Crispy Goodness

Wow - each Monday has been rolling around very quickly here in my house!! I thought I would have time to post more often than once a week, but even that frequently is proving a challenge. My little family cannot seem to stay well at the same time. My littlest peanut has an ear infection that just won't quit. He's now on two antibiotics at once and seems to be feeling better after six days. His favorite food to make is waffles - a chip off his grandfather's block. I indulged him a few days ago when he was suffering with a 104-degree fever.

When I was little, my dad used to make waffles for my sister and me on the weekends with lots of butter and lots of syrup warmed in a brown pottery crock in the microwave. I liked to be sure that each little well of the waffle had its own puddle of butter and syrup. It's hard for me to resist doing that now when I make waffles for my own children!

Speaking of indulgences, have you ever fried your own tortillas for tacos? If you have never tried it, you are really missing out!! See the crispy, delicious treats below? They are incredibly simple and sooo tasty! All you do is heat oil on the stove and gently lay a corn tortilla in the oil. Let it sizzle until it is golden brown on one side and then flip it to the other side with kitchen tongs. There is probably a fancy technique for getting a good curve in the middle so it looks like a taco shell, but I just bend the tortilla with my tongs and hold it in the oil in that shape until it holds. Lay the tortillas to drain on dish towels and sprinkle with salt. If cooked just right, they are crispy on the outside with a chewy inside.



I like to tell my food to say, "Cheese!" when I take pictures. The taco shells really like that.


So, here's the quick recipe for homemade taco shells:

Corn tortillas
Peanut or vegetable oil
Salt

Heat the oil - I didn't use a thermometer - just turned my electric burner to 9. When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, it's hot enough. Gently lower one tortilla into the oil and when it's golden on the underside, flip to the other side. Remove when just barely golden on both sides if you want it to stay a little chewy. If you want it crunchy, then leave it in longer. You can experiment to find the texture you like best. Sprinkle salt on the tortillas just after removing them so it can stick to the hot oil. Let cool and enjoy!

These would probably be yummy with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top instead of salt. That's for another day...