Strawberry jam for breakfast…

Einstein Bros bagels from Costco are always really good but this morning they were extra special.  What made them special?  Homemade strawberry freezer jam compliments of J.V.!  Yumm!

Earl Grey tea for me and coffee for GET rounds out our breakfast.

Thanks for a great start to a beautiful day!

Tacos, tacos, tacos…

GET is a Native Californian who grew up eating Mexican food, especially tacos.  I am a Native North Dakotan who, back in the 60’s, had NO clue about Mexican food so when I tasted tacos on our 30 day leave to California I was hooked!  No matter where we went or what we ate I had to have a taco every day.   He thought I was pretty funny.

And, my favorite taco stop that summer?  The Big Do-Nut Drive-In on Imperial Highway in Inglewood.  (Big Do-Nut was later bought out by Randy’s Donut)  Another favorite haunt was The Red Onion on Hawthorne Blvd. with Linda and Clif.  “I’ll have #1 please: one enchilada, one taco with rice and beans.”

GET and I on leave in California with our first born Rusty…that’s our ‘56 Ford.  Don’t we wish we still had it!?

Last night I made tacos which included lettuce and tomato from my container “garden.”

Small leaf lettuce in a hanging basket.

The plant looks a little bedraggled but the tomatoes are delicious.

My tacos are pretty basic: 

• Fry up ground beef, season with cumin and chili powder
• Grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomato- chopped or sliced
• Ranch dressing-maybe sour cream too
• Taco sauce
• Optional: Avocados sliced (if the price is right and the store has ripe ones)
• I use flour and corn torts. I wish I could say I made homemade tortillas but these from LaTortilla Factory are pretty good! Fry the tortillas one at a time in hot oil (I use my small cast iron skillet,) fry flat for a bit, flip over, fry flat a bit more, fold in half and brown a bit.  I don’t let them get too crispy but not too soft either.  (Sometimes I just throw them on the gas burner and turn to soften and then fold in half.  Of course this won’t be happening anymore because I now have an Induction cooktop – no flame!)

GET complained about the price of avocados at Safeway but agreed that they tasted pretty good.  Nothing like a taco made at home with fresh ingredients.

First taco eaten in 1963…no end in sight! I wonder how many I’ve eaten and made?

P.S. I got so hungry for Mexican food while writing this that I convinced GET to run out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch! 

And a note:  While I dearly love tacos, I feel almost as strongly about enchiladas, huevos rancheros, burritos, taquitos, tostadas etc. etc. etc… and don’t get me started on ALL New Mexico Southwestern food!