Carne Asada: The Recipes.

Brandon served his mission in San Diego, Spanish speaking. I grew up in LA.

We like Mexican food.

Good Mexican food is hard to come by around here. Cafe Rio is not Mexican food, folks. It is delicious and we love it, but it is not Mexican food.

When Brandon got home from his mission his family went to a Mexican restaurant that night for dinner. Brandon tells me that when he took a bite of the refried beans he almost gagged.

One time I ordered a carne asada burrito from a "Mexican" restaurant in Logan and it was just ground beef. Seriously.

This will help you to understand why we adore our yearly tradition of carne asada night that we started as soon as we owned a grill. Now, even though I know what authentic Mexican food tastes like, I had no idea how to make it. Enter Google. Heaven bless Google which led me to Simply Recipes and all the authentic Mexican recipes I could ask for.

Marinated carne asada is an absolute must. We buy our meat at a Mexican market about 10 minutes from our house. Don't try to buy it at your local grocery store. You will pay too much. Just go into your local Mexican market. All you have to be able to say is "carne asada" and they will point you in the right direction.

Also, buy your tomatillos and your limes there. Fresh and cheap. At WalMart this past weekend, for example, the limes were .33 cents each and most of them weren't very green or juicy. At our favorite little market we were able to buy 2 pounds for $1, which is about 8 deliciously green and juicy limes.

The tomatillos are for your salsa verde. We use salsa verde a lot around here and I usually just buy the Herdez brand from the store, but for carne asada night, homemade is a must. Which brings me to a tangent. I am thinking about growing tomatillos in my garden next year. Anyone ever tried that? I would love to can my own salsa verde. Yum. Tangent over.

Of course, the night wouldn't be complete without some fresh tomato salsa, or pico de gallo. Be sure to use the red onion, not white or yellow. It will make a world of difference in the taste. Oh, and be careful after you remove the seeds from the peppers. Don't lick your fingers. It won't be a pleasant experience. Trust me, I know.

On to the guacamole. To be honest, this is where I cheat. I only like to spend so much time in the kitchen. I buy the packets of guacamole mix from the store and mix them with 2-3 avocados and about 1/2 cup of sour cream. I haven't even tried a guacamole recipe. Davis and Rebecca brought the guacamole last weekend. It was yummy.

The final ingredients for the perfect carne asada taco are cotija cheese, or queso seco, and corn tortillas.

Warm your tortillas in the microwave between 2 damp paper towels and and you are now ready to assemble your tacos. Enjoy!