Saturday, September 14, 2013

Taco Boats


    I have found my new favorite go-to meal for my family. It's fun, versatile, and takes less than thirty minutes start to finish to get on the table. The best part is that it caters to everybody and
their particular tastes. I call them Taco Boats. Now I will walk you through how I make my quick and easy Taco meat but if you have your own family favorite than feel free to use that. The key here is the idea of the boats.

What you need:

93% Lean Ground Beef - 1 lb
McCormick's Mild Taco Seasoning
Water
Small Tortillas (corn or wheat) - 6
Mexi-Mix Cheese
Skillet (I prefer my Cast Iron one)
Jumbo Muffin Pan
Toppings (Lettuce, Tomatoes, Taco Sauce, Sour Cream Guacamole, Etc.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start by browning your beef in the skillet on medium heat. I always use a fork and the back of my wooden spatula to sort of pull the meat apart so it gets nice and crumbly and then I put a lid on it and let the meat cook in its own juices for a few minutes before tossing it around a bit. 

Keep repeating the process until the meat is nice and brown and when you break a chunk apart there is no pink in the middle.
My family personally doesn't like the extra grease that you can see, so I drain it off the top.


 At that point I drain the fat out and down the disposal (run some hot water immediately down the disposal and run it so you don't have any issues later down the line with your pipes :D). The back of the McCormick's Package calls for 3/4 Cup of water and the whole pack of seasoning. If your family likes strong flavors that is fine but my family has found that that amount is too much for the toddler's stomach to handle so I use half the package and 1/2 a cup of water. Add that to the meat and stir it around and leave uncovered. The meat is done when the juice has thickened up.

While all of this is happening I wrap my six tortillas up in a paper towel and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. when they come out they are soft enough to mold. Push them into the muffin cups like little liners.


Once the meat is done spoon some meat into the tortillas until about 1/3 full.















                   Top with some Mexi-Mix Cheese and pop into the oven.











 I only bake it for about 5-10 minutes. It is enough to melt the cheese and crisp up the edges of the tortillas. While they are baking put the rest of  your toppings in bowls and heat up some more tortillas if wanted. Pull out the plates, napkins, drinks and call the family together.

Do you see the delish crisp on the edges?

Pull the boats right out of the muffin pan and place on a serving tray or directly on their plates.
Our Cat Sgt Sasha scheming how to get her paws on one...

 There is enough room for your family to put their toppings right into the boats and eat with their hands. The best part? It has a little crisp at the top but the bottom is still like a soft taco. and there is enough meat left over to make actual tacos still if your family has that one picky member. :)
Obviously I have some crazy characters in my little world :D
I found him in the fridge one day like a preggo...Apparently he was hot.
Random Pic of your day :)

My son eats his boat with his "poon" because he likes to feel like a big boy but I love diving into them without silverware. They make great appetizers for the football parties or you can dress them up with chicken for the holiday get together's too! The versatility of these are really what I love about them.
One meal, Three ways. My kind of cooking!

This is a recurring theme on this blog and we all know it by now but "family comes first". This meal is quick and easy, it caters to the picky tastes of every one in your family, and you can easily enlist the help of your little ones in the kitchen so they learn about responsibility and you get time with them all at the same time. What more could you ask out of a meal? I know we have enjoyed this new little gem and experimenting with it and I hope you will enjoy it too!






Best Wishes,
Jules and Monkey