Ohhh, Taquito!

I Love Finger Foods with Friends on Friday

A Taquito is like a party on a plate. Who doesn't love something crispy, cheesy and delicious? I had two of my dad's high school friends over for dinner on Friday night. Socialization is really important when you are caregiving. One of his friends said, "don't make a big dinner". And so, I thought, a Taquito is impressive looking without taking a lot of time. When I entertain, I like to spend my time with guests, not in the kitchen.

This dish is super easy to make and tastes great! You can save time by getting store bought guacamole and Pico de Gallo toppings. Sauté a yellow onion in olive oil, add ground pork, season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and a touch of taco seasoning. If you have tomato paste, definitely use that with some water. I was out of tomato paste, so I improvised with 1/4 can of tomato soup and 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce. If it's too thick, you can thin it out with some water.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with olive oil or Pam. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Generously coat large flour tortillas with olive oil and when the pork mixture is browned and cooked through, spoon it onto each of the tortillas. Then take a shredded Mexican cheese blend and layer it on the tortilla next to the pork. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down. Do this until you have filled all of the tortillas and they are snug next to one another on the sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes and voila! Taquitos! I paired this with a dry Rosé wine. It was absolutely perfect.

But Wait...There's More....Cobbler!

I absolutely can't have friends over for dinner without dessert. This blackberry cobbler is super easy to make. 4 cups of fresh blackberries in a square baking dish. In a bowl combine 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 egg. Mix it together until it's course meal. Top the blackberries with it. Separately melt 6 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted, pour it over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and crisp on the top.