jsmeeker

Back from the grocery store. I actually had some tacos there for lunch before shopping (tacos al pastor). Very tasty. Instead of buying stuff to make some sort of seafood taco, I decided to go with beef. I bought what I think is skirt steak, but it was labeled as "Fajita Meat". I'll take a pic of it later when I make the tacos on Sunday. I've got some onions at home. I bought a small avocado to make some guacamole. And some Chihuahua cheese. I'll simply cook up the meat in the cast iron skillet like Janet did. Cook some onion, then assemble with the beef, onions, some guac, and some of the cheese. I've got some sort of bottled Herdez brand salsa. Maybe I'll toss some of that on there, too. Not sure what you call other than "taco"

Chris, what do you use to fry? Do you have a dedicated deep fryer? I like to deep fry, but the thought of frying up a tiny amount of fish for tacos for one really keeps me from doing it. I'll make tacos this weekend. Trying to think what kind I will make. I'm really digging on the idea of some sort of seafood taco.

Nothing that I have noticed, but several friends around the USA are reporting rice shortages and even rationing. I don't buy much rice (thoguh I did buy some arobrio this weekend), so I didn't notice it.

don't forget the well placed bottle of Michelob in from of every diner at elimination challenge meal.

I'm excited about all the response so far! Don't fret if you can't make corn tortillas at home. It's OK to use store bought. That's what I do. Most cities will have a local tortilla factory, too. You can always go there if you don't want to buy the large national brands. (and I've used those too with success, especially for frying up my own hard taco shells)

Welcome to the eGullet Recipe Cook-Off! Click here for the Cook-Off index. A couple of days ago, we were trying to figure out a good cook-off topic for late April/early May, and someone suggested tacos. Shortly thereafter, Mark Bittman of the New York Times decided to weigh in with this article, titled "Sunday Morning, Yucatán:" Bittman shares three recipes, as well, for Taco Filling With Poblano Strips and Potatoes, Mushroom Taco Filling, and Nopales Filling. Meanwhile, over at Bon Appetit, Steven Raichlen writes about the food of the Yucatan, including, naturally, tacos. Finally, someone pointed out that the 5th of May was coming -- you know, Cinco de Mayo. So tacos it is: soft or hard, corn or flour, meat, fish, or veg. As always, we've got a few topics to get us started, including these on tacos al pastor, how to create a DIY taco stand, cabbage in tacos, and fish tacos. There are also tortilla recipes here and a reheating tortillas discussion here. From cheap on the low-down to gussied-up, tacos run the gamut. What are your go-to recipes? Any that you've been dying to try? You can do better than a big fast food chain place, even if you want that ground beef Tex-Mex style of taco. Let's get cooking.

Just the other day, I was searching for a generic pudding topic and came up dry. I like pudidng. I've made a chocoalte pudding from Cook's Iullstrated several times. Recently, there Michael Ruhlman had a blog entry about butterscotch and discussed butterscotch pudding. I would like to give that a try some time. And also a vanilla pudding. Thanks for starting this thread. I think it will prove pretty useful.

thanks for that bit of advice. I found that the dough wasn't really sticking much to my hands. The balls were pretty easy to form. I think that indicates my dough was indeed too dry.

it's interesting you say that. So, I'll fess up... After I combined all the ingredients, it looked very loose to me. (this was before letting it rest in the fridge). Never having made them before, I wasn't sure what if it was right. But I had followed the ratios on the box. (2 eggs, 1/2 cup matzo meal, some chicken fat, and a little splash of seltzer). So, thinking it was way to loose and that I would never be able to form a ball from it, I dumped in some more matzo meal. Then let it rest. When I took it out to form the balls, it was pretty stiff. I guess I didn't realize the dough would firm up some. I probably didn't need that addtional meal. But now I know for the next time. ← But yet despite the extra matzo meal, they floated and were fluffy? Hey - it's the results that count! ← well, they were floating while cooking. And I *guess* they were light. They didn't seem heavy and chewy to me. But wih nothing to compare against, I can't say for sure. But I will try the seperated egg method next time, and will resist the urge to add more meal to a loose batter. I'll see how those work out. THEN i cen ell if my original attempt was really a "sinker"

it's interesting you say that. So, I'll fess up... After I combined all the ingredients, it looked very loose to me. (this was before letting it rest in the fridge). Never having made them before, I wasn't sure what if it was right. But I had followed the ratios on the box. (2 eggs, 1/2 cup matzo meal, some chicken fat, and a little splash of seltzer). So, thinking it was way to loose and that I would never be able to form a ball from it, I dumped in some more matzo meal. Then let it rest. When I took it out to form the balls, it was pretty stiff. I guess I didn't realize the dough would firm up some. I probably didn't need that addtional meal. But now I know for the next time.

I'm not so concerned about the total volume of the finished drink. And not everyone wants the same sized drink or uses the same sized glassed. I can tell people to make a margarita 3:2:1 and they will get a drink just like I make. It may be bigger or smaller, but it will taste the same. (assuming they use the same tequila and triple sec). And to me, getting it to taste "right" matters more than finished volume.

Looks fantastic. can you give some details here?

uh oh.. NOW it's too late. I just mixed them up and the doug/batter is resting in the fridge. Separating eggs and beating the whites? That's extra work!! We'll see how these turn out and next time, I'll try this method. ← My only words of wisdom are to use a light hand when forming them - no squashing. And do not "peek" until the allotted time is up. They seem to swell better when given privacy. Good luck. ← well, it seems to have worked out OK. I've got some pics posted in a matzo ball topic over in the Cooking forum. Thanks to everyone for their tips/advice. I think my "celebration" of Passover was successful.

My first attempt at making matzo balls for matzo ball soup. formed and ready to cook just after dropping them into well salted simmering water done cooking. They sure puffed up a lot. Served with some home made chicken stock. one of them sliced open to show the inside.

I've made that orange chicken before. While it was good, it seemed to be a lot of work and made for a lot of stuff to clean up. Seemed a little silly for one serving. I think the part that really was the most work was the coating of the and frying of the chicken. Not sure of the best way to make the recipe work out for spreading out the amount made over multiple days. Cooking it all and once and re-heating probably would NOT be good.

uh oh.. NOW it's too late. I just mixed them up and the doug/batter is resting in the fridge. Separating eggs and beating the whites? That's extra work!! We'll see how these turn out and next time, I'll try this method.

thanks. That recipe looks pretty much identical to what is on the box of matzo meal I have, except it calls for oil or margerine. But I have some rendered chicken fat, so I am using that. And I'll use the seltzer, too. Also, I've been advised by other to heavily salt the water as well. So, that's what I am going with.

I have been guilty of the parts thing. It works well for me, but clearly not for everyone so I do try to avoid it. ← ratios certainly can have their place, especially if ALL ingredients are listed in parts.

I like my Oxo jigger. Yeah, it's plastic. Maybe not the "classiest" thing, but when I'm making cocktails, it's usually at home with no one watching. Plus, I've seen them in use at the Velvet Tango Room. So, if THEY can use 'em, so can I.

I don't observe Passover (being Protestant and all) but I want to celebrate it by making matzo ball soup. I already have some home made chicken stock that I made a while back and have been keeping in the freezer. So, really, I just need help with the matzo balls. I'l looking back a few pages, and don't see any recipes. I'd really like some night and light "floaters" instead of sinkers.

I think I want to make some sort of lamb stew this weekend. I'd like to keep it pretty simple with the ingredient list. Cooking in beer or wine is fine. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to score some lamb shoulder at Whole Foods. I've seen it there before, but can't recall if it was bone in or not. In either case, I really want a stew with chunks of meat instead of braising the shoulder whole. (this will be easier to handle as left overs, and maybe even to break down the lamb to make to make one batch of stew now, and another at a later date ) Any pointers or general guidance? Or a full recipe?

If able, a drink from the bar. Just pick one from the drink menu that suits your fancy.

a toast, indeed. Erik's "Savoy" topic over in the Cocktails and Spirits forum is fantastic. One series of posts there inspired me to give a restaurant bar in San Francisco a try, and I was very pleased that I did. So, a public thanks to you, Erik.

Texans love their meat. Dallas loves the steakhouse. Will cured meats be the next big thing? An article in the Dallas Morning News investigates. I love cured meats. I'd like to see it become more available not only in restaurants, but also at a retail level. Where are my fellow Dallas eGullet society members getting their cured meat fix?

nice work on the PB&Js and the sausage. I'm loving seeing how many people are viewing this at any given time.