Recipe: Semi-Homemade Fish Tacos.

Yesterday was another scorcher.

After being fried to a crisp at the beach, I didn't feel like putting forth much effort in the dinner department. I found myself wandering up and down the grocery store aisles, glazed-over eyes and arms covered in sand that had stuck to my suntan oil like white on rice, with no real plan of attack. 

I stopped in the bread section and regrouped. What did I feel like eating that was easy to make and good on a hot day...?

I decided on fish tacos.

I Googled a recipe for fish taco sauce- Rubio's to be exact- and made my way through the store, gathering a few ingredients.


RUBIO'S SAUCE
According to Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp cayenne
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Whisk all ingredients together. Can be made up to two days in advance.

For the actual tacos, I used Gorton's Premium Tilapia. I always buy Gorton's, but this was the first time I'd tried the premium tilapia version. 

When I took them out of the oven, I could tell they had more breading on them, which was a two-thumbs up in my book. And as soon as I took my first bite, I was sold. Each stick was thick, crunchy, and flavorful. 

When assembling your taco, feel free to use either corn or flour tortillas. I prefer corn. Boyfriend likes flour. We always keep both on hand. And don't forget to heat your tortillas first. I think it gives them a better flavor and makes them easier to work with. I've heard you can warm them up in the microwave, but I always do mine on the stovetop burners.

Top with cabbage, diced tomato, and a generous serving of sauce.

Boyfriend and I were in Heaven with this meal. The crunchy fish sticks, crisp cabbage, and tangy sauce all worked together perfectly. The sauce not only turned out better than we expected, but it was exactly what I was hoping for. Just like Rubio's. And everything was super easy to make.

This meal gets 5 chins!

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As Close as I'll Get to Homemade Tortillas.

Every time I go to the grocery store, I see this package of Tortilla Land Uncooked Tortillas* that practically throw themselves off the shelf at me.

I've managed to stay strong for the past year and half.

Last week, I buckled.

As far as meals, I didn't really have anything in mind for them. Aside from my favorite childhood snack- tortilla wrapped around a stick of butter.

. . . . . true story.



So. Tonight, Boyfriend and I decided to make tostadas.

WITH OUR HOMEMADE TORTILLAS.

!!!!!

So, heres how the tortillas went down.

Fresh out of the package, 12 uncooked flour tortillas.

The directions say to cook on each side for 30 seconds. I didn't bother to time anything, I just flipped when it started to bubble. Since the dough is not sticky, it's easy to check the underside without ruining them.

In order to prevent mine from burning, I would alternate the pan from a lit burner to a non-lit burner every few seconds.

And there you have it. Within 15 minutes, I had a dozen "homemade" flour tortillas.

Now, if you've ever had a homemade flour tortilla before you know what Mexican heaven tastes like. And I can honestly say that fresh off the pan, these taste like legit homemade tortillas. I even tried it with a little scoop of butter and OMG BUTTER BURRITO IS SO GOOD.

Boyfriend and I decided to take the "homecookingness" of it up a notch and make tostadas.

To make the tostada base, we fried two tortillas in canola oil...

...Covered the tortilla with Rosarita beans (that I may or may not have re-refried with butter because straight out of the can they look like dog food slop that not even Biscuit would eat), topped with chopped up chicken (cooked in a frying pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Schilling Fajitas mix), 9lbs of cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and Tapatio.

I have to admit, both of us were shocked at how flavorful and hearty this meal was. It was definitely the "homemade" touches on the tortilla, beans, and chicken that made the difference. It was a really pleasant surprise and we ate every last bite.

Boner'ppetite!


* At my grocery store (Vons), these are located in the refrigerated aisle, near the butter, yogurt, and cheese.

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Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

If you've never tried Shepherd's Pie, it's basically just ground beef and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy. No weird animal parts. Just good old meat and potatoes.

It's delicious.



I first tried this recipe when my coworker Sarah whipped it up for our office St. Patrick's Day potluck.

Not only was the dish impressive, Sarah said it was a recipe she found online and had never made before. And she said it was super easy.

I was sold.

Boyfriend and I have made this meal twice and it seems to be a pretty fail proof recipe. One of those times, I invited my teenage niece and nephew over and even THEY gave it the stamp of approval. That says a lot because kids (of any age) can be real assholes.


EASY SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cups vegetables (carrots, corn, peas)
1.5-2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
1 stick of butter
-1/2 cup beef broth
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-salt, pepper, seasonings to taste



DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Boil until tender enough for mashing.

2. While potatoes are boiling, melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large frying pan. Saute onions and carrots over medium heat until tender (10 min).



3. Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink. Add salt/ pepper/ or any other seasonings to taste.



4. Add carrots and peas.

5. Add Worcestershire sauce.

5. Add beef broth and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add more broth as necessary to keep it moist.

6. Mash potatoes with remaining butter.



7. Place beef mixture into a casserole dish. Distribute mashed potatoes evenly on top. Rough up with a fork so the peaks will brown nicely.



8. Cook at 400 until bubbling and brown (about 30 min). Broil for the last few minutes if necessary to brown.



Yield: Serves 4


NOTES:
-The more veggies, the better. Especially carrots and corn because they add texture.
-The first time we made it, we learned that the suggested amount of 1/2 cup of broth was way too much liquid. So the second time we made it, we added the full amount (so it wouldn't dry out), but then drained most of it before moving the beef mixture into the baking dish.
-I make the mashed potatoes according to my own recipe. More than 1/2 stick of butter was used. As well as salt, pepper, and milk.
-To add a little color, we sprinkled paprika over the top of the casserole before cooking.
-Both times, this recipe yielded 6 servings (not 4).

Boner'ppetite!

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