Taco Casserole


My grandma sure had a lot of recipes that I’ve never tasted!_


The recipe called for a 3 oz. bag of tortilla chips, but I could only find a 14 oz. bag. I guessed a good amount. Another thing that I did differently is that I added_jalapeños. I thought it would add a little more taco flavor. It was difficult for me to do, because I have a slight fear of handling raw peppers. I have two, valid, reasons.


Reason 1: On our honeymoon in Mexico, I ordered extra queso on my nachos. There was a little bit of a language barrier, and I was drinking. When my nachos came to our beach chair (heck yes, we were on a beach with waiters taking orders), there was an extra bowl of yellow stuff with my order. I just assumed that it was cheese. My sunglasses and blood-alcohol level prevented me from noticing that it wasn’t cheese-consistency. I dipped an entire chip into it… and put the whole chip in my mouth. My mouth was on FIRE. I later found out that it was really a mix of ground up habanero peppers &_jalapeño_peppers. I had to chug down my fishbowl margarita.


Reason 2: I once had a fondue party and used fresh_jalapeños_in my cheese. I chopped the peppers by hand. Much later in the night (and after many hand washings), I wiped my eye. There was fire in my eye after that. Those two experiences had me nervous with the handling of the_jalapeños_tonight. I used tongs.


The food was good. It is something I would make for a party as a finger food, instead of a meal. I would also add more cheese next time. My husband likes it enough to serve as a meal. I guess it depends on your preferences.


I wanted to share something nice that happened to me today, since this is a blog about my grandmother’s food. Today, my aunt came to visit my cousin and me at work. (I work with one of my cousins from the other side of my family) She had a bracelet made from roses on my grandmother’s casket to give to me. So very sweet of her. I wore it as I cooked today._


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1 pound ground beef, 1 envelope taco seasoning mix, 1 can tomato sauce, 1_1/2 cups water, 1 bag (3oz) baked tortilla corn chips, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.


Sauté_meat lightly in skillet. Add taco seasoning mix, tomato sauce, and water. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes uncovered. Add baked tortilla chips. Mix carefully without breaking chips. Pour into a 2 inch deep by 8 inch round or square baking dish. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.


You may add 1/2 of grated cheddar cheese.



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