They announced on the news this morning that we are expecting snow tomorrow night. SNOW! I know that, here in Colorado, we expect our first frost in the days surrounding the end of September and the beginning of October… but I’m totally not ready for snow.  Besides the fact that we’ve got a ton to do on the farm before winter, I LOVE Autumn and want to hold on to it as long as I can. The infamous “death grip” would be more like it.  I like crisp days and chilly nights. I love seeing the leaves change to deep red, orange and gold. I love apple picking, corn mazes, and the sun bright in the sky that seems to call you outside to play.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I  like snowy days and cooking cozy dinners of soup or stew with a crusty homemade loaf of bread. But, there is  something about being able to enjoy outside venues like the Fall festivals and farmers markets. I definitely miss football games in central Texas… but, it never seemed to get chilly enough there for me to be completely happy. I mean, wearing shorts and flip flops on Halloween is just wrong.

So, because I am wanting to suck the last bit of pleasure out of  the outdoor days this year, I’m sharing a simple recipe for you to make while tailgating or at Market Days (if you’re from Wimberley.) or any other outdoor activity in your town. It’s “Walking Tacos”. Now, I started making this recipe a long time ago when I used to buy those big variety packs of the little bags of chips for school lunches. The ones at our house that are ALWAYS left in the bag are Fritos. Not sure why, but nobody wants those. They fight over the Cheetos and Sun Chips and abandon the rest. Poor forgotten Fritos. Well, this is a way to stick up for the underdog! And, of course, keep you from feeding your corn chips to the birds. 😉

This recipe has been passed around a million times and is nothing new. But, sometimes I need to be reminded of those easy meals that the family loves. Maybe you do too? The fun thing about this recipe is that you can whip it up in a flash and be out the door in just minutes. (Though it’s a bit too chilly in the mountains here to camp anymore, these are great for camping too!!)

photo courtesy of the Dallas Observer

AUTUMN Walking Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• canned pinto beans rinsed and warmed
• 1 package taco seasoning mix or one of your own
• chopped tomato
• shredded lettuce
• salsa
• grated cheese
• sour cream
• guacamole, chopped onions, olives, jalapenos, etc.
• individual lunch-sized bags of nacho chips or corn chips

Directions:

1. Brown and drain ground beef…add taco seasoning and prepare according to directions on package.
2. Prepare and arrange all toppings on a tray…next to the hot meat sauce.
3. To serve…crush an individual bag of corn chips slightly…then open the bag by slicing along the side… OR, if your spoons are long enough,  just open the top. Start adding toppings as desired…beginning with the meat, and adding whatever you desire on your taco salad. Stir up your taco salad …then eat it right out of the bag! DELISH!!!

Now, you should know something. I cheat a little when it comes to the meat in this recipe. I know, I know… shocking, right? Well, cheating might be a strong word. You see, when I get home from the grocery store, I think about how I’m going to be using my ground beef or ground turkey. If the recipes I want use browned ground meat, I go ahead and brown the whole batch with salt, pepper, and garlic. I, then, drain it, cool it, and put it into a freezer container. (Sometimes I put it into half-pound portions and put them in individual freezer bags. Then, when I’m making a dish (like this one) that needs browned meat, I pull it out and heat it up. It takes me like 3 minutes instead of 20. SUPER SIMPLE! The other reason I do this is that I HATE (notice the all capital letters??) wasting food. Have you ever bought meat and stuck it into the fridge to use later that week and, because something came up, you didn’t use it and it went bad?  I vowed to never let that happen again! I do this with lots of different meats… like bacon and sausage, etc. I wouldn’t do this with steak or chicken… just the ground stuff.

Now, want to make this REALLY easy? Same recipe. Leave out the meat and beans. Open a can of chili with beans and heat it up. Ta-da! It’s a walking Frito Pie! 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Maybe you already make this at your house. I will be sharing some wonderful AUTUMN favorites at our house in the next week or so. You won’t want to miss these! So, go to a fair, watch a football game, hit a corn maze… and enjoy time with your family this Fall while giving a much-needed nod to the Frito! 🙂

TTFN! (Ta-ta for now!)