Tacos are great !!! But Taco bell has no clue.

How about some home-made Tacos. It's easy, and its good

Taco Bell meat has no flavor

Taco Filling

2lbs hamburger (I prefer a 75/25 or a 80/20)               *                 1/2 teaspoon Chili powder

1c. chopped onion                                              *                  1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsps chopped Oregano                                          *                  2 cloves Garlic, minced

1tsps salt

Place a 15" seasoned skillet over medium heat. Brown hamburger and onions, spoon off excess fat (leaving a bit for moisture). Add Oregano, chili powder, black pepper, Garlic and salt. Mix well.

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Tacos

1 package soft tacos

Vegetable oil

In a small fry pan pour oil to a 1/2" depth and heat. Check oil temp by dropping 1 small drop of water in oil.

Place small taco in oil for 7seconds, then flip over and heat for additional 7 seconds, place over paper towels to dry. (I use a paper towel covered dish rack, draping the tacos over the rails,this allows them to cool into shape. I prefer the tacos cooked into shape but still soft, (easier to eat and the tacos don't break). you can adjust degree of softness by either shortening or lengthening the cook time.

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Toppings

Shredded lettuce           *          diced Tomato's

Shredded cheese     *           diced onions

Place each in a separate bowl and allow diners to build as they see fit.

You can also use Jalapeno peppers, green peppers, small green chilies, black olives,

The list is up to you...be creative.

Hot sauce or taco sauce,

There are a number of excellent sauces out there, just make sure, to get the best flavor, you pick a sauce where you can see small pieces of onions and such in it.

You can set out hot sauces also, but remember, for every one person who likes "Hot" four would prefer mild.

klay

Chicken Pileau

This dish is also called Southern Chicken Rice or Chicken Bog. Mmmmm Sounds yummy, donit? It's a shame it doesn't look that way.

4 Chicken breast

2 lg onions (chopped fine)

polish Sausage or Smoked sausage

3 tbsps butter

 

3c stewed tomatos

 

4 stalks celery

black pepper

3c rice

 

1 green pepper (chopped fine)

 

1c breadcrumbs

Boil chicken in water with butter. Save broth. Remove chicken from bone and pull apart into smaller pieces.

In a pan brown sausage and onions in butter.

Place rice in large pot, add chicken, measure broth to equal 4 cups. If you do not have enough to make 4 cups, use water. Pour into pot with rice and chicken. Add sausage, tomatos, Green pepper,Celery, and onion, salt and pepper. Cover. Bring to a boil.

Remove from stove, place in a buttered baking dish, cover with bread crumbs and bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

klay

Matterhorn Chicken

I don't know why it's called Matterhorn Chicken, I didn't even realize there where chickens on the Matterhorn. But after an exhaustive search I found there are....

Who would have thought...

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4 chicken breasts, split, boned, and skinned

2 eggs beaten

salt

3/4c bread crumbs

4 tsps chopped onions

2c (8oz) shredded swiss cheese

oil

noodles or rice

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Place the Chicken breasts on a cutting board, flatten the breasts to 1/4" thickness.

Sprinkle each piece with salt

Top with 1/2 tsp onion and 1/4 cup cheese

Fold chicken over cheese, secure with toothpicks.

Dip stuffed chicken in egg and roll in bread crumbs.

Brown in oil.

Place each breast in baking dish and Bake at 400 degrees for 20min.

Serve with Noodles or Rice

E-ha!! It's time fer a little CHILI

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There's nothing quite as good as a little Chili. And here's a Chili fer ya.

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1/4c veg oil

3 lb beef 1" cubes

(I prefer a good Sirloin, but you cane use stew beef, or lamb, or chicken, or venison, or horse if ya wanna. Just remember if ya use horse y'll be walkin home.)

3 cloves garlic

6 tbsps chili powder

2 tsps salt

2 tsps oregano

2 tsps cummin

2 tsps hot pepper sauce (*more on this later)

1 1/2 qts water

1/3 cup white cornmeal

1 small can or jar green chilis

2 cans kidney beans

1 cup chopped onions

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Heat oil in a large kettle add meat and brown well,

add garlic, chili powder, salt, oregano,cummin, hot pepper sauce, green chilis, onions, and water. mix well

Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat cook 1 1/4 hours stir occasionally.

Add Cornmeal mix well - simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

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* As for the hot sauce you can use any brand you wish, I usually stick to a generic pepper sauce such as Franks or Goya. These are added more for the vinegar pepper taste rather than heat. If you prefer a more "Oak" taste you can use tabasco, but I find that "Oak Barrel" flavor sometimes over powers even the chili powder.

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As for heat the chili the way it is made here is "not" hot. You can add more chili powder or black pepper but that will change the taste.

What I do for any dish I want "HOT" I use an extract. Pepper extracts are simply the acid juice removed from the pepper and bottled. Extracts really have no flavor of their own but they add heat.

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I use Blairs Reserves such as "2am", "3am", or "halloween". You can find Blair products online at

http://extremefood.com/shop/home.php?cat=3

Another source for pain in a bottle is Tijuana Flats at

http://hotfoods.tijuanaflats.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=35

they have the "Smack my ass and call me Sally" collection, with "Chets gone mad" and "Going Postal"

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Remember when using extracts they are not a sauce, a few drops in a pot and you will know they are there, a couple of drops too many and NO ONE will eat it.

klay

Hungarian Goulash

4 1/2 lbs onions

2 qts water

1/4 lb butter

2 tbsp salt

4 1/2 lbs cubed beef

3/4 tsp black pepper

3 tbsps paprika

In a large kettle saute' onions in butter for 5 mins,

add beef, paprika, salt, pepper and 2 qts water.

Simmer covered for 2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.

Serve over Noodles.

Round Pork and Noodles

To start with I have to say I purposely wrote the incorrect name on the title. The correct name should be Pork Balls and Noodles, but with this club I know that would generate a plethora of comments from rude to disgusting. What else would you call a meatball made with pork instead of beef.

6-8 servings

1 egg slightly beaten

1 lb ground pork

1c bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter

2c milk (divided)

1 tbsp flour

1/3c minced onion

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1 8oz package wide noodles

Mix together egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of milk, onion, salt, paprika

let stand for 15 minutes

Add ground pork and mix well with hands dipped in cold water.

Shape 24 meatballs

Over high heat in heavy skillet brown the pork balls in butter.

Cover and reduce heat to low and cook 20 min or til done.

With slotted spoon remove meat and set aside.

Stir flour and mustard into drippings.

stir over medium heat until browned.

Gradually stir in remaining milk stir until thick and smooth.

Add meat and heat until heated through.

Season with salt and pepper.

(If gravy is too thick add water to bring to desired consistency)

Cook noodles, drain, and toss with butter.

Serve meat and gravy over noodles.

Finnish Stew

When I was young I had a new neighbor move in, and she was Finnish (as in from Finland, the country). Anyway I had a crush on her. Unfortunately it never worked out, I was 10 she 35 and there was a husband, you know. Anyway... she knew how to cook, Doughnuts with cardamom (a spice), breads, and meals, including this one Finnish Stew.

(Although she did not use canned soup, she made her own cream of mushroom soup)

Chuck Steak

Thick boneless Pork chops

1 tbsp butter

1 can golden Mushroom soup

1 pkg frozen baby Lima beans(*)

2 carrots (sliced)

white rice

Melt butter in a skillet, cut the steak and pork onto 1" cubes place and brown.

Place meat in a greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole pan with frozen Lima beans carrots and soup. Place in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

(*) If using canned Lima beans do not add until last 1/2 hour.

Serve over rice

As a kid I hated carrots, (I no longer hate them, I just don't trust them) and I believed Lima beans were something they fed to prisoners on Devils Island (yech). As I've grown up I found that Lima beans are still nasty. But I will eat them in this meal just as I did when I was young.

This was the only meal I will eat with those little green alien kidney looking things.