Coconut Chicken Tacos

As I type this, the skies are about to open up for a downpour that will supposedly last most of the night, bringing with it the inevitable cold snap that the weatherpeople have been expecting all week.

However, for the past week or so, we've been blessed with some INCREDIBLE springtime weather -- our temps have been in the 70s all week with sunshine every day. It's been a much-needed change in atmosphere.

All of this Springy weather has me craving summertime and beach food, and I've got the perfect recipe to kick off the season.

I made this as kind of a quick, thrown-together meal before church earlier this week, and I'm ridiculously pumped because it TASTES LIKE SUMMER.

This recipe originally came from Creme de la Crumb - but we ended up putting our strips on tacos...because TACOS mean SUMMER and did I mention WE ARE READY FOR IT?

So ready. Sooo so ready.

Also, we kind of (literally) shoved these in our mouths as we were walking out of the door for church, so I have zero pictures. Blogger fail #647.

Fix these with some warm tortillas and topped with sweet and sour sauce and you will be SET. We didn't even need cheese! Seriously, the flavor in these babies are LEGIT.

Summer, come on.

Coconut Chicken Tacos
Serves 2

What you'll need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp Tony's

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dash of pepper

2 eggs

1 tbsp water

2 cups (1 small bag) coconut flakes

Corn or flour tortillas

What you'll do:

In a small bowl, combine the flour and seasonings. Set aside.

In separate bowl, combine eggs and water, then whisk until just mixed. Set aside.

In another bowl or plate, pour out coconut flakes. Having these "stations" will make prepping so much easier.

Slice chicken breasts into 1/2-inch strips. One at a time, dip in flour mixture, then egg mixture, then roll in coconut. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or foil, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray).

Bake chicken strips 10-15 or until done in the center. Warm some tortillas and build your taco, topping with sweet and sour sauce.

Quick & Easy Weeknight Meal: Steak Tacos

Hola peoples!

Something WONDERFUL happened down South this weekend.

We had a nice little cool snap and it FINALLY felt like fall!

Actually, it felt like Christmas to me, but maybe that's just me.

I was pumped. A chilly start to the morning meant a FANTASTIC run on Saturday.

We originally only planned on a four-mile run, but the weather gave me so much energy that I couldn't stop and cranked out another mile. It felt FANTASTIC and I could have stayed outside all day. So serious.

All the Fall fans say HEYYYYYYYY!!!!!

We're a little more than 15 weeks out from our St. Jude race, so we're moving slowly but surely forward with our training. It really helps that we've found a nice running group for Saturday mornings - we keep each other accountable AND entertained :p

Despite some way, way, waaaaayyy too early mornings during the week, it feels like we are finally settling into a nice routine lately - and I, for one, couldn't be more thankful! I actually really look forward to getting up early on Saturdays to head out for a run, and BONUS because we're usually done with most of our errands by noon. Free day = SCORE.

Most of the week's dinners end up being quick "go-to" recipes (in hopes of being asleep before/by 9pm!), but I have been able to experiment a little here and there. One such experiment happened last week:

...and it was DELIGHTFUL.

I originally bought these Simple Truth Fajita Strips to use in a batch of stir-fry, but changed my mind one evening when I couldn't stop thinking about guacamole.

Sooooooo steak tacos it was!

I don't know if I've ever tried these fajita strips before last week, but for the next 10 or so weeks they JUST MIGHT be a staple in my fridge! Everything came together in LITERALLY about 10 minutes. If that. Our bellies were fed, our tastebuds satisfied, and we were relaxing on the couch before 7:30 that night.

We had no idea what to do with ourselves. I mean, free time? Really? Is that even a thing anymore on a weeknight?

I sprinkled only a little seasoning* with some fresh cilantro on top (A MUST), then wrapped everything in corn tortillas since they are a bit lighter, but these tacos would be just as great with whole wheat or full-fledged flour torts. And I DEFINITELY recommend making the guac alongside of this - there's just something about fresh guacamole that makes tacos taste even more incredible.

TACOS FOR LIFE.

Quick & Easy Steak Tacos

Serves 2

What you'll need:

1 package of Simple Truth Sliced Fajita Strips (fully cooked)

4 corn tortillas

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

juice of one lime

chopped cilantro, to taste

dash of cayenne pepper*

dash of onion powder*

dash of chili powder*

dash of cumin*

salt/pepper to taste

suggested toppings: mozzerella cheese, chopped tomatoes, fresh guacamole, hot sauce

What you'll do:

Heat oil on medium heat until hot, then stir in fajita strips and season with powders, peppers, and lime juice. Stir to coat, then turn heat down. Serve hot on warm tortillas with preferred toppings.

*I use these ingredients together frequently, so I keep them mixed in a small jar for easy access :)

Note: As part of our team's participation in the upcoming St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis, we're aiming to raise a few dollars for the organization as well. Every dollar that we raise will go toward helping families whose children are being treated at St. Jude Children's Hospital, so that their focus can be on getting their child well again - and not on expense. If you're interested in contributing to our little pot, check out my page and read more about it!

Amazing Coconut Shrimp

Folks - it's the WEEKEND (finally) and this party is about to get started!!!!!!

I'm ridiculously pumped to share this recipe with you - it's pretty much the perfect food to close out the summer.

 



A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to plan out our Sunday lunch and I was coming up with NOTHING. This was smack dab in the middle of my cooking rut (remember the Jello incident?), and there was not one thing that came to mind that sounded even remotely appetizing. I pretty much spent that entire Saturday night immersed in our favorite cookbooks, magazines, blogs and even Pinterest to get some sort of idea but NOPE - nothing.

I can't exactly let go of these sorts of things. When it comes to food, I MUST have a PLAN. ICANTLETGO.

Which explains why I was up until 1 a.m. reading cookbooks from cover to cover.

All I kept thinking about was how bad I wanted to go back to the beach. Because can we agree that the beach pretty much has some of the best food ever?

And the best views, obvi.



As thoughts of the beach kept creeping into my mind, my tastebuds started longing for something...seafood-y. Which led to shrimp. Which made me think of the time I ordered coconut shrimp at Margaritaville once in college.

Light bulb.

After much MUCH research (I had high standards, you see. Merher), I stumbled on the Crème de la Crumb blog ---- and her AMAZING recipe for coconut shrimp tacos.

Even better? It was an EASY 30-minute recipe from start to finish, practical ingredients, and...wait for it....BAKED.

Nope - not fried and unhealthy --- BAKED.

It's an explosion of all kinds of goodness that parties all night long on your tastebuds. Seriously -- the flavors are OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.

And don't even get me STARTED on THE SAUCE. The sauce is just...indescribable.

It's JUST. SO. GOOD.

Probably my favorite thing that's come out of our kitchen since the beginning. And I'm not even exaggerating.

We ate it alongside some fresh homemade guacamole, lime and cilantro-seasoned black beans, and fresh corn. It was PERFECT.

In fact, we enjoyed the shrimp so much we kept forgetting we actually had tortillas to make tacos. I think we both just kind of dove in to the shrimp alone after only one taco.

But hey - whatever works AMIRIGHT?????

Just writing about this dish has me excited all over again. The results were even better than I anticipated, and I'm completely convinced it's what pulled me out of my crazy boring rut.

Your summer probably won't be complete until you make this. It takes a little bit of prep work (and only a few dishes ;) ) but it's totally worth it. Trust me on this, okay?

You'll love it. And then we can be completely obsessed with it together.

Happy obsessing!



Crispy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Sauce

Serves 2-4

(adapted from Crème de la Crumb)

 

What you'll need:

 

Shrimp:

1 lb shrimp (fresh or frozen), peeled and de-veined with tails removed

4 eggs

4 tbsp water

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups coconut flakes (I used a whole bag, which ended up being slightly more than 2 cups)

 

Sauce:

1 cup coconut milk

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (or more, if you prefer #iheartcilantro)

a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce

 

What you'll do:

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

 

Combine eggs and water in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and combined. In a separate bowl, mix flour, garlic powder, chili powder, and cayenne. Pour coconut flakes into another bowl.

 

Line your bowls in this order: flour, eggs/water, coconut.

 

Toss shrimp in flour mixture, dredge in egg mixture, then coat with coconut flakes - in that order.

 

Line shrimp on baking sheet, then bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until shrimp are thoroughly cooked and coconut flakes start to turn a "golden brown" color.

 

While shrimp are baking, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Place in refrigerator to chill until time to serve.

 

These shrimp taste excellent by themselves or on a taco with fresh salsa (I recommend either pineapple or mango salsa), guac, and fresh cilantro. Use the sauce as a dipping sauce, or drizzle on a taco. Either way, you can't go wrong with these babies. They're AMAZING.

 

Kudos to Tiffany from Crème de la Crumb for developing this recipe - go check out her GORGEOUS pictures, too!



Crock Pot Pulled Chicken

It's FRIDAY!!!

And I'm still only slightly in denial that it's not quite 5:00 yet ------ My brain prettttty much checked out at lunchtime.

But that's okay because GUESS WHAT YOU GUYS I'M FINALLY COOKING REAL FOOD AGAIN!!!!!!!!

...unless you don't count the Crock Pot as "cooking" - but since it DOES taking some planning and preparation, I definitely do.

This is the easiest recipe EVER. No joke. I just made this yesterday so it's perfect for the weekend when you'd rather be outside enjoying the beautiful weather rather than cooking!

It's also a HUGE HELP for the days that you know will be long and tiring - much like yesterday was for us! We didn't get home until after 8:30 last night - so the fact that supper was ready and waiting on us was a delicious RELIEF.

If you don't know me, then you must know this: I love BBQ. As in, ABSOLUTELY LOVE it.

I've never made pulled chicken or pork before now because it just seemed like a long, drawn-out process, but when Julie of PBfingers posted her easy Crock Pot method, I couldn't believe I'd never tried it before.

I used two legs and two thighs (dark meat YEAH), but you could easily sub chicken breasts if that's what you have on hand.

I let the chicken thaw out overnight, so all I had to do in the morning was put it in with two cans of chicken broth and some seasoning and turned it on Low. It only needs 8 hours to cook, but the longer it cooks, the juicer it gets, and the more it falls apart! Side note: We were gone for over 12 hours yesterday --- so that chicken was TENDER.

Once we got home, I just drained the chicken, separated it a little more, and mixed it with some fabulous BBQ sauce. Done.

Hubs and I are currently on a quest to find the best BBQ sauces around, so about once a month we'll grab a new brand to try. This month's challenger:

Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet! At this point, it's the one to beat. It's sweet, but it's got a nice kick to where it's just a little hot, but not so much so that you can't enjoy the flavor. My kind of sauce, exactly! :) You can guarantee there WILL be more in our future.

Side note: The runner up at this point is Cheerwine BBQ sauce that a friend of ours gave us a few months back. Hubs lived in North Carolina for awhile (where Cheerwine is made), so he's QUITE the fan. ((We even toasted with it at our wedding!))

((We toasted with Cheerwine, not with the BBQ sauce))

((Although that would have been delicious))

We grabbed a few slices of the Nature's Own Sandwich Rounds and made BBQ Pulled Chicken sandwiches (less calories = more room for MORE BBQ!) - and it pretty much blew my mind at how delicious it was. I even added some dijon mustard for an extra splash of flavor. YUM.


Bottom line: I HIGHLY recommend that you do this sometime in the near future. You shan't regret it - unless you're allergic to chicken or awesomeness or something.


Now let's celebrate because IT'S FRIDAY and the kitchen is my friend again!!!!!

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken

From the PBfingers blog

Serves 2-4 hungry folks

What you'll need:
Chicken - breast, thighs, legs, etc. (I used 2 thighs, 2 legs)
2 cans of low sodium chicken broth
2 cups (at least) of your favorite BBQ sauce
Seasonings of your choice (I used salt, pepper, and Tony's)


What you'll do:
Thaw chicken completely and place in a crock pot. Season to taste, then cover in chicken broth. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours. Remove chicken (be sure to pick out the bones!) and place in serving dish. Pull apart with tongs or a fork, then cover with your favorite BBQ sauce. The more sauce, the better!

Tastes great on a warm bun with dijon mustard and a dash of hot sauce!




Question:

What are your recommendations for our BBQ sauce tasting????

A Cajun Treat: Crawfish Pie

Boy do I have a recipe that's going to knock your socks off.

I'm not even kidding! Crawfish season only comes once a year - and in the South it's a HUGE DEAL. Fortunately you can usually find it frozen in the off-season, unless you're like me and live in The City and have had withdrawals for almost 3 years now!

I'm so serious when I tell you the only thing on my Christmas list last year was that my mom buy frozen crawfish for me the next time she saw it in the store.

And ohhhhh she did.

Best Christmas ever.

My tastebuds have been begging - downright BEGGING - for this Crawfish Pie recipe for months now, and last week I finally broke down, dug out the ol' New Orleans cookbook, and defrosted one of the packages of crawfish tails.

I'm saver, not a spender!

It was soooo worth it. A warm, fluffy crawfish mixture baked into a flaky pie crust -- YIKES I may have to make this again!

If you can get your hands on some crawfish {fresh or frozen}, the rest of the ingredients are really practical and things you probably have on hand already.

The trick is to get a good roux going once you start cooking. It's just a simple mixture of butter and flour over low heat until it's a nice golden brown:

Looks gross and bubbly, right? That's when it's ready! This will be the base of your mixture, and from there you can add in all of your seasonings, veggies, and crawfish!

I can't even begin to describe how this made my night. It doesn't look that pretty, but I guarantee you the taste is amazing. My mouth is watering all over again!

Mmmmm....

MMMMMMMM!!!!

Hope you enjoy this, folks. It's filled with all sorts of Cajun goodness.

Crawfish Pie

Adapted from The New Orleans Cookbook

Serves 2-4

What you'll need:

1 stick butter

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp chopped onion (or onion powder)

2 tsp garlic powder

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

2 tbsp parsley

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 package frozen crawfish tails (or ~1 lb fresh crawfish)

1 frozen pie shell, thawed

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Tony's, to taste

In a heavy non-stick skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add flour a little at a time, cooking slowly and stirring constantly - DO NOT walk away, as this will burn very easily! Continue stirring until a light golden roux begins to form. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, parsley, green onions, and celery, then continue stirring until vegetables are soft. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, cream and continue to stir.

Add crawfish tails to the mixture and cook until they are tender, which may take between 12-15 minutes. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake at 350 until crust is a nice golden color and filling is slightly firm.

Allow the pie to cool, but serve HOT and enjoy!

The Only Banana Pudding Recipe You'll EVER Need

Last night I did something scandalous.

Something so deliciously scandalous.

I may not be proud, but I'm definitely not sorry!

Feast your eyes on this amazing-ness.

As previously stated, this is the only recipe for Banana Pudding that you'll ever need. EVER. Courtesy of my mom =) (love!)

Ohhhhh how I LOVED those days when I would wake up in the morning and see a giant bunch of perfectly yellow bananas sitting in the kitchen -- right next to a bag of Nilla Wafers. Oh, I knew what was coming. Deliciousness, that's what.

I'm not sure if there's a dessert I like more, although cake and apple pie come dangerously close.

I made this yesterday after we were invited to have dinner with a family from our church - there was basically nothing left.

Let me tell you, if you are ever in a bind and need to bring a "quick" dessert -- this is it.

This is sooooo it. It pretty much takes about 20 minutes, tops. If you're slow.

Once you whip up the pudding mixture, it's all layering from there. You don't even have to let it chill if you don't have time, because the pudding thickens as you go. I enjoy a cold banana pudding though, so I like to let mine sit for a few hours, even overnight, if I have the time.

It comes together, quickly, easily, and deliciously. Although it does require some sampling as you go.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Just be careful not to eat that tiny bit of sweetened condensed milk that somehow doesn't make it out of the can....

I'll admit it. I didn't even try.

I'm not proud, but I'm not sorry :p

I LOVE IT, I tell ya! LOVE. IT.

If you've ever made banana pudding, you know that it's a layered dessert. The trick is to evenly arrange the toppings so that you get incredible amounts of them in every heavenly bite.

Arrange it like this....

Then this....

Until all of your ingredients are gone with enough left for you to sample. I'm crazy in love with this dessert. Is that weird?

You're going to make someone very happy with this dish. Even if it's yourself. Because it's just that good.

P.S. Happy Friday :)

BANANA PUDDING FOR EVERYONE!!!

The Only Banana Pudding Recipe You'll Ever Need
Serves 8-10

4 very yellow bananas

2 cups of milk

1 package of vanilla instant pudding mix - MUST be vanilla

4 oz cool whip (half of a package)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (fat free will work!)

1 package of Nilla Wafers

Slice bananas thinly, then set aside. Combine milk, pudding mix, cool whip, and condensed milk in a large bowl and blend until even using an electric mixer. Once it's nice and combined, layer everything in another bowl in this order:

Pudding mixture

Banana slices

Nilla Wafers

Repeat until all ingredients are gone, then chill until ready to eat. Tastes great if chilled for at least 1-2 hours, even overnight.

Chopped Taco Salad

WOWZA! It's Thursday folks! Al...most...there....

BRING ON FRIDAY!

44 days. That's all I can say.

Well, that and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA{gasp}AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Deep breaths, deep breaths.


I'm at the SO-EXCITED-YET-SO-ANXIOUS phase. So excited about everything, yet scared to death it won't come together on time.

But it's okay! I hear this is normal?

Right?

Anyone?

I'll take it!

You know what calms me down? Food. Good food. Good food and good FOR you food.

I've been on a crazy Mexican food kick - which I might have mentioned in a previous post. A couple of weeks ago I was at work, pining away for tacos and quesadillas and burritos when BOOM. I get a text from a dear friend inviting me to eat Mexican a few days later. Joy. Pure joy.

I like to think things like that are God's way of just saying HEY -- but maybe that's just me.

Ever since then, that's all I've wanted to eat. Hence the two rounds of THESE TACOS and the abundance of chips, salsa and tortilla chips in my kitchen.

Monday night, however, I needed vegetables. I needed them BAD. And I didn't want them cooked, either. Cold, raw veggies that would cool us off inside and out during the humidity that hit The City this week.

I couldn't eat another plain salad though. I couldn't. I love salad, but after the gym that night -- I needed more.

MORE I TELL YOU! MORE!

As in Mexican.

Do you see where I'm going?

Boom. Yes - taco salad - with alllll the fixings.

I promise there are vegetables under there. LOTS of vegetables...Somewhere.

Proof! Here's a not-so-great picture -- without all of the toppings...if that's your thing (still delish):

Romaine lettuce, fresh corn, lean turkey meat, carrots, black beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream and lime juice = party in my tummy.

It was a good night that night.

As were the next three days/nights that I continued to make this.

Because of all of the veggies in this dish, it was still actually pretty healthy despite the sour cream and chips on top. But all in moderation, folks :)

I didn't measure anything in this dish, mainly because it's a salad and I always eyeball it (I've never once measured lettuce or tomato --- why start now?) - so the recipe below is simply a guesstimate. Chop and add to your heart's desire -- whatever you love on your salad!

I like to think of this as summer comfort food. Those days where you've just come from the gym and really DON'T care to work in an oven or over a stove? This is great.

Plus, BECAUSE it's so healthy --- ALL THE MORE REASON FOR DESSERT!!!

Baby cupcakes YEAH!!!!!


Anyway...make this. Salsa + sour cream = mouth watering good. I don't even know anymore.

Plus it's a really good way to prep for the scandal that shall be posted tomorrow...MWAH HA HA!


Note: This recipe is similar to THIS POST featuring Chicken Fiesta Salad. If you're not crazy about lean turkey or beef, I'd suggest the chicken! :)

Chopped Taco Salad
Serves 1-2

4 leaves Romaine lettuce

1/2 Roma tomato, sliced

1/2 pack of lean ground turkey meat (So sorry! I didn't note the ounces!)

1 can of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 ears of fresh corn (your preference - canned corn would work too, rinsed and drained)

1 tsp sour cream

1 lime, cut in half

Sprinkle of shredded carrots

Sprinkle of shredded fiesta cheese

Salsa, to taste

Chips, to taste

Steak sauce

Salt, Pepper, and Red pepper to taste

Chipolte Ranch dressing, to taste (I only used about a tsp - you don't need a lot of this)

Small pat of butter

Wash and dry your lettuce, then chop until it's in small pieces. Place in a bowl along with tomato slices, black beans and carrots (and corn, if using canned).

If using fresh corn, let it cook in skillet with a small pat of butter until done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once semi-cooled, add to salad bowl.

In another skillet, brown your lean turkey meat and season with a tad of salt, pepper and red pepper. Add a few dashes of steak sauce and crumble meat into small bits as it finishes cooking. Add half a squeeze of lime juice and let it cool.

Add your meat to the salad mixture, then top with shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream, then add one more squeeze of lime juice to top it off. Crumble chips on top, give it a nice stir, then enjoy.

Oh my, my, my....

My, oh my, people - we are getting close!

54 days if I'm not mistaken -- it's getting real. It's also feeling pretty surreal now that things are finally thankfully coming together! :D

I made a very short trip home on Thursday night so my mom and I could go to my last dress fitting before the wedding. Thankfully - after much fear, tears, and anxiety -  IT FIT and we brought that baby home! Afterward we celebrated at La Madeline (one of my favorites EVER!), talked about wedding music (which somehow made both of us cry), and picked up the INVITATIONS!!!!!! EEEK! :D

Saturday night was spent addressing invitations and sending out massive amounts of texts to gather addresses I forgot I DIDN'T already have.

This is what my dining room table looks like at the moment. Oops. Haha.

The cake topper came in -- and I can't wait to post a picture after the wedding --- and we have our engagement shots in just under two weeks -- which means I have a lot of running (literally) to do between now and then!

And on top of that - my awesome sister just got engaged last week! So the awesomeness is starting all over again - and it's going to be great. We're going dress shopping for HER wedding dress on Saturday, and I'm crazy excited.

But enough wedding talk! Let's talk about food - THAT'S a lot of fun.

Even more fun? Actually EATING the food I'm about to show you. Get ready. It basically rocks.

Ole'!

Because THAT seems wildly appropriate for tacos.

Summer = Tacos to me. Chicken tacos, beef tacos - I love it. I've been on a major Mexican food kick lately, and these fit the bill. So much that I made them twice in one week.

Yep, that happened. Only I didn't get pictures of the first round. They disappeared rather quickly.

That kind of happens when boys start eating with you.

NO COMPLAINTS HERE! :)

Originally I came across this recipe via on Pinterest, but I wanted to tweak it to make it my own. The meaty filling has a great flavor due to a mixture of lean beef, refried beans, tomato sauce, and steak sauce. We made 12 tacos and used only a pound of beef and half a can of beans, which came in handy when we decided to make them again!

Toppings are completely up to you - I would definitely recommend sour cream and guacamole!!! For some reason there's a shortage of "good" avocados in my area, so alas, we had to skimp on the guac. Surprisingly, though, the flavor was so great that we really didn't miss it!!!!

We topped ours with sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, lettuce and a nice blend of cheeses, then served it alongside fresh corn. Delish.

These really didn't take a long time at all to make - from start to finish it MIGHT have taken 15 minutes. I'd highly recommend for a busy weeknight supper.

Hope you enjoy these!

Pinterest Tacos
Serves 2-4

1 lb very lean beef (I used 93/7)

1/2 can of refried beans

1 -8oz can of tomato sauce

1 tbsp of steak sauce (more or less, to taste)

1 package of taco seasoning

1-2 squeezes of lime juice

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of Tony's

Dash of Mrs. Dash's chipotle seasoning

Shredded cheese of your choice, to taste

12 hard taco shells (flat bottom works great)

Toppings of your choice: sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, corn, hot sauce, etc.

Preheat oven to 400. Brown your beef until completely cooked, then add taco seasoning and steak sauce. Let the flavors soak in, then add beans and tomato sauce. Stir until completely combined, then add lime juice and other seasonings and stir.

Spoon beef into taco shells, then sprinkle cheese on top to taste. Place in a baking pan (I used a rectangle cake pan) and bake oven for about 5-8 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Remove from oven and let it cool slightly before adding toppings.