tacos

Dining Outside the Home: Tortilla Republic in Poipu, Kauai

Dining Outside the Home: Tortilla Republic in Poipu, Kauai!  There’s something about a cantina-like patio setting where sea breezes and warm sunshine are as therapeutic as the bartender’s handcrafted jalapeño margarita on the rocks. The salty corn tortilla chips compliment the salsa de mesa, for starters. The menu is spot on with organic produce and fresh ingredients. It’s easy to choose the bold favorites of pork carnitas in a bowl of kale, black beans, and rice. The tropical atmosphere partners well with Mexican classics. Hola Aloha!

Dining Outside the Home: Native Tongues Taqueria in Calgary, Canada

Dining Outside the Home: Native Tongues Taqueria in Calgary, Canada! If you’re looking for traditional street foods of Mexico mixed with a desire to socialize, you may wish to experience the cantina atmosphere of Native Tongues Taqueria. A quick glance will have you wondering if the soft patina of adobe walls peppered with festive Mexican tiles are for real. They are. Communal wooden tables and solid benches promote casual conversations. Fresh ingredients make up for the pricey miniature tacos, which disappeared in three bites. Other patrons seemed to gravitate to the authentic guacamole and house made chips washed down with a signature Mezcal margarita. Sharing platters is the way to go. The chef-driven labor-intensive attention to detail keeps this restaurant from falling into the category of “Mexican fast food”.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter T

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Tiki Tacos! There was a time I could eat a dozen tacos at one sitting. Seriously. I was 20 years old, worked two full time jobs and road my bicycle everywhere! Nowadays, I show a little more restraint and stop after two tacos. But it’s still one of my favorite meals. Sometimes I use corn tortilla shells and other times I use flour. The shell determines which spices to use. Today it’s flour tortillas. 
TIKI TACOS
Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

8 flour tortillas

1/4 cup butter, melted

Lettuce, torn

Tomato, chopped

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup jalapeño peppers, sliced

1/2 cup prepared salsa
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef. Drain. Stir in garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Brush one side of tortillas with butter. Spoon about 1/4 cup of meat mixture onto center of unbuttered sides. Fold in half; place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and meat is distributed evenly between them. Bake in the oven about 15 minutes or until tortilla shells are crisp. Remove from oven and serve with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Spoon salsa over too and garnish with jalapeño pepper slices.