Not Your TV Dinner

When the first TV Dinners débuted on the food scene in 1953 it was a way to get rid of surplus turkeys. While convenient in the sense that all the little woman need do is warm it in the oven, these frozen tin trays could take upwards of an hour to cook.

Hum, not my idea of convenient. Fast forward to the Frozen TV Dinners of today. Thanks to the microwave, you can have individual meals in a matter of minutes. Some of these home food companies even come with their own programmable ovens and with the swipe of a recipe card, dinner cooks itself. I’ve got to tell you, this really concerns me on so many levels.

First off, many of my fondest memories growing up revolve around cooking with my family in the kitchen. Learning skills, and a bit of family history. Those same memories I’ve shared with my children, my grandchildren and one day I hope to spend time in the kitchen with our first Great Grandchild. My second concern is that the art of home cooking is going to disappear. And that is sad.

A good meal need not be time consuming. These Tostadas utilize both packaged foods (the chicken) and fresh ingredients. From start to finish, dinner is under 30 minutes. And it’s something the family can prepare together. Convenient, fast, delicious with time spend together in the kitchen. Perfect in my book.

Chicken Al Pastor Tostadas
16 oz package Chicken Al Pastor
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 cup Iceberg Lettuce, shredded
3 Roma Tomatoes
1 can Refried Beans
1 teaspoon Lard
8 Tostada Shells
1 cup Jalapeño Quesadilla Cheese Blend
Diced Jalapeño as desired
1 cup finely grated Cotija Cheese

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, st aside.

Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, swirl to coat the bottom. Cook Chicken Al Pastor for about 8 minutes or so, stirring often, until cooked through

While the chicken cooks, stack lettuce leaves, roll tight and shred. Seed and dice tomatoes, set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, top refried beans with lard. Cover and heat for 4 minutes, stirring half way through. The lard will thin the beans, making them more spreadable.

Arrange tostadas on the prepard baking sheet. Divide refried beans between the shells, spread almost to the edge of the shells. Divide chicken among the tostadas. Sprinkle the Jalapeño Cheese over the tostadas.

Place in the oven to bake for about 6 minutes or until nicely warmed. Remove from oven, top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, minced Jalapeño and a scattering of Cotija Cheese.

Don’t forget the margaritas!

---

The Lord takes delight in His people.