Its a family favorite, passed down from Mrs. Hays in the 1960s.
Theres a lot of Remember that?
and I havent seen X in ages!
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
For years I thought it was called cream tacos.
But what its called doesnt matter.
They had loud parties with tons of food and free-flowing beer.
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
The Hayses were one of those couples on the base.
Janey (or, as I later knew her, Mrs. Hays) was originally from Texas.
Mom had lived in Ohio her whole life and things like Tex-Mex enchiladas andSouthern tomato piewere new to her.
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Meanwhile, she exposed her friends to their first cabbage rolls.
A strange man approached me and pointed to our mailbox, which had stick-on letters reading BIR.
Excuse me, but is your dad Jim Bir?
Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Who can blame him?
Its not a common name, but I probably just stared at him blankly.
The Hayses had a daughter my age and our families would get together from time to time.
Mrs. Hays and my mom revived their recipe trading.
Thats how creamed tacos came into our lives.
As years passed, the Hayses moved and once again everyone slipped out of communication.
Mrs. Hays, I think of you every time I drive past your old house.
Mom hasnt made creamed tacos in years, in part because they are plausibly horrible for you.
Its essentially personal bowls of chili con queso for dinner.
Who can say no to that?
How My Mom Modernized Creamed Tacos
Mom changed Mrs. Hays original recipe slightly.
First of all, it calls for either a can or abrickof chili.
In any case, mom omitted the chili because the recipe is plenty hearty without it.
Mrs. Hays also calls for a pint ofhalf and half.
Creamed tacos are quite rich and already a nutritional nightmare before you add half and half.
So really what mom did was take an easy recipe and make it easier by leaving it out.
Speaking of, this is a fantastic meal for budding young cooks to make.
Thisll take 5 to 8 minutes.
Drain off and discard most, but not all, of the fat.
Simple Tip!
Add the beans and canned tomatoes to the pot.
Stir and let it come to a simmer.
Meanwhile, cut the cheese into big cubes.
Once the pot is simmering, add the cheese.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly until the cheese is totally meltedit wont take long.
Reduce the heat to low or move the pot off the heat to prevent scorching your dinner.
Taste a spoonful and add 1 or 2 teaspoons of chili powder if you think it needs more kick.
(Be carefulthis stuff is really salty, and theres salt in the chili powder as well.)
We always serve creamed tacos super thick, so it really sticks to your ribs.
If you have leftovers, refrigerate them for up to four days.
Ive not tried freezing creamed tacos, but it would probably work pretty well.
