One of my brothers, who also lives out of Nebraska, and far enough away that he can’t get food like this, loves Mexican Food as much as I do.  I recall one time, when we were both back in town, he and I ate lunch and dinner at different Mexican restaurants almost every single day we were there.. about a week.  We just couldn’t get enough, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to get later.

The recipe I am writing about today is  fried tacos.  It isn’t something you find everywhere, and, as far as I can recall, I’ve never seen them on a menu outside of the interior mid-western states, though I’m sure they must be, and I’ve just overlooked it. Fried tacos are usually cooked quickly and to order  – filled with the mixture, and then either toothpicks are inserted to hold the taco closed (as I do below), or the taco is held together with a special “clothes pin” type pin, and deep fried.  What I grew up eating is very similar to the recipe below, except that my recipe has a spicier flavor than I remember.

This is one of those recipes I make very rarely, as it’s quite a bit of prep work for just the two of us, and neither of us really need the extra calories, but about once every 3 or 4 months, we get all the ingredients together, and have taco night.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we always do.

Mexican Fried Tacos

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1-3 jalapeno’s, chopped (remove seeds if you don’t want this to be too spicy)
1 pound ground beef
ground cayenne pepper
Chili Powder
Chipolte Powder
1 can or 1 1/2 cups of refried beans
6 8 inch flour tortillas
Hot Salsa or Hot Taco Sauce
Vegetable oil – enough for deep frying.

Optional Ingredients:

Lettuce
tomato
onion
cheddar cheese
sour cream
black olives

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.  Add in the chopped onions, and saute until translucent.  Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.  Add in the jalapeno, and cook for 30 seconds more. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the pieces until tiny. Sprinkle the hamburger with the chili, cayenne, and chipolte seasonings to taste – about 1 teaspoon each – I use more than is called for, because I like it quite spicy – but season it lightly at first, tasting it, and adding more until the flavor is what you want.  Add in 1/2 cup of hot salsa and the beans.  Mix well, and then turn the heat down load and allow to simmer lightly while the flavors meld. Stir occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients

• Lettuce – chop into small pieces
• Tomatoes, seed, and dice
• Onion, chop into small pieces
• Shred the cheddar cheese.  I actually like a mix of cheese – cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
• Slice or chop the black olives.
• Soften the tortillas lightly, if they are not already, by warming them a bit in the microwave, or in a clean, dry pan on medium heat for about 20 seconds per side.

Using about 2 spoonfuls of the hamburger/bean mix, fill the center of the tortilla with the mix.  Fold ever the tortilla, and, using 3 toothpicks, lock the sides together, as is shown here:

Prepare all the tacos in a similar fashion.  Don’t overfill the tortillas, or they will burst open when you eat them.

Heat the hot oil in a deep pot.  I use a shallow saucier for frying these, filling only about 1/2 of the pan – however, if you are doing a lot of these (more than 4, say), this is really not the best option.  And, if you have children around this is REALLY not a good idea.  The best suggestion is to use a deep (6-8 inch deep, wide pot, with 2-3 inches of oil is the safest way to go.  Add more oil, re-heating to bring up to temp, if necessary.  Whatever way you do this, be careful of the hot oil.

One at a time, fry the tacos, turning once to evenly brown both sides.  Remove from the oil when each side is golden brown.

Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.  To keep warm, while the remaining tacos are cooking, heat the oven to 250F, and place the cooked tacos on a plate in the oven, until ready to serve, though this really isn’t necessary, unless you are making more than 8, as these cook very quickly, and stay hot and crispy for quite a while.

To serve, remove and discard the toothpicks, and fill with what ever you like.. cheese, onions, tomatoes, black olives, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, taco sauce.

These can be reheated the next day in a 375 degree oven.

Note:

For those of you that like to use the “taco seasoning” packets sold at the market, with the pre-packaged Taco Meal things, below is a recipe that I’m told is the same, but without the extra fillers:

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. each ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, powdered oregano and sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Makes 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix, which is equal in strength to a 1/4 ounce package of commercial seasoning mix.

I would not use these for icing/decorating style cookies – there are other recipes better suited for decorating — this contains too much oil/butter, and really won’t hold up well with heavy icings.  Just a sprinkle of sugar, before baking, or some powdered sugar very lightly sprinkled over top after they have completely cooled if you must.  I almost never add anything to these. 

I’ve changed out the vanilla for almond flavoring, and pressed a sliced almond into the cookie before baking and had good success with it as well.

Enjoy!

The Best Sugar Cookies

(aka Grams Sugar Cookies)

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Cooking Oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Vanilla

Cream the sugars, butter and oil until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.

You can spoon these onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and flatten.  Bake at 375, for 10-12 minutes.

OR

You can chill these 2-3 hours, and roll out, and use as for cutouts. Bake as above.

You can sprinkle these with a light coating of powdered sugar once completely cooled.

These keep about 1 week, in a tightly covered container.

My notes:

Gram used Lard, but I use softened butter.

I like these as cutouts, so I lay the dough on a piece of saran wrap, flatten, lay another piece of saran wrap on top and roll out.  I then chill for at least an hour before cutouts are made.  Repeat the process once the dough has softened.

Also, I make this in large batches (4-5 batches), lay out as above with the saran wrap in small batches, and freeze.  Let dough thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Also, I have made this as a ‘slicing log’ — i.e….. I’ve rolled it up into a log shape, refrigerated and sliced and baked.  This also freezes well.

I like these cookies a little on the ‘thick’ side.

These are just.. yummyness.  One of the girls in my office brought macaroons in last week.. premade/packaged things.  They were okay, but.. well… incredibly heavy and greasy.  They made me in the mood for the ones I make.   They are just exactly what a macaroon should be – light and fluffy.

This recipe comes from a neighbor I grew up next to back in Nebraska.  She made amazing macaroons and did all sorts of lovely things to them (See the notes below the recipe for additions – some are hers, some are mine, some come from other people, but I don’t know who, as the additions were made to the recipe card over time).  Ruth made these at Christmas, and again in the summer.  Odd times, but when her grandson came to visit, she always made these, and she always had plenty for my brothers and I, too.

Granted, this isn’t a traditional recipe if you don’t live in the US, and even if you do, there are tons and tons of variations.  But one thing is the same – a coconut macaroon is not exactly a cookie.. but not exactly a candy…it’s a kind of cross between both, and that is what makes this particular cookie so good.  It has that sweetness to it a candy should have, but the body and crispness of a cookie.  I don’t know where this fits in exactly – a cookie — or a confection, but I do know that it goes amazingly well with a glass of milk.. with just the right amount of coconut left at the bottom of the glass to scoop out ;)

Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites at room
temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix together  the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.  

In a second bowl, whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until it makes medium-firm peaks.  I use a hand mixer. Then, GENTLY fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture, and fold together using a spatula, without crushing the egg whites. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment.  You can also use a small ‘ice cream scoop’ – maybe 1-1 1/2 inch, or so scoop.  

Bake  for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Try not to eat them hot (or you’ll burn your mouth), allow to cool and serve.  Allow to cool completely, and cover tightly.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or on the counter for 5. 

Notes:

I like to store these in a container in layers separated by parchment.

Variations and Additions:

Add a cup of the mini chocolate chips, or 4 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate.

Push a chocolate kiss candy or a star candy into the top of the cookie right after you take them from the oven

Add 1 cup of chopped pecans and 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup, and press a maraschino cherry into the top of the cookie before baking.

Dip in chocolate, or just dip part of the cookie in chocolate

Add 1/2 cup crushed macadamia nuts

Add 3/4 cup of raisins and 1 teaspoon rum flavoring

Change the vanilla to 1 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract

Add 3/4 cup of walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Add 3/4 cup of oats and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

According to my palate, I define a runza as ‘yummy goodness’ – a very technical term, you know ;)

Runza is a traditional food of the interior mid-western states; a local tradition with many different recipes, depending on the cook. Though Nebraska and Kansas are known for runza, the recipe has spread quite a bit. Runza restaurants have popped up all over Nebraska, one in Kansas, and a few in Colorado now, too.

I grew up watching my mother make these, and then waiting by the oven for them to finish baking — the smell moving through the house slowly … a tantalizing tease . Needless to say, runzas never lasted long in my house. Even now, with just the two of us, they don’t last too long.

Although I enjoy the original recipe for Runza, and do make it on occasion, I also enjoy making variations on it. I like to substitute half of the hamburger with hot Italian sausage (see recipe here) , add garlic, sometimes green peppers. Or at other times, adding cumin and ground dried chili, with jalapeno’s. There are many different ways to make Runza, though, traditionally, the recipe is as below – ‘Original Runza Recipe’.

Enjoy!

Original Runza Recipe

2 pound ground beef
1 large onion , chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 Medium Cabbage, chopped
2 batches of bread dough

Saute onion in a bit of oil until just translucent. Add hamburger and saute until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Drain away the grease, and return to the pan. Cover the mixture with the shredded cabbage and cook until the cabbage is done.  Stir occasionally.  This could take about 45 minutes or so.

Using an egg-dough recipe, roll small balls of dough thin to make a 5×5 square. Put about 1/2 cup of cabbage mixture in center of square and seal closed. Place seal side down on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a lightly greased sheet).  Allow these to sit, covered lightly with a tea towel, for about 20 minutes – so the dough can rise for the second time.

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until lightly golden brown.

Runza Recipe – Variation on the Original Recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 Pound hot italian sausage
1 large onion , chopped
Salt
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
Pepper
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 medium Green Pepper, chopped
1 Medium Cabbage, chopped
2 batches of bread dough*

Saute garlic, onion and green pepper in a bit of oil. Add ground beef and sausage and saute until brown. Drain the oil away. Place the mixture back in the pan and cover with the shredded cabbage (it will be heaping). Cook over medium heat, mixing together the meat mixture and cabbage, and cook until the cabbage is tender and sweet.

Set aside and let cool.

Roll small balls of dough thin to make a 5×5 square. Put about 1/2 cup of cabbage mixture in center of square and seal closed. Place seal side down on a parchment lined baking sheet (or a lightly greased sheet).

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 or until lightly golden brown.

Notes:

Freezing:

Runzas freeze very well. Allow them to cool completely, uncovered. Once these are cool, wrap in aluminum foil. I usually then put 4 wrapped runzas to a gallon ziplock bag and freeze.

I’ve kept these 4-6 weeks with no problem wrapped as above. If, however, you wish to keep these longer, allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap well, wrap in aluminum foil, and place in either a ziplock back or an airtight container. You can then keep these for up to 3 months.

Reheating:

If you have not frozen these, heat the oven to 400F and heat for 10-12 minutes.

If you have frozen these, heat oven to 400F, put frozen, (and still wrapped runza package) into the oven and heat for 20-25 minutes. The last 5 minutes, remove the foil.

Variation:

Add 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
OR
Add 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes