Tacos

When I was dating my husband, his Mom would often have some of the young people from church over and she would make homemade tacos. They were a favorite then and have been one of the most requested meals from our girls and their friends while growing up. We all gathered in the kitchen and would each be given a few items to chop or grate. Have you ever heard of putting mashed potatoes, peas, and dill pickles in tacos? Well we do and it is tasty! Weird, but tasty! Try it, I think you will agree!

TACO SHELLS

• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• Whisk ingredients together until you get a smooth runny batter.
  STEP ONE-dry fry
  Spray a non stick fry pan with a small amount of PAM
  Heat on medium heat until pan is hot. Place about 1/2 cup of batter into the middle of the pan and with the back of a spoon swirl batter into a very thin circle. Allow to set and then flip to dry fry the other side. Place on cooling rack and continue until all the batter is used up. You will have about 6-8 shells. You can use these shells now or for added flavor and slight crispness deep fry in canola oil. They don't freeze well.
  STEP TWO-deep fry (optional)
  Using a deep sided fry pan add about 2 inches of oil to the pan and heat on med-high. You want the oil to be hot enough that when you drop the shell in it sizzles. (not too hot or they get too crispy) I usually just dip the corner of one shell into oil to check it out.
  When oil is hot enough drop shells in one at a time , let fry for about 20 seconds and then flip with a spoon and fork and fry about 20 more seconds. They should not get too crispy as you want to be able to roll them after filling. After deep frying each shell place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towel to absorb excess grease. Continue until you have all the shells fried. Once fried they are best eaten right aways. I keep them in a warm oven.
  Before I make the shells I usually cut up all the fillings. Put each item in a serving dish ready for everyone to fill their own shells.

FILLINGS

• 1 lb hamburger -fry and salt/pepper to taste(or add a package of taco seasoning)
• 2 cups of mashed potatoes - I add a bit of milk and butter to make them creamy
• 1 cup cooked peas
• diced tomatoes
• diced dill pickles
• shredded lettuce
• finely chopped onion
• grated cheddar cheese
• taco sauce - My in-laws always went to the States and bought La Victoria taco sauce at Fred Meyers. We haven't changed a thing. We still pick up a good supply for us and our married kids. There is just something about an original flavor. You can use any taco sauce of salsa.
  Get creative and add what you like. (sour cream, guacamole, black olives, celery re fried beans)
  You might think us weird, but we also have a tradition that we only drink Good Host Iced Tea with this meal....with lots of ice of course.
  AND our tradition for dessert, home made Chocolate Cake with Seven Minute Frosting. i will post that another time.