one thing I’ve started doing recently which is soooooooooooo quick and easy as hell is making my own homemade corn tortillas. 1000% better then any store bought, and so easy I wonder how i ever didn’t do this.
the variety is endless…battered fish tacos, shrimp tacos, scallop tacos, lamb tacos, goat tacos, crocodile tacos, elk tacos, bean tacos. I can’t get sick of them because you can mix up the flavor profiles so much. korean bbq tacos to creole tacos to mediterranean tacos to middle eastern tacos… they are the perfect fusion food delivery method.
I’ve always made my own southwest flat breads that i pile with beans and homemade salsa and cheese, but these are easier and quicker and so versatile.
2 cups masa harina corn flour
1 1/4 cup warm water from the tea kettle
1 pinch of sea salt
mix well in a bowl, If dough is too sticky, add more flour; if it begins to dry out add a little water. after well mixed cover and let sit for 15-30min.
divide and roll into balls, depending on desired size of tortilla, pinball to golfball size.
press or roll flat, and cook on a hot skillet or griddle with a little coconut oil.
they cook very quickly, a few minutes.
plate and add filling of your choice.
add lots and lots of cheese.
enjoy.
(I also make plantain flour tortillas using roughly the same recipe…they rock with grilled chayote and corn for savory, or coconut flour battered fried bananas and powdered sugar for a sweet desert)
Perhaps more to the point: I usually use avocado oil for sauteing in Latin American recipes. Wouldn’t that be just as good, if not better, than coconut oil?
If you have a good source of avocado oil then yes that would be great, good avocado oil typically has a high smoke point and light flavor.
Unfortunately the only avocado oil I can get where i am now (british columbia canada) has a low smoke point and is very very green in color and strongly flavored and half the time is rancid…when it isn’t rancid it is great on salads, not so much for cooking alas.
So I use coconut oil because i can get high quality reliably, and it doesn’t impart any flavor that is going to mess up my tacos. Occasionally I’ll use bacon fat or lard or ghee. Please use whatever works best for you…you are quite fortunate to have access to good avocado oil!
I keep a good sized block of home made ramen broth in the freezer. I break off chunks to deglaze pans and whatnot. Though, had I been smarter, I’d have just frozen it into ice cubes in the first place.
Of course, it’s based on the David Chang recipe based on Kombu and Bacon, so do what you like with that…
If you go through all the effort to find Benton’s bacon to use, it’s a total pain.
If you’re like me and grab a decent bag of bacon off-cuts, it’s totally easy.
And exactly as delicious as you’d hope.
Good luck!
We had to give up our Costco membership. Apart from the crowds that made me homicidal, we’d spend $400-$600 a trip on I don’t even know what! Sure, yes, its nice to be able to buy an entire prime rib roast… but its just the two of us and thats a lot of beef! And no, I don’t need an entire case of chickpeas or six giant tubes of toothpaste! Bah!
I recently found this on youtube and I really want to see the companion book!
Every once in awhile I see articles in local papers or food magazines where Famous Chefs or local restaurateurs are asked about their favorite burger. Almost to a one, they inevitably say that American cheese is the only cheese for a burger. It melts perfectly, it coats the burger without getting oily and grainy the way cheddar does, and is the perfect slice.
You do have to be careful at places like that. It’s easy to think “what a great price” and forget that it’s not such a deal if you only eat half of it.
But if you split cases of stuff with your friends and neighbors, or have a family, or have to buy in bulk for socializing purposes – snacks for your kids’ sports games, etc. – it’s worth it. Especially because the corporate model is ethical, so you’re supporting a good business that values its workers.
Office supplies, from refilling printer cartridges to checks, are significantly cheaper than other places. Gas can be as much as $0.60 cheaper per gallon than at normal gas stations. Good wine, at cheap wine prices. It’s not just food! And let’s not forget the cash-back at the end of the year.
But basically, you have to go in with a list, you have to really think before you put something in your cart, and it can’t be your only source of groceries. Also, don’t shop there on the weekends!
I like costco for frozen stuff, some meat & cheese, spices and occasional gadgetry. I find that with our Costco, I must must must be price-savvy. It is not always a deal. So I have to be on my toes. I hate their produce. It’s terrible. I don’t even like their wine because they don’t have what I like. One nice find was that I bought a new suitcase there and nobody else around here could even touch the price and it was good quality. Oh yeah and gasoline is consistently cheaper than everywhere else.
