I got the original recipe from my wonderful amazing Grandmom! :) She is known for her tacos!! Ours are slightly different... they are both fantastic but slightly different. For example she uses ground beef, I use ground turkey, she adds olives, I don't because my hubby hates them LOL!! I use white corn tortillas... I can't remember if she uses white or yellow corn...
Enough talk. I am sharing my spectacular yummy tacos!!
1 package of Ground Turkey ( you can use ground beef but it really is better with Turkey!)
1 package of Chicken Taco seasoning (VERY IMPORTANT McCormick is the best!! Either Reg Taco or Chicken but MUST BE McCormick.. Red envelope package)
1 can diced green mild chilies (ortega is my favorite, but genaric is good too)
1 tomato (any kind if you like them)
1 head ice berg lettuce (the reason for ice berg on tacos is it gives it a nice cool crunch. I am not a big fan of ice berg salads... but for tacos it's a must!)
1 bag shredded Cheese (or shred your own. I like the Mexican mix or Colby Jack mix)
1 onion ( I like Yellow)
1 bunch Cilantro (makes them oh so yummy)
1 package white corn tortillas (I prefer white to yellow they taste better!!)
Canola oil or Vegetable oil
Tongs
TONGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT!
( You can also add)
La Victoria Green Taco sauce (my FAVORITE!)
Sour Cream (in our house is a must)
Salsa
Ketchup ( I so don't get this at all, but my husband loves it! Weird!! I almost consider it sacrilege, but he loves it so I will include it)
Start by browning the meat with the chilies and Taco Seasoning.
While that is cooking
slice and dice all the veggies!
Once the Taco meat is browned, put on back burner on very low to keep it hot.
Then take a small frying pan and line the bottom with cooking oil. Heat oil and walk away for a few minutes.
Next line a plate with paper towels. Place next to stove (but not to close LOL)
When the oil is very hot (hopefully not smoking) then you put your first tortilla in the oil. Use your tongs to coat both sides of the tortilla with oil, then QUICKLY fold the tortilla in half so it is shaped like a taco shell. Now hold one side up while it cooks (when it is lightly brown flip to the other side) When both sides are golden brown remove and let oil drip off. Place on plate and on to the next shell!!
The longest process is the tortilla shells.
I would like to note here:
THE TACO SHELLS THIS WAY ARE ESSENTIAL or it won't be as good!!
THEY ARE SO SO SO SO YUMMY!!
Bon Apetite!!
Amy
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
a crack in the facade...
So I am only slightly embarrassed to say, as of this moment my water is shut off. Ooops. I really thought I paid it. I guess I forgot with all the craziness that is my life. I can make excuses until the cows come home, I flucked (my own private cuss word LOL) up and in the spirit of yesterday's post, I take full responsibility for it. I have already gone to the City Hall building to pay for it. I am now waiting for the nice men to come and turn it back on. I am married to a plumber who could turn it on for me, but that's illegal I think, so I patiently wait for the nice men to undo my mistake.
The thing that's oh so funny is that I haven't showered yet. It's 12:45 pm. I have been planning on going to the gym all morning and work out, then shower... My procrastination is for another blog post though LOL! :)
The point of me sharing this with you is simple. Before I turned 30, I had this crazy obsession with being "perfect". It drove me and everyone around me nuts. Now that i am in my early 30's I realize a few things... Perfection is boring, unrealistic and a pain in the arse!!! I had a friend who put on the "perfect" facade to everyone. She would secretly would let me see the chaos behind the mask. When she started to only show me the mask, I said goodbye. I couldn't keep up or relate anymore.
Can you think of someone who is "perfect"? Someone who wants you to think they are "perfect"? Are they fun, warm and spontaneous or are they tight lipped, boastful and uptight?
My husband's frequent quote "Perfectionist is another word for A$$hole".
So my friends another piece of the "perfect" facade has come crashing down. I am totally okay with it. In fact it makes me more compassionate and enjoy what I do have even more. You never know when you will have to live without something we all take for granted!! It's only for a few hours, but it reminds me how lucky I am to have a home that has fresh, clean, hot, cold and filtered water!
This may all be ramblings... I don't really care LOL. I feel better. It's one more tiny blip on the radar that is my life. Tomorrow it will be forgotten but the lesson will have been learned!
The thing that's oh so funny is that I haven't showered yet. It's 12:45 pm. I have been planning on going to the gym all morning and work out, then shower... My procrastination is for another blog post though LOL! :)
The point of me sharing this with you is simple. Before I turned 30, I had this crazy obsession with being "perfect". It drove me and everyone around me nuts. Now that i am in my early 30's I realize a few things... Perfection is boring, unrealistic and a pain in the arse!!! I had a friend who put on the "perfect" facade to everyone. She would secretly would let me see the chaos behind the mask. When she started to only show me the mask, I said goodbye. I couldn't keep up or relate anymore.
Can you think of someone who is "perfect"? Someone who wants you to think they are "perfect"? Are they fun, warm and spontaneous or are they tight lipped, boastful and uptight?
My husband's frequent quote "Perfectionist is another word for A$$hole".
So my friends another piece of the "perfect" facade has come crashing down. I am totally okay with it. In fact it makes me more compassionate and enjoy what I do have even more. You never know when you will have to live without something we all take for granted!! It's only for a few hours, but it reminds me how lucky I am to have a home that has fresh, clean, hot, cold and filtered water!
This may all be ramblings... I don't really care LOL. I feel better. It's one more tiny blip on the radar that is my life. Tomorrow it will be forgotten but the lesson will have been learned!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sometimes the best wisdom is found in the youngest of people!
Homework! Oh, Homework!
by Jack Prelutsky
| Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink. If only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You're giving me fits. | ||
| I'd rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework my teacher assigns. | ||
Homework! Oh, homework! You're last on my list. I simply can't see why you even exist. If you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink! I can not be the only one who remembers this poem, although I thought Shel Silverstein wrote it?! Hmmm... I remember being a kid hating homework (unless it was something cool like building a covered wagon out of wood in my Grandpa's garage.:). I loved poetry because of the poem. I had it memorized and would repeat it when I had homework to do. Now I am on the other side of the fence. I am no longer a child but a Mother ( a fact which baffles me sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love being a Mom, but I feel 17 some days!) I have to enforce the rules. I get mad at my children when they forget their homework. They are not allowed to play the DS or watch TV, on the nights they forget homework. Mean and evil, maybe! I remember how mean I thought my parents were for doing the same thing (except for me it was the phone and TV. I've always loved to talk LOL!) Tonight (as I do many nights she forgets homework, because as I have stated before I'm so "Mean") I gave her some homework. I printed off a few worksheets and sat her down at the kitchen table. She is so good, she is singing along to the country music playing in the back round while doing her worksheets. Didn't argue, throw a fit or get mad at me. She knows the rules and she knows she is the one who forgot, not me. It has occurred to me, my daughter is better woman than I am sometimes. When I forget to give her something for school I feel like such an idiot, beat myself up and/or make excuses. She just takes her punishment and gets on with it. I need to take a lesson from my oldest child. Who is wise and beautiful even at the tender age of 8. Please don't misunderstand me, she throws fits, drives me nuts and fights with her siblings, but when she's wrong she admits it and sometimes reminds me of her punishment. I am going to try and be more like her when I make mistakes! Be honest to everyone and myself and take my punishment like a girl, my girl!! Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day! Love, Amy |
Abundigas Recipe
(OMG great mexican meatball soup). I will stop here and attach how I do it, (the red headed Gringa that I am LOL). Make meatballs (there are tons of recipes or you can buy them already made frozen!) I make mine out of Turkey. :)
Meatballs
1 can of tomato sauce
1 box of chicken broth
Garlic
2-3 Carrots
2-3 Celery Stalks
1/4-1/2 an Onion
1 bunch Ciltantro
Cumin
Zucchini
Garlic Powder and Onion Powder make it better but not a must!
1/4- 1/2 a lemon (juice only)
Salt
Okay here is my problem I don't ever really measure unless I am baking. So I add as much veggies as I can. I would start with a teaspoon of Cumin and a pinch of salt and add a little at a time until you think there is enough! :) Cilantro is a must!!! It makes it so good!! If you don't like it, it's still good. Cook with a little cilantro then I throw some extra uncooked Cilantro in when serving up.
I don't know the "official" cooking time, I simmer on med-low for about 30 mins and serve. The veggies are cooked but still crunchish!
Meatballs
1 can of tomato sauce
1 box of chicken broth
Garlic
2-3 Carrots
2-3 Celery Stalks
1/4-1/2 an Onion
1 bunch Ciltantro
Cumin
Zucchini
Garlic Powder and Onion Powder make it better but not a must!
1/4- 1/2 a lemon (juice only)
Salt
Okay here is my problem I don't ever really measure unless I am baking. So I add as much veggies as I can. I would start with a teaspoon of Cumin and a pinch of salt and add a little at a time until you think there is enough! :) Cilantro is a must!!! It makes it so good!! If you don't like it, it's still good. Cook with a little cilantro then I throw some extra uncooked Cilantro in when serving up.
I don't know the "official" cooking time, I simmer on med-low for about 30 mins and serve. The veggies are cooked but still crunchish!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Not my first, first blog... back then or now?!
I have so much rattling around in my brain at any given time, it's a wonder I get anything done! LOL. I have been diagnosed with A.D.D. I think we all have a form of A.D.D. to be honest. It's called modern life!
In the past I would read a historic romance novel (yes the "those" kind, I totally love them from time to time and my husband benefits...win win LMAO!) Anyway, I would think, "how glamorous and beautiful life must have been" or "Oh if I could just be...(insert a lady in waiting for Queen Elizabeth I or an antebellum Southern Belle)" I have since read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and also Through the Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen (I am currently reading the sequel Now Face to Face). These books have since doused my girlish fantasies with ice cold reality. They are, as far as I can guess, historically accurate (well minus the time travel in the Outlander Series, but then again anything is possible...).
While we are very over worked and put ridiculous pressures on ourselves and other Mothers like us, we are lazy compared to most women in history. I have to say here that MOST women in history were NOT Duchesses, Princesses or wealthy Heiresses! They had hard, brutal lives. They were treated as half human, the property of men. There were a few exceptions to the rule, but for the most part that was the norm. I have to tell you, I have fantasized about a huge house, a maid, a chef, a beautiful bronzed pool boy with an exotic name like Demetrius or Antonio. LOL. (For the record my husband is aware of my pool boy fantasies! LOL) This is again not the norm, but back to the point. Women in history had to wash clothes in a tub with lye soap and hang it out to dry on lines, bushes or anything they had handy. Can you imagine how bad your hands would hurt after washing clothes like that?! Chapped and dry, as they didn't have lotion in a pump bottle or rubber gloves. I throw my (insane number of children's) clothes in a machine that has 100 cycles to choose from. Then take them out clean with no effort what so ever from me and throw them into another machine with another 100 cycles to choose from and I complain because I have to fold them and put them away LOL! Can you imagine what the women of history would say to me?! "Woman, what is thy problem, you have this magical contraption that washes and dries your clothes and yet you whine like a child". Yep that's about it! LOL. I have a machine for just about everything, washing dishes, super fast cooking, keeping food cold or frozen, keeping food hot, a box that entertains me, a contraption to talk on, to communicate on and get information in a split second on! All they had was their sweat, their muscle and primitive tools. I guess by their standards they were cutting edge LOL! :)
The point you may be asking after my round about rambling... MY LIFE ROCKS!! I have a great family who hopefully will live a long and healthy life (do to or in spite of modern medicine), equality, the right to vote, own land, divorce (not that I want to, just sayin')... You get the idea. We are so blessed to live now. We as women live in a fantastic time and place (if you live in a westernized and modern country).
We torture ourselves over "being perfect". That is a rant for another blog... but let me say this. We are our own worst enemies. We worry about stupid things like, "I can't buy cupcakes for the class birthday party, all the other mothers would judge me" or "If I don't do... I am a failure".
The only failure in my eyes (you don't have to agree with me, I can take it. LOL) is judging yourself to harshly for not being perfect. A perfect woman has NEVER existed, EVER! We are human full of oddities, imperfections and vices. At the end of the day all that matters is that you did your best and that you loved well. That's it! That's all!
I say pick three things everyday off your mile long to do list and start there. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are our lives.
My Facebook status today was... "Today was not singularly spectacular, rather many great moments strung together, resulting in a peaceful and lovely day" That is life my friends, a series of events strung together to make the necklace of your life! :) (I make jewelry so I love this analogy! LOL).
One more GOAL I'd like to share...
My husband had a friend die (who was older and they worked together for a few years)a little over a week ago. On Saturday he went to the funeral. It shook him up and he's made changes in his life (that I am very happy about and I hope he keeps them up!). I have heard before that you should write what you would like said as your Eulogy and live backwards!
That's the goal. Write your Eulogy! What do you want people to say about you?
Here is the beginning of mine,
"Amy loved deeply and was very loved in return. She had a smile for everyone. She was a person who helped us to see the good in life and appreciate all that life is! She was a beautiful person inside and out..."
If you have read all this I thank you and I hope you come back. I forgot how much I love blogging! I have so many random thoughts you never know what you are going to get LOL! I will always try to help, be inspirational and positive, mostly because that's who I am! :)
Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!
Amy
In the past I would read a historic romance novel (yes the "those" kind, I totally love them from time to time and my husband benefits...win win LMAO!) Anyway, I would think, "how glamorous and beautiful life must have been" or "Oh if I could just be...(insert a lady in waiting for Queen Elizabeth I or an antebellum Southern Belle)" I have since read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and also Through the Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen (I am currently reading the sequel Now Face to Face). These books have since doused my girlish fantasies with ice cold reality. They are, as far as I can guess, historically accurate (well minus the time travel in the Outlander Series, but then again anything is possible...).
While we are very over worked and put ridiculous pressures on ourselves and other Mothers like us, we are lazy compared to most women in history. I have to say here that MOST women in history were NOT Duchesses, Princesses or wealthy Heiresses! They had hard, brutal lives. They were treated as half human, the property of men. There were a few exceptions to the rule, but for the most part that was the norm. I have to tell you, I have fantasized about a huge house, a maid, a chef, a beautiful bronzed pool boy with an exotic name like Demetrius or Antonio. LOL. (For the record my husband is aware of my pool boy fantasies! LOL) This is again not the norm, but back to the point. Women in history had to wash clothes in a tub with lye soap and hang it out to dry on lines, bushes or anything they had handy. Can you imagine how bad your hands would hurt after washing clothes like that?! Chapped and dry, as they didn't have lotion in a pump bottle or rubber gloves. I throw my (insane number of children's) clothes in a machine that has 100 cycles to choose from. Then take them out clean with no effort what so ever from me and throw them into another machine with another 100 cycles to choose from and I complain because I have to fold them and put them away LOL! Can you imagine what the women of history would say to me?! "Woman, what is thy problem, you have this magical contraption that washes and dries your clothes and yet you whine like a child". Yep that's about it! LOL. I have a machine for just about everything, washing dishes, super fast cooking, keeping food cold or frozen, keeping food hot, a box that entertains me, a contraption to talk on, to communicate on and get information in a split second on! All they had was their sweat, their muscle and primitive tools. I guess by their standards they were cutting edge LOL! :)
The point you may be asking after my round about rambling... MY LIFE ROCKS!! I have a great family who hopefully will live a long and healthy life (do to or in spite of modern medicine), equality, the right to vote, own land, divorce (not that I want to, just sayin')... You get the idea. We are so blessed to live now. We as women live in a fantastic time and place (if you live in a westernized and modern country).
We torture ourselves over "being perfect". That is a rant for another blog... but let me say this. We are our own worst enemies. We worry about stupid things like, "I can't buy cupcakes for the class birthday party, all the other mothers would judge me" or "If I don't do... I am a failure".
The only failure in my eyes (you don't have to agree with me, I can take it. LOL) is judging yourself to harshly for not being perfect. A perfect woman has NEVER existed, EVER! We are human full of oddities, imperfections and vices. At the end of the day all that matters is that you did your best and that you loved well. That's it! That's all!
I say pick three things everyday off your mile long to do list and start there. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are our lives.
My Facebook status today was... "Today was not singularly spectacular, rather many great moments strung together, resulting in a peaceful and lovely day" That is life my friends, a series of events strung together to make the necklace of your life! :) (I make jewelry so I love this analogy! LOL).
One more GOAL I'd like to share...
My husband had a friend die (who was older and they worked together for a few years)a little over a week ago. On Saturday he went to the funeral. It shook him up and he's made changes in his life (that I am very happy about and I hope he keeps them up!). I have heard before that you should write what you would like said as your Eulogy and live backwards!
That's the goal. Write your Eulogy! What do you want people to say about you?
Here is the beginning of mine,
"Amy loved deeply and was very loved in return. She had a smile for everyone. She was a person who helped us to see the good in life and appreciate all that life is! She was a beautiful person inside and out..."
If you have read all this I thank you and I hope you come back. I forgot how much I love blogging! I have so many random thoughts you never know what you are going to get LOL! I will always try to help, be inspirational and positive, mostly because that's who I am! :)
Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!
Amy
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