Taco Tuesday at Mrs. Clay’s Kitchen
There are some meals that quietly become part of a family’s rhythm.
For us, that’s Taco Tuesday.
Not because every Tuesday goes exactly as planned.
Quite the opposite.
This week’s Taco Tuesday was a perfect example.
Somewhere between planning the week and living the week, I completely forgot to move the chicken from the freezer to the refrigerator.
Normally that would have changed the menu.
Instead, it became an opportunity.
I decided to see if I could turn frozen chicken into something that tasted just as good as the taco beef.
At the same time, I had been wanting to create a homemade restaurant-style salsa for quite a while. Since I wasn’t sure we’d even like it, I planned to make only a half batch.
Except…
I forgot to halve almost every ingredient.
Apparently, forgetting things was the theme of the evening!
As it turned out, both “mistakes” became happy surprises.
The shredded chicken was juicy, flavorful, and seasoned all the way through.
The salsa? One of my sons took a bite and said,
“This tastes like that place we used to go…”
A few seconds later he remembered the name.
Superior Grill.
The funny thing is that I never mentioned Superior Grill.
I wasn’t trying to copy it.
I simply handed him a tortilla chip and asked what he thought.
Meanwhile, our taco meat got a little makeover too.
Instead of relying on a seasoning packet, I browned the beef deeply, bloomed the spices, stirred in tomato paste, salsa, green chiles, and let everything simmer together.
My daughter immediately said she liked it better than the way I used to make it.
My oldest noticed the tomato paste, so next time I may back it off just a little.
That’s one of my favorite parts of cooking.
Recipes don’t have to be perfect the first time.
They grow with your family.
One small adjustment at a time.
One meal at a time.
One Taco Tuesday at a time.
One thing that always makes me smile is how everyone builds their plate differently.
Some always choose the beef.
Some always reach for the chicken.
Some pile both into the same tortilla.
There isn’t a right way.
There never has been.
And honestly, I think that’s part of the fun.
Even better, I know tomorrow’s lunch is already halfway finished.
The leftover taco meat and shredded chicken will become quesadillas and homemade Crunchwraps—something my kids are always happy to see.
That’s one of my favorite kinds of cooking.
Not just making one meal.
Making today’s supper help with tomorrow’s lunch.
If you’d like to recreate our Taco Tuesday, here are the recipes we used.
🌶 Mrs. Clay’s Tex-Mex Restaurant Salsa
A happy accident that brought back memories of a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant.
🍗 Mrs. Clay’s Tex-Mex Shredded Chicken
Made from frozen chicken, seasoned from the inside out, and perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and Crunchwraps.
🌮 Mrs. Clay’s Tex-Mex Taco Meat
Rich, deeply flavored taco meat built one layer at a time instead of relying on a seasoning packet.
❤️ Mrs. Clay’s Kitchen Table
I’ve spent enough years in the kitchen to know that the meals my family remembers aren’t always the fanciest ones.
They’re the evenings when people wandered into the kitchen because something smelled good.
They’re the moments when someone stole a chip before supper.
They’re the conversations that happened while cheese was being shredded and tortillas were warming.
And sometimes…
They’re the recipes that only exist because I forgot to thaw the chicken or forgot to halve the ingredients.
I’ve learned not to be too frustrated by those moments anymore.
Sometimes they become the very recipes that earn a permanent place at our table.
If that’s not a little reminder that good things can come from imperfect days, I don’t know what is.
