Boiled Ground Beef
Crowd pleaser · 60 min · serves 12
I will never cook ground beef in a pan again. Boiled ground beef is the way to go! When you boil it, the fat melts off flavoring the water and thus the beef - so you end up with all the flavor of pan seared beef without the drippy, messy fat that you know is going to drip down your arms, permanently stain your favorite shirt, and make your tummy upset later.
- 3 lb ground beef (go 80% fat/cheap)
- 3 oz taco seasoning
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 tbsp jalapeno puree
- 1-2 tbsp onion powder
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Place ground beef in a large pot
- 02Add water to pot - enough to cover the beef by several inches
- 03Using your hands (or a masher), break up the beef*
- 04Add the taco seasoning
- 05Turn heat to high
- 06Once boiling, turn heat to medium to keep a simmer
- 07Simmer for 45 mins
- 08Strain water and add beef back to pot, no heat
- 09Add remaining ingredients and taste test *I find I have more control with my hands over a masher; whatever shape/size the beef is now is the shape/size it will cook into, so make sure to break it up well; this part is pretty gross - the water will turn a pink color - that's normal/expected
Orange Salsa
Taco Tuesday · 2 hr 30 min (mostly chilling) · serves 12
I wanted to make a sweeter salsa to go with my Cinco de Mayo dinner and this fit the bill. I dug through online recipes and asked ChatGPT for help to come up with my rendition of orange salsa. I asked my house cleaner to try it - she originally said no because she wasn't hungry, but once I said it was homemade she gave in and tried it - said it tasted just like a restaurant and then proceeded to eat half my afternoon snack!
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 small shallot, peeled
- 2 (12 oz) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 navel orange, segmented and pith removed
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 stems cilantro
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Preheat oven to 425 F
- 02Remove seeds from jalapenos and reserve
- 03Roast seeded jalapenos and shallot at 425 F until slightly charred, about 20 mins
- 04Add the roasted vegetables, reserved jalapeño seeds, and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend to desired consistency
- 05Taste test, adjust, and blend further as needed
- 06Chill in fridge for about 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate
Avocado Crema
Taco Tuesday · 5 min · serves 4
I'm a big fan of everything avocados and guacamole (I know, my millennial is showing, but love me some avocado toast!) To make this crema, I start with the same ingredients for guacamole and then add some sour cream or yogurt - then some sort of science happens that keeps the final product looking gorgeously green for days instead of hours. I made this for shredded beef tacos one night and ended up with some leftover crema - it was still the same pretty green the following evening when I ate it again for dinner! Unclear if it lasts longer than that because it was gone at that point...
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Peel, pit, and roughly slice avocado
- 02Add ingredients to a mixing bowl
- 03Using a hand mixer, beat ingredients together until smooth