CAMP JOY Episode 5: Not Leavin’ On A Jet Plane

Hello sweet friends and welcome to another fine day at CAMP JOY!

It’s Day 5 at camp and we’re packing our bags and going…. exactly nowhere.  Nope. We’re staying put.  We’re not calling an Uber to the airport. We’re not leaving on a jet plane.

Today at camp is all about connecting with the people we love and miss the best way we can this year.  We’re leaning on technology to take us home!

I’ve been missing my mom and dad out in California so I’m in my New Orleans kitchen making tacos that taste like home.  These are Dime Store Tacos, a recipe that came from my dad’s sister Aunt Dede when she worked at the lunch counter in the neighborhood drug store.  They served beef and potato tacos – the potatoes a secret extender to the pricey beef.  She started making the same tacos at home for her family and that was it! The tacos are now a Wilson family tradition!

My favorite thing about these tacos is that it gets everyone in the kitchen.  There are a lot of little steps in this recipe like shredding lettuce, grating cheese, making the meat, frying the tortillas and in our house, everyone had a job to do to get these tacos on the table. I would always vie for the cheese grating job so I could sneak handfuls of cheese into my mouth… obviously.

Here’s the recipe.  I hope they bring you smile, a few helping hands in the kitchen, and a full belly.

And here’s Day 5 at CAMP JOY! 

CAMP JOY Episode 5: Wilson Family Tacos

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

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Ingredients

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• 1lb ground beef
• 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large russet potatoes, skin on, shredded on the wide side of a box grater
• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Corn tortillas
• Canola oil for frying tortillas
• Shredded iceburg lettuce
• Salsa
• Finely grated cheddar cheese
• Hot sauce

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Instructions

1. In a medium saute pan over medium heat, sauté ground beef and shredded potato in olive oil until browned through. Use a spoon or spatula to break the ground beef and potatoa up as it cooks.
2. Add all the dry spices and cook for 3 minutes more making sure that the ground beef is cooked though completely. Season with salt and pepper and taste. Adjust seasoning as you wish. Set aside, keeping warm on a very low flame.
3. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil to a small saute pan and place over medium heat until oil heats through. Fry tortillas until each side is crisp and lightly golden brown. Drain tortillas on a paper towel.
4. To serve, spoon beef mixture into fried tortillas. Add as much lettuce, salsa, and grated cheese as will fit in each taco. Add hot sauce. Fold and enjoy!

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You didn’t think I’d leave you here without cookies!

Find the Pecan Chocolate Cookie recipe adapted from mom and dad’s care package cookies riiiiight here.