Turkey Tacos

We rocked the tacos last night! I didn't make a meal plan for this week, which sometimes happens. It wasn't too much of a fail though, because at least I was conscientious about planning the night before and defrosting/prepping as needed.

On Thursday evening I got out a pound of ground turkey, with a couple of different things in mind for Friday's dinner.  By the time I got home yesterday, exhausted and cranky after three days of "professional development" at school (and three days of being away from my classroom while it was descending into chaos), motivation was at low ebb. Add to that the need to drive Niece to a slumber party 5 miles down the highway right at dinnertime, and enthusiasm for cooking really hit bottom.

I consulted Mr. Mamie with three options: turkey tacos, stuffed bell peppers (my mom's recipe), or Easy Cheeseburger Casserole from Tammy's Recipes (which we have had and loved before).  He was fairly neutral. My lack of motivation continued.

Finally I peeled myself out of the purple leather recliner and browned the turkey... and cooked up some GREAT tacos!

Turkey Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 small can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• Water
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup taco seasoning - this homemade blend from Annie's Eats is AWESOME and made these tacos PERFECT!
• Shells - corn tortillas, flour tortillas, or store-bought taco shells
• Toppings - salsa, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, olives, whatever you want

Directions:

1. Brown the ground turkey in a good-sized skillet; drain off the accumulated liquid (it's mostly water)
2. Add the taco seasoning to the browned turkey. I used nearly 1/2 cup of the homemade blend. Stir.
3. Add the 8 ounce can of tomato sauce to the turkey and seasoning; stir well.
4. Fill the tomato sauce can with water and then add water to the turkey mixture until you have a saucy consistency that pleases you. I added the full can because I knew that my sauce would be simmering for a bit (while I drove Niece to her party).
5. Simmer at least 10 - 15 minutes to allow the seasonings to absorb into the sauce and for everything to come together.
6. While the taco meat is simmering, prepare your shells. Tortillas heated on an electric griddle are GREAT. Just spray the hot griddle lightly with olive oil, place the tortillas on it, and flip when they start to get very lightly brown on the griddle side. Spray the griddle in between batches of tortillas. If you use store-bought crunchy taco shells, your tacos will be 1000 times better if you heat the shells on a cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven for 6 - 7 minutes. TRUST ME on this - the difference is like night and day!
7. Top tacos with your choice of goodies and enjoy!

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)