No need to go out for Mexican food. Here's a great meal.

You can leave out the salsa for a milder dish.

Spanish Rice

4 servings

2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup medium-hot salsa
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
3 tablespoons cooked bacon crumbles (Hormel)

Combine all this in a casserole, and bake in the microwave for 8 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir it every so often. Or bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

These steamed onions go on the tacos.

Steamed Onions

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 big onion, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine all this in a small pan and cook slowly on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until very tender.

I used the filling from my Tamales from Scratch. I've cut it down so you don't end up with too much left over. If there is too much, you can freeze it.

Pork Filling for Tacos

2 country style boneless pork ribs (it's really pork shoulder, so get that and hack it up if you can't find the ribs)
Water to cover
Dried minced onion

Cut the fat off the pork (this is pretty important) and simmer it in the crockpot for 2 or 3 hours until tender. Remove it from the broth and shred the pork while it's hot.

1/2 - 3/4 cup broth from the pork
6 tablespoons chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 - 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste

Make a paste with a little bit of the broth, and then stir in more to make a loose sauce. Stir into the shredded meat.

Corn tortillas from scratch are not that big a deal to make, and they are so much better than store-bought. You could use a tortilla press, but the method I used works great and you don't have to store another piece of kitchen equipment. By the way, there is no fat in the recipe, and they are not deep-fried.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

1 cup Manteca (corn meal especially for tortillas)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water

Put all this in a mixer bowl and beat for 1 or 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. If too dry (crumbly), add more water a tablespoon at a time while beating. Use an ice cream scoop to measure out balls one at a time onto a piece of plastic wrap. Top with another piece of plastic wrap and use a pyrex pie plate to mash it out flat. This works great. Cook them on a heated cast iron skillet or griddle and keep warm in the oven with a paper towel in there to absorb moisture.

To serve:

A dish of finely diced fresh tomatoes
A dish of shredded lettuce
A dish with those steamed onions
The heated pork filling
(A little dish of finely diced raw onion)
(Mexican hot sauce aka taco sauce)
(Grated cheese)
The stack of warm tortillas
The rice hot and fresh from the oven

Put this all on the table and let everyone make their own tacos.