it too high because when you add the potatoes the water might over flow. Put a lid on the water and while you're waiting for the water to boil, peel the potatoes. After they've been peeled, rinse them off, cut them in half, and put them in the boiling water. It'll take a while before the potatoes are ready for mashing, so while that's going on we'll prepare the meat.

Moving on, brown the beef in a large frying pan, skillet, or sauce pan. While the beef is browning, dice the onions and garlic. Drain the grease from the beef when it's done and put it back in the pan with the onions, garlic, and salt for seasoning. Stir it up, mix it around, and when the onions seem cooked, add 2 1/2 cups of cold water. Bring the water to a boil put in the cornstarch bit by bit and mix it in.

Put the beef in a medium sized baking dish like so:

Now crack open those cans of corn, drain the corn juice, and spread the corn evenly over the beef.

OH, MY GOD! BACK TO THE POTATOES!

You'll know you're potatoes are ready for mashing if a fork can pierce straight through them. If you can do that, drain out the water and turn off the heat. Cut up one stick of butter and put it into the pot with the potatoes and then add 3/4 cup of milk. Mash them up real good. Taste the 'tatoes every once in a while to see how lumpy they are. If they're not buttery enough or milky enough for you just put in some more. I don't know about you, but I add salt AND pepper to my mashed potatoes, so maybe you do too. Get my drift?

By now you're beef should be at the bottom of the baking dish, the corn should be on top of the beef, and you're mashed potatoes are smooth, fluffy, and buttery good. There's just one more step before you throw it in the oven. Spread the mashed potatoes over the corn. It's a little tricky because you don't want to get corn or beef mixed up in your 'tatoes. What I do is plop some down in the middle and smooth it out from the center.

It's okay if you have extra potatoes left over, you don't have to use it all. Put it in the oven on 350 and in 30 minutes you'll have my Nanna's Shepherd's Pie!

Love,

Liz

Beefy Potatoes Au Gratin

Ok, so this is a recipe for a delicious concoction I call Beefy Potatoes Au Gratin. I got this from a small recipe book I got at the grocery store, but my retard ex-roommate threw it out or something. And then I changed the recipe! So there you go.

SO! Here are the ingredients:

• 2 lbs of ground beef

• 3 boxes of Au Gratin Potatoes (I use Kroger brand, but whatever brand you can find will work the same.)

• Any and all ingredients listed in the box of potatoes’ cooking instructions

• Salt

• Pepper

• 1 medium pot

• 1 big pot

• 1 4 quart baking dish, obviously must be oven safe

• 1 strainer

• Aluminum foil

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then start browning the beef. Cook the beef in the medium pot, chopping it up, moving it around, until it’s all brown. Once it’s brown, dump the beef into the strainer to separate the grease. Put the beef into the big baking dish. Spread the beef evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.

We’re going to use the big pot for the potatoes au gratin. If your box says that you boil water, start with tripling the amount of water and bring it to a boil. Then if your box says that it requires butter, triple the amount of butter and let it melt in the boiling water. If the box calls for milk, AGAIN, triple the amount of milk BUT DON’T ADD IT YET. Adding milk to the hot water could spoil it. So wait for later. Then add your potatoes, and cheese mixes – whatever else it tells you to do. Then, if the box says you need it at all, add the milk. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper. Mix.

By now, you should have 2 lbs of beef on the bottom of the baking dish. Your big pot should be filled with 3 boxes worth of au gratin potatoes. Finally, your oven should be preheated to 400 degrees.

So now that you potatoes are ready, pour them on top of the beef. Spread the potatoes evenly over the beef. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, take the foil off and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool for 10 minutes.

I suggest serving this entrée extraordinaire with salad and ranch dressing. Enjoy, my little dumplings!

Love,

Liz