Home-made Hard Taco Shells

Today was one of those days where I got a craving and could not be deterred. . . I wanted tacos so bad, but didn't have any hard shells. These are so easy to make, it's ridiculous, and they taste way better than the store bought kind. I mean, granted, they're basically fried, but I'm sure they'd be pretty simple to bake too. These would probably be even better if I'd made the tortillas, but hey, I wasn't feeling quite that adventurous today.

Taco Shells:

Soft Flour Tortillas
Oil

-Heat oil in pan and using tongs, dip one half of tortilla in oil until it's golden brown.
-Flip tortilla over and allow other side to brown.
-Remove from oil and allow to drain and cool off.

Taco Meat:

Ground Beef
Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes
Diced Onion
Cumin
Turmeric
Salt
Garlic Powder

-Add meat and tomato to pan first, and allow it to start simmering.
-Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until cooked through.

Mexican Rice:

Rice
1 TB Oil
Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes
Diced Onion
Lemon Juice
Garlic Powder
Salt
Cilantro
Chili Powder
Red Cayenne Pepper

-Cook rice in oil for a few minutes until brown.
-Add tomatoes and some water, simmer for 10 minutes.
-Add spices and simmer covered until rice is soft.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I actually made these a couple weeks ago, but kept forgetting to post it. This was my first ever attempt to bake gluten-free, and I have to say, I was most definitely impressed. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was something along the lines of a barely acceptable, tasteless cookie. I made half a batch of this recipe with gluten-free flour and the other half with oat flour. The gluten-free flour was ok, but the oat flour was AMAZING. If you try this at home, I definitely recommend the oat flour! Whether or not I bake more gluten-free cookies in the future, I will say that the oat flour was delicious and I would consider using it again just for the amazing taste it adds. The recipe I got was from the Red Mill website:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=121

Ingredients:


1 2/3 C Gluten-Free Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 C Butter
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
1 Large Egg
1 C Chocolate Chips

-Stir together flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.
-In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg.
-Stir in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
-Bake @ 350º for 10-12 minutes.