Did you ever wonder how tacos came about?  The culinary history I am familiar with documents tacos as being  a child's snack.  Originating in Northern Mexico in the drought-stricken ejidas where poverty has always ran high, children would pester their mothers as soon as they started meal preparation.  Meal preparation was always preceded  by first making fresh corn tortillas.  To stop the pestering, the mothers would take a freshly made tortilla, right off the comal and place any food morsel that was handy in the tortilla and give it to the hungry children hanging on her skirt.  As she did it, she would frequently mutter "ta-co"  a colloquial phrase for "take it and go".  The name stuck.

So, today, we have amazing number of variations of tacos.  In Mexico, tacos are made from freshly made or grilled corn tortillas with any of a wide range of fillings.

This Thursday evening, we will be making five kinds of tacos for a real party.  There will be pulled pork, grilled chicken breast with red bell pepper strips, marinated shrimp and carne asada or beef tacos, plus 3 salsas, guacamole and Perfect Margaritas....a Real Taco Party!

I can remember going to numerous political parties to meet and greet candidates while living in New York City and a taco buffet was the popular idea.  It is still a great way to entertain or for a simple meal.  Especially in the heat of summer, you can grill the fillings and place them right inside a freshly toasted corn tortilla.  Top with salsa and bingo!   You can quickly have a fun meal.

If you can get away and would love to enjoy our crisp mountain air and the aromas of fresh green chiles roasting everywhere, I am placing our August 2-4, 2024 weekend cooking class that garnered me the "Best in the US" for a non-professional culinary school from "Bon Appetit" magazine.  I am placing the school on a special discount of $750.00 for the entire three full hands-on session weekend school.

Fresh, fresh herbs make all the difference in how delicious salsas taste.  For that reason, I am placing our Mexican Oregano and comino  on a half price sale this week.

Here is a  seasonal recipe to enjoy.  This Peach Butterscoth Crisp literally "is to die for". 

Peach Butterscotch Crisp 

Crunchy, gooey, and wonderful! The spicy crystallized ginger really adds to the flavor. You can substitute other fruits for the peaches-try apricots, any kind of berry, plums, or rhubarb. If you don’t mind the calories, top the crisp with whipped cream or ice cream.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

About 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup finely diced crystallized ginger

½ unsalted butter

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened sliced peaches or other fruit (thaw frozen fruit just until mushy, and then pull apart with a fork)

1.  Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread fruit in buttered baking dish, and then sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is soft and crumb topping is brown.