Taco Dinner

Laura recalls that her first dinner at the Buckley household was taco dinner. What an introduction to the Buckley family! I suppose it could have been worse. In any case, Laura learned of the need to fend for yourself if you wanted the "good" taco toppings, or, for that matter, anything in our household.

When we were kids, Mom always made tacos the same way--ground beef, hard taco shells, and a buffet of toppings. Mom would use a standard taco seasoning packet that you can find at just about any grocery store.  I have recently started using Trader Joe's taco seasoning, and it seems to be the best. Mom did have a secret seasoning--Worcestershire sauce--that she added to the meat with the taco seasoning. Worcestershire sauce has always been a mystery to me. I do not understand its contents, but it always makes dishes tastier.

Mom always used hard taco shells and I usually end up unintentionally breaking the shells and needing a fork to eat the fallout. But there is something satisfying about the crunch of a taco. As for toppings, there was always chopped iceberg lettuce, chopped fresh tomato, cheese and sour cream. The cheese would often be just sliced American cheese, cut up to be like shredded cheese. I don't remember any other toppings as part of the dinner, but I could be wrong.

Taco Dinner

• 1 package hard taco shells
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• iceberg lettuce
• tomato
• shredded cheese
• sour cream

Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Add the taco seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and turn heat to low. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings by chopping the lettuce and tomato. Arrange the ingredients as a buffet for taco assembly. Enjoy!

French Toast

Megan recently reminded us of Mom's french toast. Breakfast was often an on-your-own meal, but sometimes Mom would make french toast. Mom would especially make french toast for Noah. Mom recently said that it was her attempt to diversify Noah's diet, which primarily consisted of mac & cheese and M&Ms. I doubt french toast actually adds much diversity to such a diet. But french toast sure tastes good.

French toast is made from simple ingredients that are probably sitting around your house--bread, eggs, milk, a little sugar. Other ingredients could be used to fancy up the french toast. MDS and I recently had french toast at Mexique in Chicago, which used a tequila and orange mix to make french toast. Next time I make french toast, I think I may try to recreate that tasty blend. For this french toast, I stuck to the basics.

French Toast

• 6 slices of bread
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• maple syrup

Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat on medium heat. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and add the milk and sugar. Dredge each piece of bread through the egg mixture and coat each side of the bread. Place the bread on the skillet. Cook each side of the bread until brown, about 5 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Sausage & Peppers

Mom always cooked Italian sausage with peppers and nothing else. Then, the cooked sausage and peppers would be served in good French bread. You don't need anything else for this easy and delicious dish.

Mom always used sweet sausage. You can get the Italian sausage anywhere, but my favorite place to get the sausage is Paulina Meat Market. Also, Mom always used green bell peppers, but I suppose any bell pepper would do.

The sausage and peppers can be served without the bread. Occasionally, I add Marsala wine after the sausage is brown and reduce the wine. Sometimes, I will add onions when I add in the peppers. But Mom's version is always just sausage and peppers and always tasty.

Sausage & Peppers

• 5 Italian Sausages
• 3 large bell peppers
• Bread to make sandwiches

Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place on stove top on medium heat. Place sausages in the pan and brown each side, about five minutes per side.

While the sausage is browning, wash and slice the peppers in to thin strips about one to two inches long. After the sausage is browned, add the peppers. You may need to add a little water at this point. Cover the skillet and allow to cook until the sausages a cooked through and the peppers are tender, about ten minutes or so. Stir occasionally to be sure there is even cooking.