Happy Monday and Easy Beef Taco Recipe

I am going to make you read through my randomness before I give you the recipe for tacos.

Hehehe...

Unless you are thinking that tacos are a no-brainer and "who needs a recipe?" so you will just skip this post altogether. Then the jokes on me. But in the off chance that you are bored at work or blissfully retired (Hi Georgia!) and need something to do (or just think I'm interesting...ha), why don't you let me ramble for a little while?! Thank you!


Today is Monday. However, I am having a surprisingly good day for a Monday...for several reasons (you knew a list was coming, didn't you? It was inevitable):

• I haven't had a cigarette in 8 days. Hooray for me! I'm feeling good.
• I got up at 6 AM and exercised today. For real. Me, Lindsey. Seriously. Steve and I are doing the Couch-to-5K running plan and today was day number 1. It kicked my behind but I am proud of us for getting out of bed and doing it (especially after a long weekend!). 
• As a reward to myself I ordered 2 new pair of yoga pants. Exciting! 
• I am hosting several lovely ladies tonight for book club. I am making PW's Asian Noodle Salad, and my own Chicken Satay skewers with peanut dipping sauce. I was hoping that the weather would be nice so we could sit out on the deck and sip wine by the fire, but I just looked out the window and it is pouring rain...boo hoo. 
• I hosted Steve's kids for dinner again last night. It was Father's day, and I didn't want him to have to cook...plus, they actually asked if they could come over to my house! That's a good sign, right?! I made tacos (hence the impending taco recipe), and the kids devoured them. We went through 2.5 pounds of ground beef. I couldn't believe it. Chris (the oldest - 12 years old) told me that they were better than a $50 steak dinner. Um, THANK YOU! It's too bad that the boys only ate the meat and cheese...but at least Katie had lettuce on hers.
• Last random tidbit: The kids (with the help of their mom) recently adopted a 4 year old lab mix from Animal Allies (his name is Tick), and they brought him over to meet Kempton and I. He is super cute and a lot like Kempton (who is also an adopted mix). We took the dogs for a nice long walk and they got along great. Tick follows Chris around like Kempton follows me. I love it. The kids are crazy about him, and I just think it is such a great thing...dogs are good for kids and kids are good for dogs, and to adopt an animal from a shelter is a tremendous and very admirable deed. It gives me the warm fuzzies! 
• I'll shut up now and post the recipe. Just one more thing: I know that these tacos are quick and dirty and mostly made from pre-packaged food (which I try to use sparingly), but don't hate - these are for nights when you just got into town from being at the cabin all weekend long, and you are trying to cook, clean, and prep for a book club gathering that you are hosting the following night, but your boyfriend's children (who you only recently met) ask to come over and hang out with you, so you agree to make them dinner because it is Father's day and you don't want their dad to have to cook all evening. Amen.

Easy Beef Tacos (serves 50. 2 adults and 3 hungry children. Recipe can easily be cut in half)

• 2.5 lbs of ground beef
• One packet of store bought taco seasoning (like Ortega), or 3 Tablespoons of this homemade taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup of Ortega taco sauce (mild if you are serving it to those with delicate taste buds, otherwise I would use medium)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 12 hard shell corn tortillas
• shredded cheese (I used the pre-packaged taco variety. I know. I feel ashamed. Some day I will get organized and not have to take shortcuts. Today is not that day...and evidently yesterday wasn't that day either)
• shredded lettuce (no, I didn't go buy a bag of shredded lettuce, but only because I had some romaine hearts that I chopped up)
• chopped tomatoes
• sour cream
• taco sauce or salsa

Brown the ground beef over medium heat, drain the grease. Reduce heat to low. Stir in a half cup of hot water (if I wasn't cooking for children, I would have used beer), the taco seasoning, and the taco sauce. While this is heating through and the flavors are mixing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When preheated, put the taco shells on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes. Assemble tacos and top with whatever fixings you like! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe