BEST taco recipe

My good friend Suzanne found this recipe online. It is from America's Test Kitchen, one of my all-time favorite magazines. My dad has been getting it for as long as I can remember and I love the show, too. They are the ones who once said that there is no difference between using real vanilla and a cheaper alternative of imitation vanilla when you are using it in a recipe. Oh, baking controversy!

Anyway, we made these tacos last night. I tweaked it a little by adding a little more brown sugar and onion and I did hard tacos instead.

Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
8 flour tortillas
1/2 head lettuce
1/2 pound cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa

Directions
1.Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2.Stir in the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and sugar and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3.Divide the filling evenly among the taco shells and serve.

Delicious! We also made spanish rice with green peppers, onions and tomatoes.

inspiration?

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "I made a difference to that one."

adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
1907 - 1977