Recipe for making Taco/Enchilada Meat

It only takes 30-45 mintues, start to finish, for the enchiladas, not counting doing the dishes! (Of course, its like putting together the stereo cabinet that came in a kit ..... once you've done it a couple 100 times, it really does only take the amount of time that it claims on the instruction sheet!)

Read this over and then you decide .....

(Unsolicited feedback [email] found at the bottom of this page).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Hamburger (lean is much preferred)
• 1/2 Onion (use the whole thing if you want to), chopped or slushy.
  chopped (chunky - size varies; depending on what you like) - a knife works great here.
  slushy - food processor is easiest here. Flavors transfer better/faster this way.

  1 Green Bell Pepper (optional - cut in half and clean out seeds, then slice & dice to match the style of the onion)

• Chili Powder
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Crushed Red Pepper (optional - and you don't use a lot of this!!!)

• a whole lot of Ketchup, Catsup, or however you want to spell it (this is the secret ingredient!)
  
• some Salsa Sauce or Picante Sauce (optional, but recommended)
  
• 1 package of 10 flour tortia shells (10 inch) - (not the 12 inch and NOT the 'homestyle')
  

Cooking the Meat

Drain the Fat

Adding the Spices

• Add the Chili Powder. How much? Dunno!
  But, I cover all of the meat with it. (but don't get carried away).

  Salt comes next. How much? Dunno!

  But, only 2/3 of the amount that you used for the Chili Powder.

  Black Pepper is next. How Much? Yup, you guessed it... Dunno!

  But, it's only 1/3 the amount of the chili powder.

  *** Do you see the pattern here? Its a 3:2:1 ratio. ***

  Garlic Powder (if you have it and you want to use it).

  I suggest that you do use it. It gives the meat a subtle flavor that's hard to define but is delightful.

  Amount: about the same as the black pepper.

  Ketchup is next. Cover the meat with it, but don't get carried away. You can always put in a little more but it's tough to get it back out!

  Mix in the Onion and Green Pepper if you have them. If you have to give up something, give up the green pepper. The onion is a must for me. A half or a whole onion is up to you.

  Tips & Tricks: The finer chopped the onion and green pepper, the better their flavors will mix with the other spices and meat.

  IF you're BRAVE: Put a little picante/salsa sauce in the meat too. (not too much).
  

  IF you're REALLY BRAVE: Add a little crushed red pepper to the mixture.

Tacos

Enchiladas

• Roll the meat into the flour tortias... be generous.
  Roll the meat means: put a couple of table spoons of meat onto the toria shell, take one edge and roll the shell around the meat. You'll soon discover that you put the meat about 1/3 away from the edge that you are going to use to roll it up with .
• Place the rolled toria in a buttered pan*. Place the outer rolled edge on the bottom of the pan. Its own weight will keep it from going anywhere. Don't leave the lip of the toria exposed, because when you get all done, and try to get these lusious things out of the pan and onto a plate, you will end up trying to cut through the edge of the enchilada next to the one you are trying to get out. Or, you could end up unrolling an enchilada --- not a good thing to do! (This is also hard to explain, but if you do it wrong it won't take long for you to have figured out what I'm talking about!)
  *(cake pan or anything with a side... not a cookie sheet...must be larger than the 10 inch shell.
  Ahh, remember what I said about the 10 inch shells and NOT the 12 inch shells. If you got the wrong ones you'll know why now.)

  This 1 lb mixture will easily do 10 maybe 12 enchiladas, depending on how generous you were with the meat while rolling.

  Yes, your hands will touch the meat while rolling, and this will cause your hands to pick up the oders of the meat. You can get the oder out by using a lemon-based cleaner, like dish-washing soap, or better --- a fresh lemon. It is the lemon juice that takes the oder out. Personally I like the smell of the meat on my hands.... it'll last for a few days even if you wash your hands many times a day. The oder is like a bonus, you get to relive the experience of these delightful enchiladas for days and your mouth waters too!!! Now, where was I?

  Cover the shells with enchilada sauce. You might as well use the whole can (about 8oz). Then cover the shells/sauce with shredded cheese.**

  How much? Well, keep putting on cheese till everything is covered INCLUDING THE EDGES.

  (If you don't cover the edges with cheese they will turn brittle during the cooking process).

  **cheese is defined as: Natural Mild Cheddar. You can use processed cheese if you're despirate, but it changes some of the rules. You'll probably end up needing at least a 1 lb. brick of cheese. Pull out the 'Nuckle-Buster' and shred the whole thing. (If you have left over cheese when you get done with the enchiladas, the remainder is always useful in omletts, cheese sandwiches, cassarolles, just let your mind go wild!)

  Place pan(s) into a PRE-HEATED oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, till the cheese has melted together,

  and it looks great,

  and your mouth is watering,

  and the kids/spouse/guests knock you out of the way.

  Two of these things make a meal!

  Add a little sour cream,

  picante/salsa sauce (to taste),

  and/or chopped lettuce,

  pray for deliverance

  and dig in!!!

Good Luck!

Duane...you saved me tonight. Had the Taco shells, had the ingredients, had the hamburger meat..but I forgot
the bottled Taco sauce....a quick search of the WEB and ta-taa...There's your wonderful recipe. BTW, I'm
thanking before I get the stuff going, but it sounds delicious.

Thanks again,
Bill

Bill ....
Sure hope everything turned out OK.
The way I wrote the recipe is the same way I cook it.... :-) Sounds
a little crazy, but I've found the the only way to mess it up is to put
too much of something in there.

Let me know how it turned out.
(By the way, this recipe is one that my brother and I used/perfected
while we were students at Utah State University, about 20+ years ago!
Only difference is that the original recipe was for cooking up 90 pounds
of hamburger! I had to cut it down a little bit!)

Duane :-)

Duane,

The Taco's turned out PERFECT! I thank you, and teens who are eating monsters thank you. This is one recipe that stays IN my cookbook!

Thanks again,
Bill

PS: And who says you don't learn anything in college?