Howdy Kitchen: Tacos!

I have a confession to make.....

I think I am a closet Mexican.
:)

I kind of like Mexican food.A.LOT!

But one meal I always look forward to is.....

TACO NIGHT!

These taco shells aren't your typical shells out of a box.

We do it up right....corn tortilla style!

And by 'we', I mean one of my favorite local families and I.
Because I usually invite myself over for taco night.

Or I tell them it's taco night when I'm wanting some tacos.
Of course, they love tacos too.  :)

I encourage you to try taco night this way just once, and you will be hooked.

-Get yourself some corn tortillas.

{Believe it or not, we usually get ours at Dollar General.  

They seem to have the best/softest corn tortillas.}

-Heat up your choice of oil in a big pan/skillet on medium heat.

{Don't be afraid to use plenty of oil!}

-After a few minutes, place a tortilla in the oil to see if it's hot enough. 
If it starts sizzing right away, you are ready to fry them up!

 -Fry the shells.  This is where preference comes in:

Soft shells...fry the tortilla on both sides until they start to bubble
and get a light color on them.

Fold the tortilla in half.

Fry until they get to the light crunch that you want.

Crunchy shells...the way that I make them!....
fry the tortilla on both sides until they get a little darker color.
As they are browning, see how they fold to make sure they aren't getting to crunchy
and break in half when you fold it.

Once they get to a nice crunchy state, fold the tortilla and half,
and fry some more on each side.

-Once the shells are to the level of crunch that you like,
place them on a paper towel lined pan/dish/plate to drain off some of the oil.

-Fill the shell with your favorite things.

Lately for me, this is what I've stuffed in my taco shell:

chopped spinach

ground/browned turkey or hamburger

sour cream

salsa

fresh grated cheddar cheese

YUM!

Sorry I didn't get a picture of a filled shell.
I was more worried about eating the tacos than taking a picture.

And apparently when my 'family' had taco night a few weeks back without me,
the littles asked where Coleigh was!

I like that they associate taco night with me.  :)

So yes, I am a closet Mexican.  

Plus, this farmgirl just enjoyed Mexican food 3 days in a row!

Sunday:  Chicken quesadilla & rice at a Mexican restaurant in town.

Monday:  Taco night with my 'family'.

Tuesday:  Crunchy buritto from Taco Bell after my school visit today.

I guess I am the pro shell maker as well. 
I have been the designated taco shell maker for the past few years,
whenever tacos are on the menu. 
I sure wish more Mexican restaurants would fry up their taco shells like this!

So, who wants to come over for tacos?

:)