Taco Shells "Guerro" Style

So, this is where you start. Corn tortillas from the store...not the uncooked ones, but the soft ones.....heat a skillet pretty hot with a bit of oil. Then do this........................

Once you have this started, maybe you can settle this (monkey #4 likes to have our full attention as soon as we get home)................

OK, so I got that problem settled, well distracted to say the least....and then you have to fold your taco shell so it makes that little cup thing.........once you hold it there for approximately 20-30 seconds it will get all nice and brown then do drop it on to a paper towel to drain.....and you'll get this. (below)

Anyway, fill with whatever taco meat you have prepared, with some cheese, avacado, lettuce, green (or red) onion, sour cream and of course Tapatio. (I'm currently out)

Enjoy!

Easy as cake, piece of pie

1/2 pkg egg noodles
1 can tuna
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

OK, so cook your noodles, do cheese while that cooks and pre-heat oven to 350. mix cooked noodles, tuna (drained), soup and most of the cheddar in a bowl. Place all of that in a cooking pan (those loaf shaped ones are the best) and top with a butt-load of cheese. Put in oven for about 20-30 minutes (until cheese begins to brown) and remove from oven.

Tuna casserole is one of the ultimate comfort foods, especially on a rainy day.

Enjoy!

Tips to remember when baking late at night

First of all, this is why I don't bake. Too much to freakin' remember. I've already got A.D.O.D. (Attention Deficit Obsessive Disorder...yes, I made it up)

OK, so I'm supposed to be making some damn cupcakes for my kids' pre-school/daycare Valentine's Party.....thought it would be cute to make them in this tray that J bought for another project. Tray is too shallow and it just wasn't working. So, I put the cake batter in a cake pan to make a cake....GREAT, not like I wrote anything down for Monkey #3's class....but it was in writing that I was bringing something for #4's class. I go to make the frosting and I realized I didn't buy enough butter......dammit! It's 11:30 p.m. I'm going to the store to buy some damn frosting......f-it! (sorry for the strong language)

By the way, the cake is from scratch and the batter tasted dang good.

Frittata (repeat offender)

So, this morning, I was trying to think of a way to make these fritattas more filling. The first time I made one, I used potatoes and sausage. No one really liked it that much. Today's wasn't much different, but I wanted to share it with you "three".

8 eggs, beaten
1T Veggie oil
1T EVOO
1/3C Milk
Handful of Spinach
1 Potato diced (optional)
1/2 sm onion, diced (optional)
1/2-1C grated cheese (your choice, I used sharp cheddar)
garlic salt
pepper

Dice onion and potato, toss in skillet until potato is cooked through. (season with garlic salt and pepper to taste) Place potato in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs, add EVOO and milk and mix well. Pour eggs into pre-heated 10" skillet, until eggs set somewhat. Add potatoes, onion and spinach...let spinach settle....then add cheese.....put in oven (350 degrees...right?) for about 7-10 minutes, remove when cheese is barely brown. Slide it on to a cutting board to cool for a few minutes so the cheese is easier to cut and serve.

My kids call it "eggie pizza" and love fritattas. At any rate, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Later!

Chicken Fried Rice.......mmmmmmmmmmmmm

I made fried rice tonight but didn't have many of these ingredients.....still turned out OK. By the way, you can do this with tofu, shrimp, pork or whatever you want to put in there.

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1T Vegetable Oil
2 diced carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas (unless you have fresh)
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 egg
3 chopped green onion
1-3T Soy Sauce (I prefer low sodium)

Dice chicken breasts and place them in a bowl with a small amount of soy sauce for about 30 minutes before cooking or while you heat the skillet/wok. Heat wok/skillet with oil, toss in minced garlic and before it starts burning toss in chicken, once chicken begins to brown, throw in carrots and chopped green onion. Once carrots begin to sweat a little, throw in other veggies (did I mention you should be cooking your rice by now....in fact the rice should just about be ready) When chicken is nice an browned, your rice should be done....spoon rice into wok (add a little more oil, if needed) and mix well....I like to do that chef toss thing with the wok/skillet...it makes me feel good about cooking...like I'm doing something. Make a little coliseum with the rice so there is a space for the egg on the pan....crack egg right into the skillet/wok and then start working the egg into the rice...watch it cook before your eyes...ooohh...aaaahhhh.....add soy sauce and mix it in well......

Cheat code: pick up some rice at the Chinese take out place on the way home from work.

Fun garnish: Once you're done chopping your green onion, take the white ends...cut off the hairs, then do a criss cross cut in the white portion...place in a bowl of cold water and watch them bloom like little flowers (Thank you, Wolfgang Puck for the idea) You'll impress your friends and the kids think they're cute.

Penne Pasta w/ Cajun Hot Links and Chipotle Shrimp

Holy Moly! This is one HAWT little number. I got addicted to Food Network's Next TV Food Star series a year or so ago and thought that Guy Fieri was going to win. He did. Anyway, on his show, he brought it with the title recipe.
I have slowly been amassing the ingredients needed to make this luscious looking dish. There will also be a challenge on figuring out what to feed #3 & #4. They won't eat anything but eggs, oatmeal and cheerios...oh wait....Mac 'N Cheese too. (that was the main dish this evening.) On top of that my wonderful wife wasn't so sure about it, but I think I've talked about it enough that she's willing to go with me on this one.
Maybe next year, I will try to get on that show and become the next Bobby Flay....he's a hack.....kidding....he's only like my favorite chef. He would eat Jack Bauer for lunch.

Editor's Note (2/6/2007): Due to a recent bout of Stomach Flu after eating a hot link sandwich, the Caddywampus Cafe will NOT be including this dish on their menu. It looks great and still sounds great, but we do not want to irresponsibly upset any stomachs.