Taco Tuesday

One of my fondest memories as a kid was watching my mom make tacos. She made her own taco shells in a pan of hot oil with some tongs, making sure each corn tortilla was perfectly shaped before starting on the next. The completed shells were placed on paper towels and stashed in the oven to keep them warm.

It wasn’t until a period of time in junior high and high school that I became aware of the pre-made boxed shells from the grocery store. Though they served their purpose I was never crazy about them, and haven’t bought any since. When my husband and I started cooking together I began making taco shells again like mom did.

Our method for the taco meat evolved as well. Instead of using the ground beef and packaged seasoning combo that we both grew up with, I started to buy a pound of beef stew meat and using a slow cooker. Placing the stew meat, a cup of water, two packets of taco seasoning mix and a four ounce can of chopped green chiles into the slow cooker makes a delicious taco filling.

Cooked on low for about six hours makes the meat tender, and you can either shred it with forks or, if you’re impatient like me, do a quick zip through a food processor with a cup or so of the juice from the crockpot.

We also use this same meat for taquitos and beefy cheese nachos.

What are your favorite methods and recipes for making tacos?

[image: flickr]