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!