A Special Request

The Foodie Daughter asked that I make a Taco Ring for dinner. Of course I was happy to oblige. But first I needed to make a grocery run as I needed some fresh veggies and a product I don't normally have on hand.

I made my own taco seasoning using

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

I pulled out a few jars for this seasoning mix.

I used almost all of this for the dish as I wanted the meat to have a bit of a kick to it. Any remaining spice mix can be stored in an airtight container.

Here I have the ingredients for the taco ring:

1 pound ground beef

taco seasoning

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 packages crescent rolls*







*(If you guessed that this was what I don't normally have on hand, you would be correct.)

There were also toppings to prepare.

Sour cream

yellow bell pepper

tomatoes

shredded lettuce

shredded sharp cheddar cheese, not shown

yellow onion, not shown











The onion, tomatoes and bell pepper were chopped. The shredded lettuce was also rinsed.

The crescent rolls were laid around the edge of the pizza stone, about two inches in from the edge. The points face out.

Meanwhile, the meat and onion were cooked and then drained. Two tablespoons water and the taco seasoning were added to the meat. Remember, you can add more or less taco seasoning, depending on your particular tastes. This was then mixed well. Once the meat had cooled a bit, the shredded cheddar cheese was mixed in.

The meat mixture was carefully placed around the ring of crescent dough.

Then the points were gently brought up and over and then tucked under the edge of the ring.

The taco ring went into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Time to call the family to the table.

You could think of this as a deconstructed taco.

The tender, flaky crescent rolls make a nice change from the normal taco shells or tortillas.

The Foodie Daughter was very happy after this meal.

Fiesta!

We got hit with a late winter storm today, so it was necessary for us to head south for our dinner inspiration tonight. Obviously, this menu has been inspired by Tex-Mex influences, rather than being an authentic Mexican meal, but it was still enjoyed by all. My normally picky esposo even went back for seconds.

More snow? Why?

Isn't spring supposed to be hopping in soon?

The ingredients for a salsa. This was my first time making salsa from scratch. I ended up using the juice of 1/2 lime and I finely minced 1/2 of the chile for the salsa. Diced red onion and a pinch of kosher salt were also added.

Since my family does not appreciate very spicy foods, I carefully removed the seeds and the white membrane. Perhaps someone would kindly tell me what this variety of chile is? The grocery store did not feel it necessary to identify the chiles they were selling.

And we have the finished salsa.

Mid-afternoon I decided that I didn't want to use a taco seasoning packet, so a quick search on-line revealed a few simple homemade taco seasoning mixes.

I made my own mix, with 1 teaspoon each: dried onion, salt, garlic powder, dry oregano, ground cumin, ground cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. I only had whole cumin on hand, so I used a small ladel to hand smash the seeds.

Homemade taco seasoning. I used about half of this mixture to season one pound of cooked ground beef.

I set up the meal buffet-style. I found tostada bowls at the grocery store. I liked these because there were no artificial ingredients, no preservatives or added salt in the bowls. I could feel good about serving these to my family.

I chopped and rinsed some romaine lettuce, sliced a celery stem, grated a carrot, diced some onion, chopped some sugar snap peas, and used the remaining bit of jicama that I had.

I did use shredded sharp cheddar cheese and I put out some sour cream and a bottle of ranch dressing for toppings.

This is my plate. Delicioso!