This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Taco Dip

I love to dip. And if you're not looking, I might even double dip. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to food, such as potato chips, tortilla chips, pita bread, dumplings, crackers, raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, seafood, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches, in the case of jus. According to Wikipedia, chips and dip gained significant popularity in the United States during the 1950s, partly due to a Lipton advertising campaign for their French onion dip. Specialized trays and serving dishes designed to hold both chips and dip were created during this time. Thank you, Lipton… from the bottom of my belly. This taco dip is simply spectacular and can be made in minutes and devoured just as quickly!

This is Mama Miche and today in My Magic Kitchen: Taco Salad.
This is the next in our summer salad series, but this is a hit any time of the year.

If you have picky eaters, it can be such a pain in the ass to feed them and I almost became a short-order cook. I realized, right quick, that I was not up to cooking that many meals for a family of four. I wasn’t running a restaurant so I established the same rules I grew up with. My Momster would tell me to try it if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. That worked for me. I was an adventurous eater and developed a desire to try new things.

Do you think it worked on my tiddly peeps? Hell no! They wouldn’t even take a “no, thank you bite”, and I was discouraged. So, I always had 2 things I knew they would eat (carrot sticks, watermelon, rice, or pasta) and I knew they wouldn’t starve. Eventually, I wore them down. Now, they try new things. Our son turns 15 soon and like most boys his age, eats his weight in food. He is proud of the fact that he has helped his picky friends try new foods at our home. Now, one of his friends eats more than chicken nuggets, fries, and pizza. Tacos were one of the foods he tried at our home and liked. That and my butter chicken won him over. I’ll share that recipe soon! It’s a winner, too.

Today in the magic kitchen enchiladas! The Spanish word 'enchilada' means 'to add chili pepper to' or literally 'to season or decorate with chili'. Translated, “enchilada” means soaked, rubbed, or dipped in chile sauce. I love the variety of what you can roll inside an enchilada and the different sauces you can smother your enchiladas in. You can add any kind of vegetable and/or protein, beans, cheese… whatever you like. There are green and red chili sauces, cheese sauces, and more. The enchilada is quite a versatile staple of the cuisine.

Find the full recipe in my Magic Kitchen blog on our website:
https://mamamichesmagickitchen.com/the-magic-kitchen/yaya-enchiladas

This recipe is not Mexican street food. This is Tex-Mex; the Mexican food most Americans my age grew up eating. Hard corn taco shells, store-bought taco seasoning, ground beef, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. It is one of my favorite comfort foods.