6 corn tortillas
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small tomato, diced
1 medium avocado, sliced
2 cups lettuce, chopped
4 ounces cheddar, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
salt and pepper
deep fryer

1. Heat oil in deep fryer to 380 degrees.
2. Add tortillas one at a time. Cook until lightly bulby on one side, then flip. Remove from the oil after about 2 minutes, before it crisps but will still retain its shape.
3. Fold tortilla in half with a wooden spoon or similar cylinder in the center and allow to cool on a paper towel.
4. Meanwhile, sauté onion in corn oil with spices in a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the ground beef and cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Prepare tacos by filling with a portion of ground beef, tomato, avocado, lettuce and cheddar.

Makes 6 servings

4 flour tortillas
2 cups Stewed Romano Beans
deep fryer

1. Place 1/2 cup beans in the center of a tortilla.
2. Fold the sides of the tortilla to the center to enclose the beans, and then fold over the top and bottom to make a rectangle. Secure with a toothpick if necessary. Repeat with remaining.
3. Fry each individually until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes a side.

Makes 4 servings

We were expecting a potential amount of company last night that never arrived. Therefore we are left with an excessive amount of leftovers than normal and I had to come up with a way to make use of them. So, Mexican gets a relapse and gives me an excuse to drink more graciously donated Coronas.

Since I don't normally deep fry anything and happened to have a pan full of oil and corn tortillas, I figured I'd try to make my own taco shells. This proved to be far greasier than I had hoped since determining the right amount of doneness before the tortilla starts to crisp so you can actually fold it without it breaking, but also so that it will cool and hold place so you can fill it with stuff. Still, since I haven't had a Beef Taco in years, it was still pretty good. I can't imagine any practical purpose of making your own taco shells unless you also happen to have a bag of masa and made your own tortillas in an effort to save money, but it's still fun to know that it's possible and easy.

I fried some other things, such as sprouting potatoes and broken tortillas, but really for no other purpose than to have fun with hot oil and see how long they'd take to cook. I also used some of the remaining Stewed Romano Beans to make a Bean Chimichanga. This time I fried it instead of baked it like the Chicken Chimichangas and I actually think I prefer the baked version because it's flakier rather than crispy.