New Year's Day Tacos

Think back to the tacos of your youth: the ground beef in a crispy shell from a box(or maybe you were lucky and got fresh tortillas.), orangy juices dripping from the side. The toppings: iceberg lettuce, tomato, shredded yellow cheddar cheese, salsa from a jar. It was one of my most beloved dinners as a kid.I still like to make a taco dinner once in a while. But I've made a few changes. Instead of the seasoning packet, I use a recipe from an article in Cook's Illustrated that sought to reproduce that taco beef flavor, but with all natural ingredients. The meat tastes just like you would remember of the one from the Lawry's packet, but it is made with onions, garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, tomato sauce, cider vinegar...

I make up some tacos and top them with homemade tomatillo salsa, tomatoes, cilantro, and some crumbled fresh mexican cheese. We'll have simmered black beans and rice on the side. On a really special day, I'll fry corn tortillas crisp to make fresh taco shells.