Grease Fire

One thing about living where we live in the South is that we are actually, technically, in "Tornado Alley". I believe Huntsville has the most deaths per tornado or something like that. That info certainly wasn't in our relocation package. Really, moving here a lot of things are done differently than they are "out west" or "up north". I've never seen a tornado siren before, or heard of a Weather Radio. Weather Radios are like Bibles in the South: everyone has one.

I was catching a nap dreaming about none other than tornados. Have I told you about this strange phenom? Since we moved here 18 mos ago I think it's safe to say I have had over 50 dreams about tornados! It seems to be all I dream about. Usually in the dream, I see the tornados but I duck for cover or try to escape, and everything ends well. This time, I was in a field (alone) and saw one touch down. Tornadoes are like football: everyone gets excited where there's a touchdown. Anyhow, it came towards me and when it caught up I dove into a ditch where a farmer walked up to me and told me it was just a swirl wind. (Is there such a thing?) He had used it to help spread his cotton seed, and didn't I notice that the tornado was upside down, so of course it couldn't have been a tornado?

Then, I was jolted out of my dream by the EGH EGH EGH EGHH of the weather radio. It is so loud and it pumps up your metabolism. Strangely enough, there was no severe weather, so I checked on Jimi and decided to make lunch. Do you ever think about what you'll eat the next day as you go to bed? Nobody? Well, I decided that a taco salad sounded delicious.

I have actually made the shells before out of wheat tortillas (8", and I thought I had some left over) by putting foil balls under them and baking in the oven, the tortillas droop into shell shapes as they warm. But, I didn't have any. What I did have was 6" white corn enchilada tortillas. So, what if I make some mini salads? Great idea! Since they're too small for the foil ball in the oven trick, I'll just fry up the torts in my deep fryer, like I remember doing at TB. Except, I don't have the wire holder/shell former thing they had...or oil in my fryer. But, I DO have olive oil and a frying pan! [this is the point of the story that I really could have used an interjection of logic]...It took a couple test runs at the shell creation before I really got cooking (pun intended).

I guess I didn't realize the mess I was making on my flat top stove, or that I had left the oven on 375 even after the plan changed, because WHOOO a burst of flames came up from under my pan. I blew it out, moving the pan off the warm burner. As I did that, the oil from the pan spilled over onto the hot burner, and a new, larger flame burst up. I blew on it to no avail. At this point I actually thought about calling my mom to find out how to put out a grease fire. Note to self: if you don't know how to put out a fire, call 911, not your mom. I know what NOT to put on it (i.e. water, towels) but not how to put it out without an extinguisher, which we don't have. So, I just kept blowing on it and saying "no, in Jesus' name" over and over until it went out. I wonder what Jimi would have to say about the ordeal, as he had a great viewpoint from his high chair. If I can figure out how to post pix, I will definitely show you the taco salads.

They were very tasty. I made them with the aforementioned fire hazard shells, ground beef, chili powder, black beans, sourcream/salsa mixture, lettuce, avocado, olives and cheese. Yummy! Jimi had the same, minus the shell, lettuce, and salsa mixture. He liked it, too! Maybe next time I will just make enchiladas!