Golden Tote #3 Review - December 2015

I'm really starting to get into this Golden Tote thing.  I logged in on Cyber Monday and got my tote first thing so I wouldn't miss out on the most popular chosen items!  I counted the days until it shipped.  After what seemed like an eternity (but was only about twelve days), I finally received the box (pictured above).  They spelled my last name wrong, but I get it.  It's weird.  :)  I got a different stylist, this time - DL.  According to the Golden Tote trading group that I belong to on Facebook, she's considered a great one!  So far, so good!  :)

Golden Tote is a fairly new service for me.  I received my first tote in October - you can check that one out here.  I also ordered a November tote, which I loved (the review for that one is here)!  So far, I'm really enjoying myself - and my closet has no complaints!  Ha ha.

I'm also a member of Stitch Fix, which is another clothing-by-mail service that is equally fun.  My history with Stitch Fix is a bit longer - I joined in January of this year.  If you'd like to check out those reviews, here are some links:

November 2015 - #14

November 2015 - #13

October 2015 - #12

September 2015 - #11

Stitch Fix Keepers

September 2015 - #10

August 2015 - #9

All right - back to Golden Tote!

When you sign up for Golden Tote, you fill out an online style profile.  It's pretty short - you answer some questions about your measurements, typical sizes, and how you like your clothes to fit.  Here are a couple of pages from my profile:

As you can see, they show you a few different style types.  You can check/uncheck as you wish - it's easy to update if you want to try something different for the next tote.

You are also able to specify certain colors and prints that you would like to avoid, which is helpful if you are not a fan of something that is "in".  You can also attach an image to further depict your own personal style.  From what I understand, most people create collages (as I did).

You can order a tote at any time.  A lot of people buy multiple totes per month!  You can choose a small or large tote.  The small tote is $49 and includes 1 item that you choose and another "surprise" item.  The large tote is $149 and includes 2 items that you choose and 3 to 4 surprise items.  There is also an option to add on additional pieces from their online boutique for a reduced price.

The one drawback is that, if you want the bargain prices (around $25 per item), you have to keep it all.  You can send the whole thing back for a full refund (though you do have to pay for return shipping).  You don't get a prepaid envelope/box.  Basically you have to box it up yourself and ship it back with the packing slip.  If you just can't part with an item, you can keep it and send back the rest, but you will be charged the full boutique price, which is often quite a bit higher than the $25 average.

I ordered a large tote with a couple of extra items from the boutique.  I really went back and forth with this one.  I was optimistic when I opened the box.  Lots of prints and color - very festive.  Then, I had a hasty try-on session (NOT pictured in this blog).  After that, I actually thought I'd be returning the whole thing.

I still had to take pictures for the blog, though, right?  Good thing - after THIS try-on/photo session, I realized that it was actually a pretty good tote and that I will definitely keep a few things.  Here's what I got!

1.  Peek of Polka Dot Top (chosen item)

I'm REALLY into polka dots right now.  Both of my chosen items feature polka dots.  I did not do that on purpose - it just happened!  This is a Les Lis top.  The gray polka dot bottom is made to look like it's another shirt, but it's actually just one piece.  The green top is soft and stretchy.

Hmmm.

. . .

Meh.

It's a cute top, but I don't think it's really flattering on me, for some reason.  At this point, I'm thinking I will try to sell or trade this one.  I've had pretty good luck doing that through the Golden Tote trading group on Facebook.

2.  All Dotted Up Jacket (chosen item)

This jacket is also made by Les Lis. It was one of the more popular chosen items, and is currently sold out.  It fits pretty well.  I have broad shoulders and long arms.  I wish the sleeves were just the tiniest bit longer, but I think it will work.

It's not a good idea to try things on in the evening (in a dark house) without styling things properly.  At first, my husband told me that it looked like a grandma sweater.  (REALLY?  What does that even mean?  Ha ha.)  The next day, after we took these photos, he said, "Yeah, I guess it's pretty good."  That's how I feel.  It's pretty good.  It's cute.  I think I'm going to keep it.  :)

3.  Les Lis Crosshatch Print Blouse (secret item)

This is my THIRD Les Lis item in this box - and it won't be the last!  My last tote was all about Collective Concepts - this one seems to be the Les Lis tote!

I think this blouse will work very well.  I direct a couple of vocal jazz groups at school, and our attire is "dressy" black, white, and red.  This will give me another option for those occasions.  It's a little flimsy.  I'm wearing a camisole underneath it.  The only thing I don't like about it is that one side of the v-neck doesn't lie as flat as the other.  Steve says it looks nice and that I'm just being silly.  He's probably right.  :)

4. Le Lis Pinecone Blouse (secret item)

When I saw this blouse, I immediately loved the blue background and the cute pinecone print!  Here's a close-up:

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work for me.  As you can see, there are two slits in the front.  When I raise my arms, the slits come up pretty high.  I'm wearing a black camisole under the blouse - that's the only reason you don't see skin.  Ha ha.  It just doesn't fit my body.  I think it would be great for someone with a shorter torso.

I'm hoping I can sell or trade this - I think I'll have some luck.  It is cute.  :)

5. Gilli Boatneck Shift Dress - Red Multi (secret item)

My opinion of this dress totally changed overnight!  The first time I tried it on, I wasn't wearing tights or cute shoes.  I didn't think it was working - I thought it was too short and maybe a bit too small (in the shoulders and arms).  I don't know what was going on.  I have a completely opposite opinion now.  I put the dress on with tights and boots and it was a different situation.  I love it.  My husband loves it.  It just barely fits me in the arms and shoulders.  But it does fit.  :)

I also got a free necklace (since I made this purchase on Cyber Monday).  You can see it in the pictures - kind of a copper-colored long fringe necklace.  It matches perfectly with this dress.  Here's a close-up.  It kind of blends in!

I wore this combination today to a local theater production.  It was the perfect dressy/casual option.

I'm definitely keeping the dress - it's my favorite thing in the box!

6. Skies Are Blue Border Print Blouse (secret item)

My last surprise item was this top.  It has grown on me over the last couple of days.  The print is very festive (and holiday-appropriate) with the cranberry and gold print.  Here's a close up:

This is the second thing in the box that I've already worn.  I had another local music performance to check out last night!  This was perfect!  :)

7. Check Me Out Scarf (boutique item) - $25.00

This scarf was an impulse purchase.  It's rarely cold enough here for scarves to be necessary, but I've learned that they can be fun.  I don't know what else to say.  I liked the pattern.  I'm not really into plaid, but these simple checks?  Sure.  I think they work.

However, I didn't realize that I actually bought a blanket, not a scarf.  There's just no way . . .

When I wrapped this around my neck, my life flashed before my eyes.  Well.  That might be an exaggeration.  But . . . seriously?

8. Draped Crescent Necklace (boutique item) - $16.00

Another impulse purchase here.  This necklace was really cute on the website (on the model).  On me???  Not particularly.

If I move at all, the necklace gets hopelessly twisted or tangled.  The design is kind of a mess.  If you do anything beyond posing for pictures, watch out.  I don't see how this would work in the real world.

This is a no.  Unfortunately.

Well, this tote was a bit of a mixed bag.  I love the dress.  I like the dotted jacket.  I also like the two print blouses.  Obviously, since I've already worn two items, I'm keeping the tote.  It looks like I just have two tops to sell or trade.  Well, OK, no big deal!

Since I can send the boutique items back separately without any connection to the tote, I think I'll return them.  I don't see myself wearing the scarf or necklace, so I think it'll be easier to just ship them back and get a refund.

Well, overall, this was a fun tote.  There were a couple of items that didn't work, but all of my surprises were basically my style.  Those are the things that they pick for me, so if those are right, it's working well (in my opinion).  I'll definitely be ordering another tote!

If my blog post has inspired you to try Golden Tote, please use this referral link to sign up.  If you do, I'll get a small credit.  (In case you're wondering, I was not compensated by Golden Tote in any way for this post.  My only relationship with them is as a customer and I have paid for all of my own items.)

Please comment?  What do you think about the items I received?  Have you received any of these items?  What did you think?  Which do you prefer - Golden Tote or Stitch Fix?  Thanks again for reading!

33. Mahi Mahi Tacos in a Curried Coconut Sauce with Lime-Almond Spinach Salad

I made these tacos on a Wednesday.  It was a nice day.  The school semester was winding down.  I actually had a little time to meet Steve for a quick lunch.  Guess what we had?  Ha ha.  You guessed it - tacos!  There's a little place called Carlito's that just recently opened in Casa Grande that's been getting a lot of positive attention.  I've been wanting to try it.  I wanted to try more than one thing, so I went with 2 tacos - a pork al pastor and a grilled shrimp.  I preferred the pork, but they were both pretty good!

It was actually kind of nice to eat some tacos that I didn't make.  :)

Anyway, since we had already had tacos for lunch, I knew I wanted to make something very different for dinner.  I thought I might be able to subconsciously convince our taste buds that we weren't having tacos.

I may have succeeded.  These were . . . different.  Exotic and different.

I don't know what to say about this recipe.  There is some interesting cross-cultural fusion going on here.  Coconut milk, hot peppers, lime, and cilantro - Thai?  Indian?  Well . . . those ingredients could indicate either cuisine!  What about Madras-style curry powder?  I have loved eating and making Indian food quite regularly over the last couple of years, and I was very interested to learn (from 660 Curries, my favorite Indian cookbook) that what most Americans know as "curry powder" is actually a British invention.  There are countless combinations of spices that can be ground and used in Indian dishes.  It's all very interesting.  There's nothing wrong with Madras-style curry powder, by the way.  It's pretty tasty - it's just not as authentically Indian as one might think!

So, here's the recipe for these British/Indian/Thai tacos.  Nothing to be afraid of - they were delicious!  :)

Mahi Mahi Tacos in a Curried Coconut Sauce with Lime-Almond Spinach Salad

Serves 4 (about 8 generous tacos)

Ingredients:

For the fish:

1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
4-6 small Thai chiles, finely chopped (or 1-2 serranos)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp. Madras-style curry powder (I used hot)
2 small tomatoes, diced
One 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
Finely ground black pepper to taste
1 lb. mahi-mahi fillets

For the salad:

2 heaping cups chopped fresh spinach
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. coconut oil

Juice of one lime
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted

12 to 24 corn tortillas, depending on whether you want to double them up

Ground paprika, for garnish (optional)

Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

1.  Make the sauce:  Heat the coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, lower the heat a bit, and cook until the onion is soft and slightly brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the chiles, garlic, and ginger and cook for an additional minute.  Stir in the curry powder and the tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated.  Add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a low boil and cook until the flavors have blended and the mixture has reduced slightly, about 6 to 8 minutes.

2.  Cook the fish:  Add the fish fillets to the sauce.  Bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook until the fish just begins to flake, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat (keep covered) and set aside.

3.  Prepare the salad:  Combine all of the salad ingredients in a medium bowl and toss.  (You may need to heat the coconut oil slightly if your room temperature is too low.  Coconut oil will solidify at a certain point.)  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Set aside.

4.  While the fish is cooking, (or after, if you don't want to multi-task,) prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.  

As the tortillas are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.

When they are all finished, wrap them in the foil.  You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven if you wish!

5.  When all the components are ready, assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  (If your tortillas are thin, as mine were, double them up!)  Top with a generous amount of the fish.  Spoon on some of the salad.  Drizzle with a little bit of extra curried coconut sauce.  Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a squeeze or two of lime.  Enjoy!

I have to admit, these were kind of weird (for tacos).  I really thought they were delicious, though.  They didn't fit into any one particular type of cuisine, but in the end, it didn't matter.  The flavors worked together perfectly!

If you wanted to make the fish and salad and just eat it with some jasmine rice (and forget about the whole taco thing), go ahead.  I wouldn't judge.  :)

You might want to keep an eye on the fish and make sure that it doesn't simmer too much.  Steve thought I overcooked it just a bit.  I'm not sure that I did, but it's definitely something to be aware of.  Mahi-mahi can definitely dry out.  It will also continue to cook just a bit while it sits in the sauce, so you really can remove it from the heat when it's just barely (or almost?) done.

Overall, I was really happy with these "fusion" tacos!

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try the tacos?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

32. Spicy Italian Sausage and Yellow Pepper Tacos with Caprese Topping

I realize that this is the second processed meat taco that I've posted in a row (if you count the bacon that I included in the last one.)  Well . . . what can I say?  100 recipes is a lot!  I'll make a taco out of just about anything these days.  Ha ha.

Seriously, though, my next one will be vegetarian.  I think.  :)

For now, just picture a flavorful, hearty taco that will remind you of a lovely Italian meal that you once had and that will pair perfectly with a glass of red wine.  This is that taco!

I would have loved to make this with some kind of artisan Italian sausage, but that's not happening in my local grocery store, and I didn't have time to be picky and run up to Phoenix.  Oh, well.  These are pretty easy to throw together on a weeknight.  That's a plus!  :)

Here's the recipe:

Italian Sausage Tacos with Caprese Topping

Makes 8 generous tacos (4 servings)

Ingredients: 

For the balsamic drizzle:

½ cup balsamic vinegar

For the sausage filling:

2 tbsp. olive oil

One red onion, finely chopped

One yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

1 to 2 Fresno peppers, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 lb. ground Italian sausage, crumbled

a few pinches of Italian seasoning

8 small flour tortillas 

About 8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

About 1/2 lb. tomatoes, sliced and seasoned generously with olive oil, salt and pepper

A small bunch of basil, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Make the balsamic drizzle:  Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until it has reduced by about half, about 5 to 10 minutes.  The vinegar should lightly coat a spoon.  Set aside.

2. Make the sausage filling:  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the yellow and Fresno peppers.  Continue to cook and stir until the peppers are softened, about 5 minutes.  Season with the salt.  

Add the sausage and Italian seasoning (to taste) and continue to cook and stir until the sausage is fully cooked and slightly browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn the broiler on.  Spray a large baking sheet (or two) with cooking spray.  For each taco, place a tortilla on the baking sheet.  Spoon a small amount of the sausage mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Sprinkle with some of the cheese.  

Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook until the tortilla is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted.  Unfortunately, I got distracted by something and walked away.  When I got back, mine looked like this:

Oops.  Well, I thought the tortillas were a bit too burned for my liking.  I put more plain tortillas under the broiler and toasted them just a bit.  Then, I carefully transferred the sausage and cheese to the new tortillas and proceeded with the recipe.  If you could skip this step by simply NOT burning the tortillas, I would.  :)

4. Finish assembling the tacos:  Place the toasted tortillas with the sausage and cheese topping on plates.  Top with a few slices of tomato and some of the sliced basil.  Drizzle with the reduced balsamic and enjoy!  :)

We really enjoyed these!   The fresh Fresno peppers added some nice heat.  I suppose I could have just used spicy sausage, but I liked the fresh peppers!

I also thought the balsamic drizzle on top of the Caprese topping was just the right touch.  It added a bit of sweetness, which was a nice contrast to the savory sausage. 

And, just in case you were wondering, these tacos do indeed go nicely with red wine.  We had a Cabernet.  I would definitely recommend a glass on the side!  :)

There's not much else to say - they were very tasty!  I think I would do anything differently - aside from NOT burning the first set of tortillas.  Ha ha.  Well, you do get full disclosure with these recipes.  I'll definitely tell you if I mess something up!  
   
Please feel free to comment - and let me know what you think if you try them.  :)

Thanks for reading! 

31. Chicken-Bacon-Double Ranch Tacos

Sometimes, the inspiration for my taco recipes comes from items that I know I have in the refrigerator that need to be eaten.

On my way home from school, I was frantically trying to think of a taco to get me one step closer to my goal of 100 recipes in a year.  I'm usually pretty busy during the day, so I didn't have much time to think until my drive home.  It takes me about 15 minutes to get to the grocery store, so I started racking my brain . . .

Bacon!  I remembered a pack of bacon that I had opened for my last recipe.  I had only used a few slices of it.  Hmmm.  What goes with bacon?  I couldn't do BLT tacos - I've already done that.  You can check those out here!  (They were delicious!)

I finally thought of chicken.  And ranch.  That's a thing, right?  Chicken/bacon/ranch?  It seems like that combination pops up a lot - maybe not the trendiest thing out there, but what's not to like?  YES!  The details of the idea fell into place during the remaining minutes of my drive.  I decided to cook a couple of chicken breast halves in my stovetop smoker and make a homemade ranch dressing.  Then . . . another light bulb!  I thought of a nostalgic, slightly goofy addition.  For some reason, the canned ranch style beans that I liked as a kid came to mind.  We used to eat them quite often alongside a steak or a hamburger patty.  I thought they were delicious, but I haven't bought them in years.

Well, what could be better than ranch on tacos?  DOUBLE RANCH!

I've used my stovetop smoker before in other taco recipes:  one featuring tuna and the other mushrooms!  I would highly recommend getting one for your kitchen!  We have the Cameron brand and we love it!  Here's a link to buy it from Amazon.  It's very easy to use, too.  (By the way, I am not affiliated with Cameron.  I just think it's a great product!)  :)

If you don't have one, don't worry - you can still make this!  After seasoning the chicken breasts, you could grill them and they would still be tasty.  You could even boil the chicken in salted water - as long as it gets cooked, seasoned, and shredded, it should work!

Anyway, this was a tasty, fairly easy weeknight taco.  Here's the recipe!  :)

Chicken-Bacon-Double Ranch Tacos

Serves 4-6 (about 8-12 tacos) with extra dressing

Ingredients:

8 slices of high-quality bacon (about 8 oz.)

For the chicken:

2 organic skinless/boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the ranch dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp. chopped chives
1 tsp. Cholula, or a hot sauce of your choice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

One 15 oz. can ranch-style beans

Because you know we love "real western flavor" here in Arizona.  ;)

12 to 24 corn tortillas, depending on whether you want to double them up

A few large leaves of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

2 to 3 chopped roma tomatoes, for garnish

Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

1.   Cook the bacon:  Line a large baking sheet with foil and arrange the slices in a single layer.  Place into a cold oven and turn it to about 380 degrees.  Cook the bacon for about 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp; the cooking time can vary with the thickness of the slices.  Drain the bacon on paper towels.

2.  While the bacon is cooking, start the chicken:  Season the chicken breasts with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  Smoke in a stovetop smoker for about 20 minutes or until just done.  (You can use another cooking method if you wish - it will still be good!)  Allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle, shred into large pieces with a knife and fork or your fingers.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.  Cover and set aside.

3.  While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing:  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.  (Alternately, you can blend the mixture in a regular blender.)  Cover and set aside.

4.  Heat the beans in a small saucepan over medium heat.

5.  While the beans are heating, prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.  As the tortillas are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.  When they are all finished, wrap them in the foil.  You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven if you wish.

6.  When all the components are ready, assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  (If your tortillas are thin, as mine were, double them up!)  Top with some of the shredded chicken.  Add a small spoonful of the beans (use a slotted spoon to avoid excess liquid).  Add some shredded lettuce and some of the bacon.  I used about a slice for each taco (broken into pieces).  Sprinkle with chopped tomato and then drizzle on a generous amount of the ranch dressing.  Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh chives, if you wish.  Enjoy!

Ha ha.  Well.  The double-ranch thing may have been a bit of a gimmick, but it worked out pretty well.  I don't know that the addition of the ranch-style beans "made" the taco, but it certainly didn't hurt.  I thought they were tasty, but subtle.  Ranch-style beans in a can are not bad, but they're not quite as good as I remember.  Would this recipe be better with homemade, seasoned pinto beans?  Probably.  I'm all for doing that - it's easy to cook a pot of beans, but the timing just wasn't going to work out, considering that I started making these at about 6:30 pm.

I'm also discovering that, with sixty-nine recipes left to go, gimmicky ideas are not all bad.  Ha ha.

Steve also gave these a thumbs up.  We're not usually big fans of chicken breasts.  We'll choose thighs or drumsticks every time, but the smoker really made these delicious!  They had a lot of flavor and they stayed juicy!  I can't recommend that thing enough!

The dressing was great.  There was quite a bit left, and we ate it on a salad the next day.  I don't see extra ranch dressing as a problem at all!

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Do you have any nostalgic feelings about ranch-style beans or am I the only one?  Ha ha.  Did you try the tacos?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading!  :)

30. Bison Tacos with Guajillo-Red Wine Sauce, Monterey Jack Cheese, and Loaded Guacamole

Well, after our whirlwind of a holiday weekend, I'm finally getting around to posting our Thanksgiving Eve tacos.  I got off easy this year - I love hosting Thanksgiving, but my parents did it this year.  The only thing I was assigned to bring was cranberry sauce, which left me plenty of time to make tacos on Wednesday night!

Today is December 2nd - the four-month anniversary of the beginning of my project!  With all things considered, I'm hanging in there.  I've already made recipe thirty-one.  I need to finish that post shortly!  Tonight, I'll make recipe thirty-two.  I should be on thirty-three or four, but I'm so close!  If I get a few extras in there over winter break, I'll be fine!

I want to pace myself so we don't end up having tacos EVERY DAY during the months of June and July.  Ha ha.

I was in the mood for red chile on the night that I made these.  I decided to use dried guajillo chiles and ground bison to make a hearty, spicy filling.  If you can't find ground bison or don't want to use it, I'm sure ground beef would be fine.

I wanted to include guacamole, but the guacamole that I always make just seemed too . . . obvious.  :)  I really have issues with keeping things simple, I know!

I decided to do loaded guacamole.  I added crumbled bacon, garlic, and cumin to my usual recipe to give it a little kick!

Here's the recipe!  The results are below!  :)

Bison Tacos with Guajillo-Red Wine Sauce, Monterey Jack Cheese, and Loaded Guacamole

Serves 4 (about 8 generous tacos)

Ingredients:

For the loaded guacamole:

2 large slices high-quality bacon
3 small ripe avocados, diced or lightly mashed with a fork
1 clove garlic, pressed in a garlic press
1 small roma tomato, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, to taste

juice of half a lime

For the bison mixture:

4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 cup soaking water (from the chiles)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 tbsp. tomato paste
12 oz. ground bison

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 to 24 corn tortillas, depending on whether you want to double them up

A few ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Chile powder, for garnish (optional)

Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Start the guacamole:  Cook the bacon until it is crisp.  You can use any method you like.  I like to cook bacon in the oven.  I place it on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer.  Then, I put it in the oven and turn the oven to about 380 degrees.  Depending on the thickness of the bacon, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook.  Drain the bacon on paper towels.

2. Start the guajillo sauce:  Place the chiles in a glass liquid measuring cup.  Cover the chiles with about 1 1/2 cups boiling water.  Allow them to soak until softened, about 20 to 30 minutes.

3. While the chiles are soaking, finish the guacamole.  Place all of the ingredients (except the bacon) in a small bowl and gently combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Cover and set aside.

4. Remove the chiles from the water.  Reserve about 1 cup of the soaking liquid.  Place the water and the chiles back in the glass measuring cup.  Add the wine and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.  Set aside.

5. Make the bison mixture:  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, lower the heat a bit, and cook until soft and slightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and oregano and cook for an additional minute.  Increase the heat to medium and add the bison.  Cook and stir until slightly browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Season with the salt and pepper.  Add the tomato paste and the reserved chile and wine mixture.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Keep warm.

5. While the bison is cooking, (or after, if you don't want to multi-task,) prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.  As the tortillas are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.  When they are all finished, wrap them in the foil.  You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven if you wish.

6. Crumble or chop the bacon and add to the guacamole.  Mix well.

7. When all the components are ready, assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  (If your tortillas are thin, as mine were, double them up!)  Top with some of the bison mixture.  Sprinkle with some grated cheese.  Add a small amount of lettuce and a healthy dose of the guacamole.  Garnish with a sprinkle of chile powder and a squeeze or two of lime.  Enjoy!

These tacos turned out to be the perfect pre-Thanksgiving meal!  They were hearty and flavorful, but not overly heavy or filling.  We had two each and that was the perfect amount.

I can't really think of anything I would change.  The guajillo chiles add some heat, but it wasn't too much for us - a nice slow burn.

I don't know whether it was the bacon or the fact that I used less lime than usual (because I didn't know how it would mesh with the bacon and bison), but the guacamole did not keep well at all.  If you're not serving four, you might want to make a bit less.  Or just get some chips and eat chips and extra guac on the side!

On a positive note, I added the leftover bison to some tomato sauce and made a really awesome spicy spaghetti sauce for another dinner - recycling at its finest!  :)

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try the tacos?  What did you think?  Well . . . on to the next one!

Thanks for reading!