Tacos

It’s almost unfair to include this as it is so similar to the chili recipe previously posted. But this was one of our staples, and a good one.

Before the days of taco-dinner kits, SueG would buy, separately, taco shells (no flat bottoms here), taco seasoning, hamburger, cheese (likely cheddar, which she would grate), the ever-present iceburg lettuce (a SueG staple) and tomatoes, which she would slice. We did not have salsa in those days (at least, not at our grocery store) and we didn’t add anything fancy like sour cream (calories and extra expense, two SueG no-nos) or guacamole (also not in mainstream usage in the 1960s and 1970s, at least not on relatively homogeneous Cape Cod).

Cook meat, drain. Add taco seasoning. Let everyone assemble his or her own taco, repeating as desired. SueG did not heat up the taco shells first, but you really should.

Irish Pizza (courtesy of my father, employed when other efforts had failed and the cupboard was nearly bare, an excellent lunch).

Round Pilot crackers (late, lamented huge thick round unsalted crackers)

Hunks of sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375 and place crackers with cheese on top on a cookie sheet or directly on the oven rack, if you dare. Toast until cheese is bubbly. If you value the tender skin on the roof of your mouth, wait the requisite five minutes for them to cool enough to eat. Much easier and more convenient to make in the age of toaster ovens. I continue to marvel at how much more difficult it must have been to cook without aid of a microwave or toaster oven, so taken for granted today.