Pot & Cover

tacos..the beginning and the end

we added a little of our enchilada sauce for a topping.

John's cognac cream sauce and steak crazy mac n cheese...yes that's pancetta wedge salad...lots of these lately too chicken cordon blue from market street (bought pre-made and we baked), with mashed sweet taters and salad happy valentines day! \ chocolate dipped cream cheese stuffed strawberries mooyah sammies and cheetos how cute is his little coffee set up...all ready for the morning :) some crazy good pasta with artichoke hearts and shrimp with grilled fish that he created...my mouth is watering just looking at the picture the beer got a little frozen :) meatloaf...inspired by ina mashed taters!!! shredded pork enchiladas with sour cream topping & I've been losing weight since August of 2012...25lbs!  all while eatting this amazing food!

we  love tacos...but what person in their right mind doesn't? Here is our favorite.. taco meat recipe ...I can eat this with a spoon straight from the pan.  HTSEG (hard to stop eatting good)

Tacos again! shredded chicken shredded cheese carmelized jalepeno sour cream

Friday nite...I'd spent the whole day at home...ahh, so nice.  Worked on my school laptop and IPAD finally getting them all updated.  The only rationaly thing to do was have taco night!  Scott made the carmelized jalepenos again, our most favorite taco meat and the surprise of Corona's and lime!  My favorite. Scott stumbled upon caramelizing jalapenos and we used them on the nachos the night before...  sliced, deseeded and sauteed in a little vegi oil, s & p until caramelized our favorite ground beef for tacos, enchiladas, nachos...eating with a spoon out of the bowl brown ground chuck and season with taco seasoning (cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes,  chile powder, oregano, garlic, onion powder and/or any mixture of theses, with salt and/or beef buillion)  add water to cover and simmer till tender.  You'll over salt due to the dilution of the water, but careful not to do too much.  Turn it on low once tender to keep warm and ...

family gathering tonight...we brought tacos for the gathering...its the current go-to dinner on the fly.  It's cheap, feeds a lot of people, everyone loves them and its so easy...and keeps you busy so you don't strangle your beloved family during the holiday stress. The best taco meat for a crowd of 6-8: 3 lbs ground chuck (get freshly ground) taco seasoning packets or make your own...bayleafs, salt, pepper, cumin, pepper, chile powder (over season as you'll be simmering in water to tenderize)...brown in a little oil, season well, then cover with water and simmer, drain just before eating. corn tortillas fried in hot oil till tender crispy topping of choice: cheese, lettuce, salsa, carmelized onion etc

tender ground beef Simmer your ground beef (we like chuck) after briefly browning it...add just enough water to cover, add lots of great spices, add bouillon or broth for extra flavor too...over season, because the water is diluting the flavor (taco style..italian, whatever)...simmer for 10 min or so...you can turn the heat off and leave it in the water to stay warm until your ready to eat...drain and make your tacos, enchiladas...whatever suits your fancy.  This meat is so flavorful and tender that I can eat it straight from the pan with a spoon...great on chips as a dip or for nachos.

Scott came home with a skirt steak and was inspired to grill it for a night at home...time at the pool while it marinated in Emeril's Essence seasoning...which we always keep mixed up. We actually marinated this overnite...and maybe shoulda trimmed off some of the fat, but flavor was good.   I think the tacos were my idea...slice the steak thin after grilling about 3 min per side.  Cool creamy avocado, sauteed onion, mushrooms and bell pepper.  Topped off with a little cool sharp cheddar and freshly chopped basil...my favorite part was scooping the sauteed vegies up with a piece of warm tortilla...so delicious...makes my mouth water right now! Emeril's Essence: blend the following spices together 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme