The holiday season’s a not-so-subtle reminder that my hectic life’s about to get decidedly more so.

I’m a glutton for punishment—despite already having entirely too much on my plate at my 9-5, somehow I thought it a good idea to take the photos for our Halloween party and help choreograph a group dance for a Diwali celebration. And if the Christmas season wasn’t already busy enough, three years ago we were blessed with our elder son in mid-November—one who’s now old enough to know how he’d like to celebrate with parents willing to jump through hoops to make it happen. Any logical adult would put blogging on the backburner so they could handle the rest of their lives, but those adults obviously never met me—the holiday season’s the busiest time for the #BloggerLife, so ain’t no sleep on this side of the city this season!

But we’ve still gotta eat.

Now I’m not much of a chef—a short stint in a restaurant kitchen as a teen quickly proved my skills lay elsewhere—but fatherhood’s got me rethinking my stance on avoiding hard time in the kitchen no matter what the cost. I’m learning that cooking doesn’t have to be hard—it was nothing to whip up scrambled eggs or make the boys some grilled cheese sandwiches once I learned how. If you have a solid recipe, cooking’s pretty painless—so I figured what better way to show my change of heart for the culinary arts than to try my hand at a dish for my son’s birthday party?

My family would never see it coming!

Let’s Taco Bout It — Dinner’s Not Gonna Make Itself!!!

Three posts deep into talkin’ ’bout tacos, and I’ve gotta say—it’s a crying shame I haven’t made any taco dishes yet!

But we’re about to change that.

Browsing the recipes on Old El Paso’s site, it didn’t take long to find one that looked delicious.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… Double Layer Tacos.

Double Layer Tacos

Ingredients

1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef
1 package Old El Paso™ Taco Seasoning Mix
2/3 cup (150 mL) water
12-count package Old El Paso™ Taco Shells
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) Old El Paso™ refried beans, heated
3/4 cup (175 mL) Old El Paso™ Thick N’ Chunky Salsa
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded lettuce
12-count package Old El Paso™ Medium Flour Tortillas
1 cup (250 mL) shredded cheese

Preparation

1. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Cook over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Heat taco shells and flour tortillas as directed on packages.
3. Spread 2 tablespoons heated refried beans on each flour tortilla. Place hard taco shell on centre of flour tortilla and gently fold tortilla sides up to match taco shell sides.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons beef mixture into each double-layer taco shell. Top with salsa, lettuce and cheese. Serve immediately.

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It, Chapter Three — When All Else Fails, There’s Old El Paso.

If anyone needs quick and easy meal ideas that their kids will actually eat, you, my friends, are looking at him. These aren’t the days where a pair of working parents could whip up some mac ‘n’ cheese or canned pasta and call it a night—the whole world’s watching how we parent, and we’re looking for dishes that’ll give our kids what they need to grow big and strong without compromising on flavour.

And in this, Old El Paso didn’t disappoint—I pleased guests both young and those young at heart with delicious home-cooked food, and I might’ve never given it a shot without someone to show me how easy it could be.

So the next time you feel tempted to dial dinner in, try one of Old El Paso’s dishes instead—you never know; you might surprise yourself!

Enjoy your eats and until the next, I remain,

–case p.

Disclaimer: I wrote this as part of a year-long campaign with Old El Paso, weaving their line of Mexican cuisine-inspired products into my life’s stories and putting them on the blog for everyone to see. I’ve been compensated with food and funds.