So, let it be said that I totally get the fanny pack thing. I’m not going to wear one, but I get it. I don’t really want any excess stuff hanging around my middle – in fact, don’t most people spend time trying to get RID of excess baggage around the waist? But anyway, I get why you would want your money and personal belonging attached to your body in your front. Because really, no one is going to start messing with your front and YOU NOT NOTICE.
I always have this lingering fear in the back of my head when we go somewhere in a large crowd that I’m going to be pick-pocketed. I usually wear a back pack with all the kids’ stuff in it – and how easy would that be to open and take off with my baby butt wipes? Come back, diaper thief! So, anyway…fanny packs make sense to me, even if I don’t wear them…I’m having flashbacks to the 80s, y’all.
Okay…so, I just realized I’m supposed to post a recipe and instead I’m talking about fanny packs. Moving onward!
This cookbook – The Best of the Best From Texas – is one that Barry picked up for me on one of his many travels to Texas. He really knows the way to my heart – and he also knows how to subliminally get me to cook food.
We really love Texas – in fact, we’ve always said that if we HAD to live somewhere else, we would live in Texas. It’s just a lovely place…even if it is hotter than you know where. The people are nice and the food is GOOD. And they talk kinda like me – which is cool.
This recipe for Pick Pocket Tacos jumped out at me…and hence my soliloquy about fanny packs. We love tacos up in here, so I’m always excited to find a new way to serve them. I changed it up a little bit and adjusted the spices to our liking…and it was a hit. I totally knocked it out of the park. Even with Annie – who asked for seconds. Go, Texas!
You’ll need pitas for this – they are the “pocket” that you store all your taco-ey goodness in. I made mine, but you could use whatever you like. I used the recipe from the Bread Beckers cookbook, but I’ve seen other recipes abounding on Pinterest. Making them is super fun – especially when they puff up in the oven. I’m absolutely fascinated with all things bread.
Along with your meat mixture, you’ll just use whatever you normally put on your tacos. Anything goes! Except syrup. I probably wouldn’t use syrup. Or M&Ms…save those for later when the kids are in bed.
I kept it simple because simple is how I roll. Especially at 5pm when Andy has been crying for a solid hour while simultaneously being attached to my leg. I cook early in the day before the whole place falls to pieces around here. Something about the 5-6pm hour results in pandemonium around here. What IS that about?
Let it be said that I am not the best photographer ever – I realize that…but I also know I’m just a normal housewife/mama who tries to snap a photo that’s not blurry. I could read up a lot and learn the best techniques, but honestly? I would rather read a book on bread or look for new recipes. And I believe a lot of photography is talent – talent I don’t have…along with musical ability. So, anyway…that’s why you don’t see crazy awesome photos around here. Instead, you just see CRAZY.
Pick Pocket Tacos
- 1 pound ground meat (I use venison)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 4 pitas
- Taco toppings: lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, guac, avocado, etc.
- Brown meat and onion. Drain.
- Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings.
- Fill pitas with meat and toppings.
Yield: 4-8 servings
Thanks for sharing with Simple Lives Friday Stacy. I love pitas! We featured you this week. 😉
What a great idea, this will be a great taco.
Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
i never thought of using pitas for tacos. What a neat idea. I would love if you could stop by and share on my weekly recipe linky, Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen, http://totsandme.blogspot.com/2014/02/kids-and-mom-in-kitchen-72-rock-cycle.htmlHave great day.
Thanks!
Thanks for linking up with Friday Frenzy! So glad to see your pocket tacos included in the link-up. I agree… fresh pita pockets are a great way to serve a fast and less messy taco.
Those silly hard shells just break all to pieces.
Looks yummy! I think the pictures are great. I think for most regular people (like myself) that don’t have a ton of time to study photography, you naturally become better over time as you get more hands on experience.
I do my best to take a nice picture, but I don’t go to crazy lengths to style it, or remake the food again and again until it is ‘perfect.’ I am more about what is real and I enjoy blogs that are that way as well. They are more appealing to me than blogs that are so picture perfect and look like they come from a fancy magazine. 🙂 Thank you so much for linking this recipe up at Recipe Sharing Monday. I hope to see you back next Monday. Have a good weekend!
Most of the time people are climbing up my legs and saying “Mommy, is dinner ready?!” They wouldn’t wait for me to style a photo. 😉
This takes me back. Years ago when I was on Weight Watchers one of my go-to lunch was a pita stuffed with refried beans and other taco fixings. The pita was way less calories than a tortilla and allowed you to fit in lots of stuff!
Ohhhhhhhhhh, I just love refried beans!
I loved your little fanny pack commentary haha! And these look delicious. Thanks for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next week.
Well, I’m glad someone gets me! 🙂
Stacy, I saw these on Gluten-Free Wednesdays. They’re gluten free?
Thanks,
Shirley
They would be if you used a gluten free pita. I make mine, so I would think you could do it with a gluten free flour blend. I thought it was okay to post because you can chose which pitas to use. If it’s not okay, I’m happy to take it down. 🙂
Gosh, no, that wouldn’t be my call to make, Stacy. I just thought you’d made them gluten free and might be willing to share your secret. I’ve seen some homemade gf pita bread, but none that looked that good. 😉 I guess there is ready-made gf pita bread. I’m just always in the homemade mindset. Anyway I think it’s a brilliant idea to use pitas instead of tacos; I’m certainly game. 🙂
If you can do buckwheat, I would think a homemade pita recipe would work to just use buckwheat instead of the wheat. I would try it! 🙂
Those look great. Did you use whole wheat flour on the pitas?
Yes – I ground hard white wheat berries. 🙂
I love and hate tacos. I love the taste, however, I hate that the shells break so easily. Using pitas fixes that issue for me. I need to show these to my kids and see what they think.
I know – I don’t understand the pull of hard taco shells. Not for me, thanks.
This is a great idea for the kids school lunches! And I’d love to try making my own pita breads! (and my husband is from Texas as well, and LOVES my cooking.) I’m a stay at home mom of 2! And they prefer home made to fast food!
Smart kids!
Pita Tacos! Yum! I can’t wait to try these! And will probably be less messy too as when I serve traditional tacos the filling usually falls out!
As to fanny packs, how about a cross-body bag instead?. I have carried one for over a year and love it ,especially in the grocery store as it is more secure and hands free! Also, I have taken to carrying an anti – skimming wallet and my husband uses an anti- skimming sleeve for his debit card as we got skimmed at a gas station and found out that someone had used our account number at a Walmart in Naples, Florida { we are in Western NC } and took 200.00 out of our bank account! Luckily the bank spotted it early or we could have been wiped out! You can’t be too careful!
Well, how smart is that!?
What a cute idea!! I need to try making my own pitas. I, too, am completely fascinated with making bread. It was one of my first hobbies when I became a stay-at-home mom. And yes, come to Texas. It’s like the Promised Land for homeschoolers.
I love all you Texans.
Your photos look great. Thanks for the recipe, it looks yummy. I will try these for sure.
I hope you enjoy them!
Hi Stacy, this is off topic. In your new years video you said you were going to use Pinterest more. Just curious how. Like you pinned “Make ahead Honey spelt rolls”, so have you tried them? either way, do you think you would need both kinds of spelt flour?
I use Pinterest to organize ideas – then when I make a recipe or do the idea, I usually delete it.
Here is how I use it for meal planning: http://www.stacymakescents.com/meal-planning-with-pinterest
Love following your blog. I was wondering what kind of wheat mill you use and where you get your wheat berries.
Thanks
I use a Nutrimill: http://www.stacymakescents.com/grinding-flour-in-our-nutrimill
I get my berries from various places. Some I buy from the local Amish store. Some I buy online. It just depends on what I am looking for. Amazon is another option. If you have Azure, you could get them there. You can order from Sam’s Club online. You can also order from the Bread Beckers if you have a local drop-off point. 🙂
I’m a Texas native, so of course in my opinion, all things Texas are wonderful! I’ve lived in NJ for the past 6.5 years, so I’ve had my share of snow. Yep, Texans are handicapped in ice and snow…anyway, this recipe looks really good – cookbook looks like something I might have to have as well. And as Susan posted, chili does not have beans. “If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain’t got no beans!” Lol..Thanks Stacey, great post as always!
Virginia chili has beans. LOL
These look good. I’ve never thought of having pita tacos. Around here (I live in Texas) tortillas, of course, are in abundance. Maybe one day I’ll try to make pita bread…yours look fabulous!
And yes, Texas can be hot, like, most of the year. lol But it does get cold…today we actually have icicles dripping from our roof. Last week, we had a “snow day” and kids got the day off from school. There was debate as to whether the frosty white stuff on the ground was sleet or snow, but hey, it was white, even if it couldn’t be measured in inches. The reason for the “snow day” was actually the ice. When it’s sleeting, the roads get all iced over. You northerners can laugh, but seriously, sleet is dangerous around here because no one knows how to drive in it. I heard there were 100 accidents in our area due to the icy roads. It only ever sleets maybe two days out of the year, so snow plows and such are non-existent around here. I prefer to stay home and enjoy the great indoors. : )
Ugh. I hate ice. Snow is much better.
Darlin’, venison is Texas. Texas would love to have you. We are from Texas (well, hubby is a naturalized citizen…and by marriage since I am a 6ht or 7th generation Texan & all our kids were born there. Anyway, we live in CO now (and my feet are freezing!) and we consider ourselves ambassadors here…to convince the people of CO that beans do NOT belong in chili.You add beans, then it is soup.
This one will be for Thurs since we have a basketball game that day.
Oops. I totally put beans in chili. Every time.
I hate when people make vegetarian chili. No. I’m sorry. That’s chile spiced beans!! That ain’t chili! (but I’m sorry I do put some beams in my mostly meat chili…
Beans and meat are like a marriage made in heaven.
Wishing we weren’t gluten free for this one! Maybe i could find a gf pita recipe, but frankly i’m happy if i can get a cake mix to turn out well 🙂 so i’ll just enjoy this recipe with my eyes and enjoy this post anyway because your humor and mom honesty are 50% of why i come here anyway 🙂
Just use corn shells, maybe? I won’t tell. 🙂 Pretend they are pitas.
I think your photos look great…and this looks so yummy.
Those pitas are awesome. You MUST make them!
Do you mind sharing the link for the pita bread from Bread Beckers?
It’s not a link. It’s in their printed book. 🙂
I totally get the 5pm craziness. I need to try cooking earlier in the day, that might save my sanity. Thanks for keeping it real! Oh, and I never thought about making pitas, I need to try that too!
Well I’m sure glad to know it’s not just here. Whew!
These look delicious! I too love tacos but have never thought to stuff the filling into pita bread. I’m gonna experiment with one of those “lighter” breads to see if I can make these all Weight Watchers friendly. I love your philosophy of food photography too. It’s such a balance. I try to take the best pictures I can, but have no interest in spending my limited time studying “food styling.” I’d rather spend my precious time finding great recipes, cooking them and actually enjoying them with my family 🙂
I have a friend who does WW and she uses the pitas from Wal-mart. Josephs. 🙂
Just want to say that I am totally with you on the pickpocket thing. I am not used to crowds, and I keep my hand on my purse at ALL times, even in the grocery store. Paranoid…yep, that’s me. 🙂
Paranoia, chachacha. LOL 🙂 I’m there with ya.
This looks yummy!! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! 🙂