Nothing good is this easy (Old El Paso Taco Dinner Kit)

Member Name: Cammij

Product:	Old El Paso Taco Dinner Kit
Date:	04/09/08 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: two types of shells in one box

Disadvantages: not spicy enough seasonings

I live in the United States in a city with a whole bunch of Mexican restaurants so it seems sort of silly to take home a few shells in a box with some meat seasoning and expect to make something worth eating when I can go to any great restaurant any time I like. The problem is that my favorite local restaurant that really had the feel and spirit of downtown Cancun recently began serving Sam and Ella with all their meals.They poisoned 38 people and I knew it was just a matter of time before the immigration Service took their revenge. The swooped in and nicked 58 employees from one chain and any good Mexican cooks split town. So for the time being a man has to make his own tacos or go to Taco Bell.

Ironically I have been buying these kits when I travel all over. I got painted up with a bunch of Latino prison gang tattoos when I was a kid. So now that I am reformed and got saved everyone still expects me to be able to make a good Taco. So wherever I go in the world I take Taco kits and Tabasco sauce (except to Mexico). I have gone to Russia on my past 5 trips and you should see the look on the customs people's faces when they open my suitcases and see food. They react like"America is a prosperous country why do you bring food to Russia where food is cheap?"

The kits travel well since the corn shells are saddled one inside the other though some do break. The flour shells are as indestructable as inedible. The spice kit to season the beef is simply too weak or too little to produce enough potent beef or chicken to fill 12 shells, hence the need for tobasco and chilli powder. The salsa they provide tastes good but the small metallic pouch it comes in is too small and hard to use.

Typically half of the shells are broken by the time I get abroad so I end up using them as garnish in what I call a taco salad. I am able to serve the corn shells straight but I like to use Sunflower oil to fry the flour shells. I put around an inch of oil in a pan and submere the shells one by one into the oil until they blister and get a few brown spots. Then I flip them over. I leave them on some paper towels to drain off the grease.

I usually use a kg of ground beef, fresh not frozen, I use the seasoning packet that is included but add a ton of onions, a clove of garlic, a little butter and about a quarter ounce of chili powder and then add about half a bottle of regular tobasco. I fry the meat until it is browned. I serve the meat along side bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese (white not yellow), sour cream and black olives and a few peppers. If I feel like it I go Dahmer on some tomatoes and add onion, garlic, lots of cilantro and a touch of vinegar and tobasco to make myown salsa instead of that bland brown sauce that comes with it.

I will never forget the first time I served Tacos to my wife's family. It did not help that my wife (who had only been in America for 4 months) told everyone I was making "Taco Bells". They love spicy food and I made three batches of meat in varying degrees of spiciness as well as a bowl of spiced prawns. It was fun to show them how tacos were made and everyone got to make their own. I noticed that after the vodka was flowing that all these Russians seemed to be using my cheese and lettuce an salsa on other dishes while packing tacos, the corn ones full of beef with Carrot salad (cabbage, carrots, oil, dill). I guess it was easier to fit Russian and Mexican food together than Russian and Mexican people!!!!!

These are good kits if you are serving them to people who do not know any better but also try the Ortega brand. Do not accepttheir wor that the kit include everything you need as you will need lettuce, tomato, cram and cheese. Good luck with your feeble attempt to recreate Mexican food

Summary: If you can't get real Mexicanfood you are Lucky. You'll understand once youcan....