Cookin' with Wood

Tex-Mex Tarts

I had these shells in my freezer for what seems like a lifetime, so I decided to do something with them while they were still good. There's no expiration date on the box (none that I could find, anyway), and I really didn't know if they were, in fact, still good, but as it turned out, they were. I'm not even sure why I bought them. My late wife, Camille, may have bought them. That would make them almost three years old. Either way, these little treats turned out well. If you want to make something that looks elegant but still has both meat and cheese, these are a good way to go. They'd be nice for parties or just a simple snack.

Start out by browning the ground beef. When it's done, add the taco seasoning and mix well. I looked in my cupboard and discovered I didn't have any taco seasoning (except for chicken), so I went online and got a recipe for it that I could make myself. I'll share that with you, too, so it's like you're getting two recipes this week! I didn't even bother to drain the ground beef since there wasn't much liquid in there, and I'd be spooning it out of the skillet anyway, one teaspoon at a time.

That's the next step. One by one, take the shells out of their little plastic holder, and spoon a teaspoon of the ground beef into each. Arrange them on the cookie sheet as you fill them. Now would be a good time to pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once you have them all filled with the taco meat, top them all with about a teaspoon of the shredded cheese. I opted for the cheddar, since I already had some. Bake them for five minutes, and they're done. That's right, five minutes. The shells are already baked, and the meat is already cooked, so you're basically just melting the cheese and heating up the shells. The box of shells says to thaw them for only ten minutes before you use them, so they'll still be quite cold by the time you get them into the oven.

Now, here's how I made the taco seasoning:

Mix all the ingredients in the small container.

I used a tablespoon of the taco seasoning in my recipe, but it could have used more. This recipe is very flavorful and easy to make. You may never buy taco seasoning again! I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.

So now that your Tex-Mex Tarts are done, you can top them with any or all of the following: Chunky salsa, sour cream, guacamole, black olives, mustard or ketchup.

If you're not going to eat all of them, save the plastic inserts that the shells came in. Put the extra ones back into the plastic inserts, cover and refrigerate. Reheat in a toaster oven until the cheese melts. Save only the ones you haven't added any toppings to. Oh, by the way, I had some taco meat left over, so you might, too. Use your imagination as to what to do with it. Or maybe just make a taco.

Bob is the author of "Don't Fry Bacon with Your Shirt Off!  A Single Man's Guide to the Kitchen"  a PublishAmerica book.