Recipe: Taco Cups

I came across this recipe for Taco Cups on one of those "blog hops." You know the ones-  blog hosts a massive link up, which means you spend the next five hours hopping from blog to blog, pinning recipes/ crafts that you think you might do some day.

Tacos are a highly sought after staple in this house. The three of us love homemade tacos and we could easily have them several times a week. The downside: The greasy aftermath known as "the kitchen." So when I saw I could have crispy tacos without the oily mess, I was all over it.

TACO CUPS

INGREDIENTS
Ground Beef
Taco seasoning (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cumin)
Grated cheese
Corn
Salsa
Black beans
Tortillas
Non-stick spray
Note: These ingredients are just suggestions- add / omit to your liking.


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350 F (176 C). Coat a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. Saute ground beef, with spices, until browned. Drain grease.

3. Add cheese, corn, salsa, and beans to the ground beef until it's reached a consistency you like.

4. Cut tortillas into squares. I winged it on the size, then used a good-sized one as a template for the rest.

5. Stuff one tortilla square into each muffin cup. If your tortillas aren't very pliable, stick them in the microwave for a few seconds, then squeeze into muffin tins while warm.

6. Fill each tortilla cup with ground beef mixture. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

7. Top with whatever toppings you like- avocado, lettuce, tomato, hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, etc.

8. Eat!

Try these out the next time you feeling like eating Mexican and being healthy. Ha.

Boner'ppetite!

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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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Semi-Homemade Taquitos.

Tonight I came home with an awful headache. I knew I needed to eat something, but I didn't feel like making much of an effort.

So with a little help from Trader Joe...

Trader Joe's Black Bean and Cheese Taquitos

And one of these...

Avocado, salt, onion powder, and lime juice

And some of these guys...

 Sour cream and Mexican Cotija Cheese

I came up with this:

Sandra Lee isn't the only one who can throw some pre-made shit together and call it "homemade".

Also- you better believe I ate every bite.

Boner'ppetite!

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Velveeta Cheesy Skillets.

The other day we were at the grocery store and something caught my eye: Velveeta Cheesy Skillets. I'd never tried one of these before, but the image on the cover sold me. Plus, they were on sale for like $5 at Vons.

This dinner kit includes: Pasta, Velveeta cheese sauce, salsa mix, and spices. All you need to add is water and 1lb. of ground beef. And if you want to make it fancy, just top with crunched up tortilla chips.

So we followed the directions. And added tortilla chips because we were feeling especially chefy.

And guess what.

IT WAS GOOD!

Not the best picture I've ever taken, but you get the idea.

It's kind of like the best combination of enchilada casserole/ lasagna/ nachos. It was cheesy and gooey and crunchy. And when we reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day, it was just as good as it was the first time around. But trust me when I say ADD THE TORTILLA CHIPS. I was doubtful that they would make any difference, but it ended up that I wanted some chips in every bite.

The spices are very mild, so if you like your Mexican food espicy, I would season the ground beef a little before adding it to the rest of the meal. Or maybe top with hot sauce. I don't know, I'm not a spicy person. To my mouth, it was pretty fucking tasty for a boxed meal, not to mention super easy to make. I will definitely be keeping this on my shopping list.

And if you're looking for a new drink to add to your summer bar menu, check out this week's post at Sprocket Ink.

Boner'ppetit!

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El Compadre Restaurant.

Friday night, Boyfriend and I met up with my friend Danielle at one of her favorite Mexican hotspots: El Compadre. It didn't take much convincing on her part- I was sold at "mexican food" and then we sealed the deal at "flaming margarita".

Location: From the 101, exit Highland, go west on Sunset. El Compadre is located directly across from the giant Guitar Center store (which is why we accidentally drove right past it as we were busy staring at the giant Guitar Center store). Street parking. We lucked out and found a broken meter just around the corner on Sierra Bonita.



Decor: Lights are loooow and it will feel like you're walking into a cave. Give your eyeballs a good five minutes to adjust. The front door spits you right into the middle of the restaurant, so be prepared for all eyes to be on you when you make your grand entrance. According to Google images, celebs like Kendra Wilkinson, Amy Adams, and Blink-182 have all been photographed here. Unfortunately, the only people of interest I saw were the mariachis, and of course our waiter when he delivered my meal. The decor is lots of dark wood, big wrought iron chandeliers, and tiled faux roofs over the booth seating areas. It feels a little like you're on a Mexican pirate ship.

I pulled this picture from the internets. It's really not this bright in there.

Cocktails: We all started out the night with their signature drink, The Flaming Margarita ($9). The drinks are served up with a floating piece of orange peel that has some kind of flammable liquid in it, which they light on fire. There were several fruity flavors to choose from- I went with the mango. It was the shit and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mango. A word to the wise: Don't mess with the orange peel until that shit burns out. Danielle said she one made the mistake of tipping over her orange peel one time, which resulted in her drink tasting like lighter fluid.


I know. These pictures are shit. But it was verrrry dark in there and this is what you get when you combine candlelight and an iPhone.

Food: Since it was Good Friday, my menu options were limited (for all the non Catholics out there- no meat on the Fridays leading up to Easter). Since I was starving and nearly ate my own arm off on the drive to the restaurant, I went with a standard safe pick: Cheese Enchiladas. I don't remember what the price was because I was already a flaming margarita and a Negra Modelo deep, but I'm sure it was pretty inexpensive.

This picture does not do it justice. Trust me, it was really tasty.

The enchilada plate came with two CHEESY enchiladas, a generous serving of rice and beans, and a side of shredded lettuce (the way a true Mexican would eat it). I ended up ordering a small side of guacamole and sour cream (I think $.50/.75 each) because I like to maximize my fat intake at all times. I was very happy with my meal because it was delicious, not very spicy, and despite the tons of cheese, it never got rubbery or overwhelming. In fact, it was so good, I ended up eating every last scrap on my plate. Not an exagerration. Based on food, this place gets 4 out of 5 chins.

I was so happy with my food (and the complimentary chips and salsa) that I would definitely go back. And I would also recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun and relaxed atmosphere that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Boyfriend and made it out on $37 and that included two meals and five drinks. Not bad for a Friday night in Hollywood.

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Tacos.

I'm going to share with you three ancient Mexican recipes handed down through generations of TILTE family members. Boyfriend and I tried out all three last night (one of them for the first time ever) and it was a SMASH-FUCKING-HIT. Tell your mouth to get ready to water.


MEXICAN RICE

Ingredients:
-1 cup white rice (I used CalRose)
-3 tbsp cooking oil (I used canola)
-1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
-1/4 of a medium sized tomato, diced
-2 cups chicken broth
-salt to taste

Directions:
Combine oil and rice in a medium sized skillet over heat. Mix until browned.


Add onion and mix until it's transluscent. Add tomato and mix until they get wilty. Add broth and salt.


Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Let it cook for 20 minutes (or until it looks like it's done).



TACOS

Ingredients:
-ground beef
-onion powder
-garlic powder
-salt
-cumin
-cooking oil
-corn tortillas
-shredded lettuce
-grated cheese
-tomato for garnish
-sour cream (If you like that stuff. (I do.))

Directions:

Brown meat in a skillet with spices. There's no real measurement for this stuff- just eyeball it. (My hint: Add a good amount of salt and onion powder. Go the easiest on the garlic.) Save the cumin for the end, when the beef is just about cooked. (For those of you who've never cooked with cumin before, it smells like armpits. I'm serious.) When the meat is done cooking, drain all the fat because that shit's gross.

Stuff tortillas with the ground beef so you can fry them up, tastystyle. Magic TILTE Cooking Tip #1: Use a toothpick to keep your tacos closed while frying, that way the goods won't fall out.

Magic TILTE Cooking Tip #2: To see if your oil is hot enough for frying, dip the back end of a wooden spoon in it. If it sizzles and bubbles, it's ready to go. For reals.

Remove tacos from frying pan when they've reached desired crispiness. Place on a paper towel.

Top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and tomato.


BEANS

Ingredients:
-can of beans (Iused Rosarita Spicy Jalapeno Refried Beans)
-1/4 cup cheese

Directions:
Heat beans over medium flame. Add cheese. (This is a hard one to remember, you may want to print out the instructions for future reference.)


And there you have it. Invite your friends over and blow their minds with your extensive knowledge of fine Mexican cuisine. Or, just make all this food for yourself and watch a marathon of Law & Order SVU.


Boner'ppetite

(Thanks for the recipes, mom.)

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Shit on My Phone.

I got this idea from Debs over at Fashion Plate. She had an entry about photos on her phone. So the other day when I was clearing out some old shit on my phone I came across some goodies (and some not-so-goodies). But whatever, I'm still sharing.

While uploading the photos, I noticed some running themes so I grouped them together by category. However they pretty much all fall under the main category, DOING ANYTHING BESIDES PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD.

Cars That Make Me Stop and Take Pictures Like I'm a Psycho Stalker:

I SWEAR My Car Has the Best Lighting for Self-Portraits (also known as Time for an Intervention):

I Used to be a GD Genius:



Seriously, I used to be able to understand this shit. Today, I can only assume it's hieroglyphics.


Options for Robbing a Bank:






Cool Sky Stuff:

Chats With TILTE:



Click picture to enlarge lols.

And I'm just throwing this one in because I like to brag about my friends in high places.

That's right. Read em and weep.

I know this entry was a creative copout. I'm totally okay with that.

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