Tonight’s supper is an old favorite of Linton and Kate’s! Taco Salad! There is not really a recipe, it’s more about bringing together all your favorite ingredients – and they can vary greatly from cook to cook – or family to family! Our taco salad is an easy fix, something to have on a rushed evening – when there was a basketball game or play practice to attend – not something that’s on the agenda any more! Browned hamburger seasoned with chili and cumin is one of the hardest steps in making this salad! Everything else is opening a can, shredding some cheese, washing the lettuce! I do insist on homemade guacamole – which you can find in a previous blog.
The building of a taco salad is an art in our household – no two people make their salad alike! All ingredients are placed in separate bowls and each person concocts their dinner according to their preferences. Of course the correct way to fix a taco salad, my way!, is to start with a nice bed of salad greens. Next comes my seasoned hamburger – then the cheese, so it can melt just a bit. Tomatoes are next, then black olives and a bit of salsa. If you need a recipe for salsa try my fresh tomato salsa. Three dollops are the crowning piece de resistance – sour cream, refried beans and guacamole! Served with tortilla chips it is so good – a burst of flavors in every bite! And even though I have instructed my family in the proper way of making a taco salad, being the very independent souls that they are, filled with ingenuity and stubbornness, they cling to their design. Kate makes small little piles of ingredients – with no lettuce. Taco salad and no lettuce – I’m still pondering on that one! Linton, bless his dear little heart, does not eat guacamole – or at least not in previous years. He missed out on the best part! Ritchey is not as particular of the order of his ingredients – dare I say he puts his hamburger on the plate first? Ah, what can I do with them? Just love them I suppose! How do you like your taco salad?
And now after that bit of silliness – I was tagged by Linda at Savoring Every Bite for the 10 Question Quiz:
1. Describe yourself in seven words.
I love life with Ritchey, Linton, Kate! That about sums it up – even though we are all alike in many ways, our differences make life very interesting! We love Renaissance Faires, Tolkien conventions, food, music, the beach, books, gardening, being green, traveling and genealogy (I must admit this is mostly me!).
2. What keeps you up at night?
Not a thing, once my head hits the pillow that’s it till morning!
3. Who would you like to be?
No one but myself! I love being who I am and where I am in my life.
4. What are you wearing now?
Jeans, a shirt and sweater – it’s cold here in Kentucky!
5. What scares you?
Nothing really. I’m concerned about the economy and the unconcernedness of the world and people in general today. I wish people cared more, were more passionate about what they felt and believed in, were more anxious to stand up for what is right.
6. What is the best and worst things of blogging?
The best – I love all the people I’ve met, the new friends I’ve made. I so enjoy reading your blogs – and have learned so much from you! The worst – I think everyone has the same answer – the time it takes! I write two genealogy blogs a day and a food blog a couple of times a week. I wish there were more hours in a day!
7. What was the last website you looked at?
My genealogy website!
8. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
To become a minimalist.
9. Slankets, yes or no?
No.
10. Tell us something about the person who tagged you.
Even though I am not Italian – unless you go very far back into history – Linda and I must be related. Our way of cooking is so similar. I’ve made so many of her recipes and they turn out lovely – the flavors and seasonings are just perfect! Her photos are exquisite – you can almost eat from the pages of her blog! I have learned so much from her!
Who are you going to tag to join the quiz?
Karen – Back Road Journal
Cecilia – The Kitchens Garden
Greg and Katherina – Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide
Caroline – Sweet Caroline’s Cooking
Joanne – Fifteen Spatulas
foodflowersherbsandlife 
Phyliis, I LOVE taco salad! I am not much on pre-made anything – especially for baked goods – but you really must try the taco bowls from I think Azteck?—so good! I like taco salad in the bowl much better than same with chips on the side. Try it! For years I would suggest taco salad for supper and my husband never thought it was a good idea. One night, I just made one. He fell in love with it and didn’t realize how good it could be! The baked bowl shell is *a must* in our household. I usually take the freshly baked bowls from the oven and first add a blend of Mexican cheeses, topped with the hot seasoned hamburger…sprinkle on more cheese over that to fully take advantage of the heat in the hamburger mixture to melt the cheese — then I add sliced iceburg lettuce and sliced green onions to make a bed for the cubed tomatoes, sliced black olives, pepper concoctions of varied kinds—-anything you want! Top with more cheese then a hefty dollop of sour cream! I usually add cut up avocado on top/mixed in with lettuce and the rest (I don’t bother with the mix—just use fresh avocado); two other must-haves in our house are lime wedges and cilantro! I feel I may be leaving something out, but this is the gist of it for us. Husband became an instant convert the first time he experienced a taco salad this way and it is still a welcome treat in our house.
Donna, those bowls sound great! Will have to try them! Coming warm from the oven they are bound to be very tasty filled with the salad! There is lime juice in my guacamole, but a little extra wouldn’t hurt! And how about a margarita to go with it! Forgot to mention that!
Yes, Phyllis—you must try those bowls. For something store bought/ready-made, they are quite good! And the lime juice the way we serve it does extra duty if we have an unexpected wait before eating—squeeze some on the avocado to keep it from turning. Hmmmmm! We haven’t had margaritas with this before, but I think you’ve just completed the menu! ; )
Diced green chile peppers and a favorite salsa is also among our favorite additions.
I really do love a good taco salad, Phyllis. I always start out with such a nicely arranged salad, everything in its own little section. Two minutes later and it’s Armageddon. Can I help it if everything tastes so good when mixed together? 🙂
Oh mine is soon mixed, too! But at least it starts out beautiful! Ha!
Oh, I did this so often when my kids were young! Easy to throw together, and everyone ate only the parts they liked, so no battles… These days, I’m more likely to order it for lunch in a restaurant…Might have to re-think that!
You should! It still a great supper – and a treat if it’s been a while since you’ve had one!
Slankets No! I love your answers. Also, tacos are the same way in our house. We never build them the same way, so I can relate to different taco salads. It’s an art!
Not only an art, but so much fun, too!
So nice to learn more about you and find even more things we have in common!! True we are not of the same heritage but food and also other habits are very much in common! Thanks for your very kind comment. Taco salads are a favorite with my kids and me too. We can make them up to exactly how we like them…my son more on the meat and my daughter and I on the veggie parts!!
Thank you! It is nice to have someone that thinks along the same line with cooking – I know I will always enjoy any of your recipes!
Mmmm taco salad. One of those things that I just crave from time to time and must have. Thanks for tagging me!!!
You’re very welcome!
My problem with taco salads is I can never decide if eating the whole salad was healthier than just eating a few tacos…they’re always so good I can’t stop. 😉
That IS a problem, isn’t it? Let’s just tell ourselves it is a salad, it is healthy. Period!
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