Cheesy Meaty Tostadas

Cooking for two was a bit challenging at first, but as newlyweds we are finally getting into the swing of things. How much meat to defrost for two, kitchen essentials to always stock up on, calling dibs on the last yogurt in the fridge, you know, that kind of stuff. Before John and I go food shopping we like to make sure we have a plan in place. I tend to always throw things in the cart as we go through each aisle. I guess I get it from my mom. Having a stocked fridge was always important and sitting down at the dinner table at 6 p.m. was a must. It was the time we all gathered around the table and caught up on what went on during the day and I try to keep that tradition going with John and I. So, whenever I see a pretty decent sale its hard to resist buying more than just one of that particular item. Avocados are on sale four for $5, welp, I'm buying eight. I also like to make sure we always have options. Typically we agree early in the day on what we want later that night and make sure that we have what we need or take out anything in advance that might need a longer prep time. Last night was the third night in a row we had chicken so we knew today had to be red meat, especially since us Catholics skip the protein on Friday's during Lent and tend to end up carb loading. Okay, pasta tomorrow we know for sure, so tonight was a toss up between chop meat or skirt steak. John loves the way I make skirt steak on our stove top (recipe to come at a later time), but I wasn't in a grilling mood tonight. We ended up defrosting about a pound of chop meat and decided to make some tasty tostadas. We had all the fixings and with the mounds of snow outside we weren't leaving to go anywhere.

   
The finished product hit the spot on this frigid night. Cheesy, crunchy and exactly the comfort we needed tonight to keep our bellies warm. These are super quick and easy to throw together and can really have any of your favorite veggies as toppers. Roasted corn, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, whatever your heart desires. Typically I like a dollop of sour cream to top them off, but we tossed on some Frank's Red Hot and called it a night.

Ingredients:

-chop meat
-tostada shells
-taco seasoning
-cumin
-crushed red pepper flakes
-cayenne pepper
-green and yellow peppers
-white onion
-scallions
-part skim cheddar cheese or Mexican blend

Directions:

Brown 1lb of chop meat in a deep pan on your stove top. Once fully browned, drain the meat and add the taco seasoning and cooked meat back into the pan. Mix in 1/4 cup of water, cumin, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. I like to keep it spicy, but if you aren't a fan you can hold off on the additional spices and just mix in the taco seasoning. In the meantime, preheat your oven on 325 degrees. While your meat simmers with the spices, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and lay your tostada shells across. Mine fit 6 perfectly. Once the meat is done simmering top your shells with a few scoops of the meat and toss on your favorite veggies. I finished ours off with a few sprinkles of part skim Mexican blended cheese and baked for about 15 minutes until fully melted and the shells were crispy.

So what kitchen essentials do you always make sure to keep stocked in your homes? I like to think we have a pretty baller spice game going. Can you tell we are Italians? We keep the garlic and crushed red pepper right up front and make sure to buy the extra large containers. Looks like we need a refill soon, eeek! Other cupboard musts are pasta, tomato sauce, chicken stock, panko, breadcrumb, Ramen (college style), Italian dressing mix, croutons, brown rice, salt, pepper, cooking spray, oils, vinegars, cooking wine and the list goes on.

Two of our most special kitchen must haves are truffle oil and Himalayan salt from one of our favorite oil and vinegar shops in Port Jefferson, NY called The Amazing Olive. If you are ever in the area make sure to stop in. They have dozens of infused oils, vinegars, rubs, spices and even homemade soaps that are absolutely amazing, hence their name. Truffle oil is sacred in our house as you can see we haven't even opened our bottle yet. You can definitely use it to cook but we prefer to simply dip some crusty bread in ours or drizzle on some cured meats and cheese. As for the salt, well its great to rim your margarita glasses with! The salt comes with a grater and is a bit tedious to grate, but so worth it. We shaved some recently while entertaining friends on margarita night. Other cooks use it to salt meats, fish and salads. What are your favorite and most unusual ingredients to keep in your kitchen cupboards or fridge? I love to hear what other cooks are using.