I’m about to put my husband in TV time-out. He only watches sports on TV, and I’m guessing that is where advertising agencies persuade unsuspecting lovers of athletics to eat tacos at fast food burger places. There is some dollar taco at a place that rhymes with Murger Ming which got my husband (and then my son-in-law) thinking they should eat one of these. Mind you, my husband doesn’t often eat fast food. “But the taco looks so good in the ad,” he says. I remind him that that is the job of Madison Avenue-to convince you that you need a taco from a burger joint.

That’s why we had tacos Saturday night.

But I have a twist on taco night that will make you forget you ever wanted one.  It’s Fiesta Stack Up. Some old-timers might have seen this at a church picnic or something, but it’s what you have if you’re having a crowd. This is simple, plus it has an unusual combination of flavors. But I gotta warn you-this recipe serves 20. So save it and when you need a recipe to feed a crowd, here it is. And if you’re good at math, then halve it for 10 people.

 

Fiesta Stack-Up

 

Ingredients

 

For meat sauce:

  • 4 lbs. ground beef
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans tomatoes
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste
  • 4 tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 6 tsp. salt
  • 2 (23 oz.) cans ranch style beans

Remaining ingredients:

  • Frito’s chips
  • 1 (14 oz.) box Minute Rice, cooked
  • 1 lb. longhorn cheese, grated
  • 2 lg. onions, chopped
  • 1 lg. head lettuce, chopped
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz) can of  sliced black olives
  • 2 med. tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 1 (7 oz.) pkg. coconut
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
  • 1 (16 oz.) carton of sour cream

 

Directions

  1. Brown meat and onions; drain. Add remaining ingredients except beans and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add beans and heat. When heated properly do the following:
  2. Toppings layer in this order:
  • Frito’s
  • 1 (14 oz.) box Minute Rice, cooked
  • 1 lb. longhorn cheese, grated
  • 2 lg. onions, chopped
  • 1 lg. head lettuce, chopped
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz) can of  sliced black olives
  • 2 med. tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 1 (7 oz.) pkg. coconut
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
  • 1 (16 oz.) carton of sour cream

 

Adapted from www.cooks.com

 

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