California Tacos

Ok people, prepare to have your socks knocked off.

These are the best tacos.  EVER.

I love tacos.  So when a friend introduced me to this recipe I was seriously thrilled.

Everyone we make these for agrees with me on how wonderful they are.

I really can't say enough...

Do you get the picture?

They are GOOD!

Ok, you start with the meat, seasoning, and marinade.

The best meat is skirt steak. 

(We've used a different cut before and the results were not as good.)

The marinade:

This Goya Mojo Criollo can be kind of tricky to find. 

It will be in the Hispanic food isle of your grocery store, if you are lucky. 

You may be able to have your grocer order it for you.

If it's not there you might have to go to a Hispanic food market.

(Trust me it's worth it.)

 The seasoning, which would actually be the first thing to go on the meat, is Banditos Blend from the Oak Pit BBQ Co.

This stuff is amazing.  It would be great on all kinds of bbq'd dishes. 

For info on how to get this seasoning click here. 

Ok, so you rub on the seasoning, put the skirt steak in a ziplock bag and pour in the marinade.

You want the meat to be covered with marinade once the bag is sealed. 

Then stick the bag in the fridge and let sit over night.  

About 30 minutes before you want to eat remove the meat from the bag and place it on a pan or platter. 

Sprinkle another layer of Banditos Blend seasoning on top.

Flip the meat and sprinkle more seasoning on the other side. 

Grill the meat about 15 minutes, turning about half way through. 

You want the outside to get a little crispy. 

Those charred black edges are my favorite. 

The center can be slightly pink, or not, however you like it.

(See that blackened piece at the back there? 

I snatched that as soon as it was cut, yummy!)

Put your meat on a cutting board and slice it about 1/4 ot 1/2 inch thick. 

Make sure you slice across the grain! 

To serve:

Heat up tortillas, flour or corn.

Place a few strips of steak on it. 

Top with your favorite taco toppings...

As long as your favorites are:

guacamole or sliced avocado

cilantro

fresh squeezed lime juice

I also like:

cheese

sour cream

salsa

and this hot sauce. 

We served these with black beans and fruit salad. 

If you choose not to order the seasoning mentioned above, you can substitute something else.

Some that we have tried are Pappys, and Grill Mates Cowboy Rub. 

They still tasted great. 

Also, the left over steak is great in burritos, or for breakfast with some eggs, the possibilites are pretty much endless. 

Chili

It is finally starting to turn cold here.  The perfect meal to warm us up was chili.  Even my kids love this dish!

Chili

1 pound ground beef

1/2 bell pepper

1 small onion (or 1/2 medium)

1 tsp seasoning salt

2- 2 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp or less cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp or less crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 cup frozen corn

2-3 15 oz cans of beans- black, pinto, kidney- your choice (undrained)

1-2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes (undrained)

Brown your beef over medium heat in a good sized pot or large pan.  When almost browned add diced onion and bell pepper.  Cook the meat and veggies for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add all the seasonings, cans of beans, and cans of tomatoes.  (And corn if using.)  I love black beans, so I always use a can of those, but I like a combination of all three kinds.  (For this picture I only used black beans, it was all I had.  Still tasted great!)

Once all ingredients are combined in the pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  Let simmer until you are ready to eat it.  Serve chili with your favorite toppings.  Mine are cheese, sour cream, and green onions.  Oh, and of course corn bread.  Yum!

Corn Tortillas

I am a big fan of flour tortillas.  In fact that is what I will choose MOST of the time.  However, when it comes to 'taco truck' type tacos, I gotta go with a corn tortilla. 

Now, if you take a corn tortilla out of the package and throw some taco 'things' in it, the tortilla will fall apart.  It needs some preparation first.  You could fry it, which is sometimes good, but they can get kind of hard and chewy, and it's fried...  I prefer mine soft.  You could microwave it, but, really that is just not acceptable.  Lucky for me, my mom knows the best way to prepare a corn tortilla.  (Well, it is MY favorite way...) 

Heat a griddle, I use my big pancake griddle and heat it to about 300 or 350 degrees. 

Butter ONE side of each tortilla. Put the tortillas buttered side down on the griddle. 

 Now let them sit for about 30 seconds, until they start to form these bubbles on them.  Then turn them over. 

Now that the buttered side is up, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top.  (The powdery kind, not fresh grated)  Let 'em sit for about 20-30 more seconds and then use a spatula to fold them in half and remove to a plate.  

Immediately stuff those babies with some meat.  Carne asada, taco meat, carnitas (pictured here), whatever you like in your taco.  Keep them warm until ready to eat.  If your meat is juicy you want to eat these right away, no one likes a soggy taco shell.  

Add your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!!

Chili Relleno Meatballs

My husband is not a picky eater. He'll eat just about anything I put in front of him. However, of course, he does have his favorites.  This would be one of them.  Chili Relleno Meatballs.  Doesn't that just sound like something a man love? 

My family has been making these for as long as I can remember, and they are oh-so-good. 

Step by step instructions (recipe at bottom):

So, first off you mix your bread crumbs together with some milk -to let them soften.  It makes for a softer meatball. 

Add to that your hamburger, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and chopped green chilis. 

Mix that together really well.  You don't want clumps of bread crumbs so makes sure you have mixed things well.

Then cube your cheese.  Jack cheese is best, unless you like a little spice -then go for pepper jack.  :) 

Take a small portion of the meat mixture and flaten in on the palm of your hand.  Place one cube of cheese in the middle and fold the meat around the cheese -sealing it as you go.  (The cheese will melt as you cook these, so you don't want holes if you can help it.) 

 Line up the meatballs in a baking dishand cook in 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  They may not be fully cooked at this point, so resist the temptation to eat one now. 

Cover your meatballs with the sauce and put back in the over, set at 350 degrees, for 20-30 minutes, or until they are done.  The sauce should be bubbly. 

My favorite way to eat these is with this rice pictured here.  (Recipe to come soon!)  I love the sauce with the melted cheese and how it sinks into the rice.  Mmmmm.  Buttered pasta would also be great!

Poor lighting and poor camera make for poor pictures... You'll just have to make them for yourself to see how good they really are!!  ;)

Chili Relleno Meatballs

1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup milk
3 pounds hamburger
3 Tbs chopped parsley 
2 cans chopped green chilis
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt  
Approx. 16 oz of Jack Cheese (or pepper jack)


Mix crumbs and milk -let stand for a few minutes.  (2-3 is good)
Add beef, parsley, eggs, salt, pepper, and 2 cans of chilis. 
Cube cheese into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. 
Flatten a small handful of beef mixture onto your palm and top with one cheese cube.  Wrap beef around cheese.  Place in greased baking dish.  Continue until all the meat is used. 
Bake in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

Sauce:
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
2-3 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz size) Depends on how much sauce you want. 
1 cup broth (anykind) or milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 can green chilis

Saute onion and garlic over medium heat til onions start to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Then pour over meatballs. 
Put baking dish with meatballs and sauce back in oven at 350 degrees for 20- 30 minutes, til sauce is bubbly. 

This makes about 24 meatballs.  This dish freezes VERY well.  Just got upto putting the sauce on the meatballs and then freeze them.  When ready to eat just pop them back in the over until heated all the way through, and sauce is bubbling.  I usually make 1/2 with jack cheese for my kids and 1/2 with pepper jack cheese for us parents. Enjoy!  Let me know how they turn out!