~Autumn Evelyn: Taco Salad Bowls and Tortilla Chips

Because fancy CAN be quick, and so can fun! We have some sort of Mexican meal charade every Monday, so how do you switch it up? It all lies in the tortillas!

I buy a pack of Costco tortillas, which run $4 for 40 “Burrito Style” large rounds, which are the cheapest way to do it, bar none! We make burritos, chimichangas, fry them up flat for tostadas, cut them in half, stuff them, and roll them up reeeeally tight, then fry them and call them taquitos! We also make tortilla chips! It is cheaper than buying a bag of premade tortilla chips, it is in contact with less preservatives and salt, it is also more filling and made with better ingredients, and they are MUCH sturdier! You want a chip that was MADE to load on the dip?! That's my House Tortilla Chips! You can also make cutesy little bowls out of them and fill them to the brim with 7-layer dip, or a taco salad!

House Tortilla Chips

Yeild: 8 chips per tortilla, 1-2 tortillas per person is usually sufficient!

Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

Tortillas

Salt to taste

Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Count out how many tortillas you need to feed the mouths at the table. Stack and cut them, four at a time works best, with a pizza cutter or even a butter knife! Cut them like you would a pizza; half width-wise, half height-wise, half at a 45* angle, half at a -45* angle! Voila, 8 pieces! On ungreased cookie sheets, lay out your little triangles, try to cram as many onto one tray without stacking them! Now take a brush and dab it in oil, lightly coat each chip with a little oil. (I have baked without oil, which works just fine, oil is just, well...better!) Now sprinkle a light layer of salt over the tray, one cookie sheet is usually due for about 2 teaspoons of salt, but you can do more or less as you like! At this stage you can fancy it up with some paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, a little bit of lime juice splashed on top, or lemon pepper! Or not! They are SO GREAT by themselves! Last step is to stick them in that oven for 10 minutes, start watching at 8 minutes though, in a convection oven or with slightly smaller tortilla rounds, they are prone to burning!

MMMMMM! Fresh out of the oven chips!!! YEAH. That's what I'm talkin' bout!

House Tortilla Bowls

Yeild: 2 bowls per tortilla, 1-2 tortillas per person is usually sufficient!

Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

Tortillas

Salt to taste

Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Count out how many tortillas you need to feed the mouths at the table. Stack and cut them, four at a time works best, with a pizza cutter or even a butter knife! This time, only cut them in half once! Take the corners of each half-round and bring them together, pull one edge a little past the other, forcing a fold in the tortilla. Stuff it in its cone-like shape into a muffin tin, pressing on the bottom to try to achieve a flat-bottomed bowl, and no worries, every fold in that bowl is a welcome guest. Use a VERY light smattering of oil if you would like, I personally think it make the bowls cook better! You can also add a dash of salt to the whole muffin tin of tortilla bowls, but it is not necessary and I usually skip because a taco salad is my typical goal. Then just stick those muffin trays in the oven for 10 minutes, watching again at 8 of course! You can use corn tortillas for chips or bowls, they need a little extra time in the oven, and they harden up more after you take them out of the oven and let them rest a bit. Do not use oil with corn tortillas, they will NEVER harden that way!