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Food and Cooking...or lack thereof

Taco Salad

Sharing a quick recipe today!  Please try to contain your excitement.  Really.  Stop jumping up and down.  And squealing.  Well.  You can squeal if you want to.  I know we’ve all made taco salad before, but this is the way I make taco salad and it might be a little different than the way you make taco salad.  And since this is one of the eight things I cook it only seemed natural that you should know about this recipe.  Because you all don’t know enough about me and my life.  I’m way too secretive. 
And sarcastic.
Moving on.


Here’s what you need to get started.  The tortilla shell molds I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond years ago but I’m sure you can find them in other places too.  I forgot to take a picture of the tortillas that go in them.  You need tortillas to go in the tortilla molds.  (You’ll notice I explain my recipes like I’m talking to a Kindergartner because that is how I like recipes explained to me.  Addison and I are about on the same level when it comes to cooking so that actually makes sense.)

First steps:

Brown 1 lb ground beef
Drain ground beef (unless you splurge on the super healthy hamburger – not to be healthy but really just so you don’t have to drain it.  That may or may not be exactly what I do.)

Then add: 

2/3 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can red kidney beans

Heat to boiling; then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Put your tortilla shells in the molds and place them in the oven. 

Then set your oven to “broil” (I put my oven on hi broil) and leave the oven door open just a crack.  I obviously made this while Kole was occupied upstairs or I would have been spending my evening at the emergency room with a burned victim.  

It only takes a few minutes for your tortilla shells to turn golden brown.  Take them out before they turn too golden brown.  If you only knew how many of these babies I’ve burned!  I’m not going to tell you how many.  That’s the secretive part of me coming out again.  

Put the hamburger mixture in the perfectly golden brown tortilla shell and then top with lettuce, olives, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream…whatever you like!  Or whatever your kids will eat!  Which in my case is the cheese.  These also taste really good with a little ranch dressing.  Not the healthiest recipe out there, but one we enjoy.  And one that this mom and her Kindergartner can actually make.

Bon appetit!  
xoxo, Erin
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22 thoughts on “Taco Salad

  1. Erin I am super impressed these look amazing. I am going ot be on a look out in Australia for those bowls. I am also super excited that I just spoke to my mum who is heading to the san diego zoo tomorrow. and wow thats near you. and When she rang me today and told me I thought oh thats where Erin lives. lol.
    I wish i was over there with her. I have been tryinto get her to find anthropoligie she can get me some of those super spice jars and bring them back to Aussie for me.Soory such a novel

  2. I love your taco salad recipe and will look for those bowls. And I like my recipes simple and easy to understand and I’ve been cooking for over 40 years!

  3. Erin, i LOVE taco salad and those bowl things are awesome! I’ll pass on the ground beef though and just have the beans. :)

    So proud of you for cooking and sharing your recipes!

    P.S. I’m assuming Fashion Friday will include your recent NYC purchases??

  4. Hey Erin! Love those taco shell bowls! Have you ever tried Buffalo in place of ground beef? Its amazing and we use it in anything that calls for ground beef such as burgers & taco’s, you name it. My kids love it and my friends who have converted love it as well. It has 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, on average it has 50% less cholesterol. And on top of that, it is higher in protein, iron and all the omega and amino acids. Its actually a pretty healthy meat. Just thought I would throw that out there as a lot of people don’t even know about the Buffalo.

  5. You are amazing and so domestic!! Those tortilla shells – taco salad so awesome. I really want to try this – you inspire me once again!

  6. My husband LOOOOOVES Taco salad, but I always had trouble figuring out how to make the Taco Shells.. I gotta find these molds! For someone that ‘can’t cook’ as you said you sure did an awesome job on these!

  7. We love taco salad! I usually use a package seasoning mix, but should try this as I keep all those spices on hand. I love that you added the beans too, great for extra protein. I need to find those shell molds!

  8. This post reminds me…I’ve been meaning to ask you if you knew there was another blog out there called…..”Sunny Side Up in San Diego”.

    I found it by accident when searching for one of your old posts via google.

    The kicker is…it’s a cooking blog! Maybe it’s your alter ego!

  9. You deserve much more cooking credit than you give yourself! I love those tortilla molds and have NEVER seen them before. I’ll definiely be on the look out and adding them to my Christmas wish list. Thanks for sharing!

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