I’m about to give away the family jewels here.  And listen.  After all the busyness and writing and preparing of the last few weeks, I’d give just about anything away for summer to be here.  Or least to never have to be nicely dressed for 12 straight hours again.  I’ve become such a homebody whiner.

BUT.  I had a wonderful time this weekend with the lovely women of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.  We talked all about transforming our relationships and I’ll make the talk available to you in ebook form for free as soon as I can string a few work days together in a row! I stayed with the loveliest family and already miss their four adorable boys!

I also got to meet some wonderful blog friends, which always serves to remind me that these relationships we make here are important and life-giving. You are dear to me!

Back to the family jewels.

I may have been born in TN and lived my whole life in these mountains, but I’ve got TexMex in my blood.  I know there’s a million ways to do this, but I’m gonna show you how we do it.  This is a taco bar, but one like you may have never seen north of the border.  You’ll feel slightly guilty that this amount of work will make your people love you so much.  This is one of our family favorites.  Perfect for summer entertaining.  And perfect for wishing it was summer already.

On your bar, you’ll need the following:

• puffy tacos  {see below}
• various seasoned meats  {pork, beef, shrimp, fish, chicken—see below}
• seasoned rice and beans
• shredded cheddar cheese
• cilantro slaw {recipe below}
• your favorite salsa {here’s one of mine}
• chopped cilantro
• fresh lime
• avocado  {sometimes I make my delicious guacamole listed below, but often I just slice and avocado and squeeze lime over it}
• chopped jalapeño

Puffy Tacos

I almost always use corn tortillas but flour would work just fine, too.

I use my dutch oven and put about 1 1/2 inches of oil  (usually peanut)  in the bottom and turn the heat to medium high.  You’ll have to wait a few minutes until the tortilla sizzles when you put it in.  If the oil isn’t hot enough, it will drench your tortilla instead of make it perfectly puffy!   After the oil is hot enough, just use tongs and put place it down in the oil.  After it begins to cook, use the tongs to gently fold it into the shape of a taco shell.  You don’t want to cook it so long that the taco shell is completely hard.  As it starts to puff up, move it around in the oil so that it cooks evenly and as it starts to gently brown, remove it and drain it on a paper towel.  Here’s a short 2 minute video showing how I do it:

 

Lime Cilantro Slaw

•  1 bag of shredded cabbage (14 oz)
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 tsp. vinegar (I usually use apple cider, but any will do)
• 1 tsp sugar
• juice of one lime
• a splash of heavy cream (milk will do)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Seasoned Rice and Beans

•  Drain two cans of black beans.
• Add salt to taste, 2 t. of ground cumin, 1 t. of garlic and herb seasoning
• Add 1 cup of cooked rice.   Mix well and heat on stove or in microwave

Seasoned Meats 

Okay, the sky is the limit.  I’ve done something as simple as ground beef with taco seasoning, if I’m pressed for time.  Usually, I like to do slow cooked pork, which makes for deliciousness that you can’t even fathom.  I often will use country style ribs (8-10 ribs) and layer them in a dutch oven with onions, garlic, a few teaspoons of cumin powder and Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (You NEED this seasoning! I use it on EVERYthing.)  I brown them on the stovetop early in the morning with some olive oil and then layer them up with all that stuff, cover them, and cook all day at 250.  You can do the same thing with pork chops too.  You could do a pork loin in the crock pot this way and just cook all day and shred it.

You can do basically the same thing with chicken.  Just slow cook it all day with the spices in the oven or crock pot and then BAM, you have the best taco meat ever.

You can do fish and shrimp as well, which make this THE most versatile meal for serving a crowd.   Just set out all the goodies and let everyone make their own.  I’ve posted my fish taco recipe before.  For shrimp, I mix a couple tablespoons of chili garlic paste with some chimichurri sauce and then add honey, olive oil, and a little soy sauce.  Marinate the shrimp for 15 min or so and then cook in olive oil in an iron skillet.  BEST SHRIMP EVER.

Homemade Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. chopped onion
• Juice of one lime and one orange (I use orange if I have it but it’s not required.  Lime is required)
• 1 fresh jalapeno or a few pickled jalapeños as desired for heat, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

And there you have it.  And most of this can be made ahead of time so you’re ready to enjoy a feast with minimal labor.  Also? PERFECT food to scale and tailor to different tastes and allergies.  This is me at my finest hour.  This is the stuff I plan on leaving in my last will and testament.

#GodBlessTexMex

 

Tell me the truth.  Would you give puffy tacos a try?  It’s May the 5th.  Otherwise known as Cinco de Mayo.  Last time I had it,  it was a fancy celebration known as Quatro de Abril.  In other words, you can make your own puffy taco holiday.  But, today would be pretty perfect!

LOVE y’all and so happy to be back here!

(p.s.—Check out the segment our local news did on the family, the blog, etc.  So fun!)