Tostadas

Vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas
Favorite ground meat filling, warmed
Shredded lettuce
2 avocados, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
Hot sauce

Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet until it is very hot but not smoking. Fry the tortillas in the oil until crisp, keeping them as flat as possible. Spoon some of the filling onto each tortilla, and spread it so that it covers the entire tortilla. Garnish with lettuce, avocados, tomatoes and cheese.

Variation
Replace ground meat filling with frijoles refritos, spread over the entire tortilla, then proceed with the garnishes.

Tortilla Sandwiches (Sincronizadas)

16 corn tortillas
12 ounces asadero or mozzarella cheese
8 slices ham

Using half the cheese, sprinkle it equally on 8 tortillas. Place a piece of ham on each tortilla. Sprinkle on remaining cheese, and top with the remaining tortillas. Pin each sandwich together with 2 wooden picks.

Meanwhile, heat about 1/4 inch oil in a skillet until a drop of water sputters instantly. Fry the sandwiches, 1 or 2 at a time, turning once, until the tortillas are just semi-crisp. They should not be crisp, but just chewy. Serve them with guacamole and salsa for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a snack.

Texas Tavern Burgers

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 pounds ground beef
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine and cook onion and butter until clear and tender. Remove from fire and add remaining ingredients except beef, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Cook ground beef and remaining onion until brown. Add to mixture. Salt and pepper to season. Spread on toasted buns.

Yields 10 servings.

Tavern Burgers

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 cup chicken gumbo soup
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons mustard
1/4 cup catsup

Brown meat and onion. Add soup and water. Simmer 15 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients and add to meat mixture. Simmer 5 minutes longer.

Serve over heated hamburger buns.

Tangy Barbecue Sandwiches

3 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup catsup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (3 to 4 pound) boneless chuck
    roast, trimmed
14 to 18 hamburger buns, split

In a crockpot, combine the first 12 ingredients; mix well. Add roast. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 to 7 hours or until tender.

Remove roast; cool. Shred meat and return to sauce; heat through. Use a slotted spoon to serve on buns.

Taco Joes

1 pound ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup commercial taco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 hamburger buns
Sliced American cheese

Cook ground chuck and onion in a skillet until meat is browned, stirring to crumble meat. Drain off pan drippings. Stir in taco sauce and next 4 ingredients; simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Placed opened hamburger buns on a baking sheet. Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture onto bottom half of each bun. Top meat mixture with a slice of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 4 minutes or until cheese melts and buns are warmed. Place top of bun over cheese.

Taco Filling

1 large, ripe tomato, roasted, then
    peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
1 whole chicken breast, cooked
    skinned, boned and shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine tomato, onion and garlic in a blender and process until very smooth. Heat the lard or oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. When quite hot, add the pur?e and stir constantly until it is thick and reduced, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chicken, remove from the heat and season with salt.

To make tacos, quick-fry 12 corn tortillas to soften them. Drain well on paper towels. Place 2 tablespoons of filling across each tortilla, roll up and secure with wooden picks. Cover with plastic wrap.

Add more oil to what is in the skillet and heat to medium-high heat. When quite hot, place 6 tacos in the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly browned and crispy, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a slow oven while frying the remainder.

Serve tacos over a bed of shredded lettuce, and drizzle with crema. Dollop guacamole down the center and sprinkle with grated cheese.