Baked Tacos

So, last week I went to a Damarle at Home party at my friend Triann's house.  We ate the most delicious tacos, and saw how easy the product is to use, and how there is virtually no clean up.  I took the catalog home, and kept seeing this picture.

I am at a very impressionable age.  So this is what we had for dinner.  I even borrowed a Damarle cupcake tray from my friend Ann to give it a try in my own kitchen.  Verdict - it is fantastic.  I will be having a party and buying as much of it as I can afford.  After I get some Christmas money or something - lol.

I made some with cheese for Bryan.  Some without for me.  The chicken that is in there has been marinated and grilled.  The corn tortillas were softened in the microwave.  Then I put a little olive oil on them, and put them into the little cups.

Next I took photos.  The dog waited patiently.  Nothing fell to the floor.  Poor Dioji.  

There is water in the extra cups because you aren't supposed to bake them empty.  But I thought I was only feeding two of us (more on that later) so I didn't make a full tray.

I love this time of year.  It is the time of year when my family and friends realize that they cannot eat all of the delicious tomatoes coming off the plants in their gardens.  And I help.  Because that is what friends (and daughter-in-laws) are for.

Just look at this beauty:

But we were doing something.  Ah, yes.  Baking tacos.

I put the tacos in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Or, I would have left them in the oven for 15 minutes.  More on that later.

Meanwhile, I assembled some toppings:

Lettuce shreds, the previously photographed tomato, fresh cilantro, olives, and lime wedges.

Before the oven had beeped, friends started showing up.  Bryan was on his way to Geek Trivia and fellow geeks had decided to carpool.  So I decided that our dinner would feed four.  Here is what those lucky geeks got to eat: 

I loved the taste of the lime juice and cilantro.  It reminded me of the more authentic mexican restaurants around here.

Oh yes.  We will be having these again.  And next time, I will bake up a whole tray.  Because you never know when the geeks will descend.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Pork Chops

One of the first dinner recipes I learned to cook was pineapple pork chops and rice. I found the original recipe at Cooks.com. If you'll excuse the florescent lighting in my kitchen, I will show you how easy these are to make.

The original recipe calls for butter, but at some point I substituted olive oil, and have been sticking with that ever since. I just pour a little bit in the bottom of the pan, like you would to saute up veggies or something.


Next, have your husband trim any excess fat from the pork chops. Put them in the skillet with the olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.


Brown them well on both sides.


The original recipe calls only for a 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple. But my husband decided he preferred chunks, and I like a lot of that sweet pineapple flavor - so I just dump the whole can in!

Reduce the heat at this point, and cover and simmer until the pork chops are tender. It will take about 20 minutes, and I usually flip them over about half-way through just to make sure they aren't getting to brown on the bottom.

You are supposed to add water at this point - but I had so much pineapple juice in there I didn't.


Bring the liquid to a boil and grab your box of Minute Rice. Pour it in until it looks like the rice will soak up all the liquid. (Originally it was 1 cup water, 1 1/2 cups Minute Rice and also 3/4 tsp salt, which I seem to have forgotten.)


Skootch it all around so the rice can touch the liquid, then cover it and remove it from the heat and let it stand for five minutes.

Dish it out for a tasty, hot, one-skillet meal.


Enjoy!