cdford

Glad y'all don't have a problem with TT, but I sure do. I was using Northern for a while and could not figure out why "those places" stayed raw and itchy. Saw the notice on Clan Thompson's site and changed brands. No more problems after the initial stuff healed.

I avoided mixed even before going gluten-free. Most are simple to create on your own. For tacos, we do the following:

Brown a lb of ground beef (or more in a family the size of ours), adding onion and garlic when almost brown so that the flavors can mix as the onion becomes translucent. Drain grease. Add salt, pepper, 1TBL chili powder, 2TBL cumin, and 1/8 tsp cayenne. Pour in one can diced tomatoes and one can of vegetable juice (we use the generic version of V-8). Simmer until flavors have mixed and juices have cooked down. When almost ready, add 1/4 cup (more if you prefer) salsa to draw in the flavor of the peppers. Since my family balks at beans, I add some mashed pintos into this mix. It helps to thicken it and adds addition nutrition and fiber. Adjust the spices after adding the beans since you may want more intensity and they will absorb some of the spices already in the mix.

If your tomatoes have a really acidic flavor it will help to add 1/2 tsp of sugar, but that is not usually necessary. Any more will make it taste more like spaghetti sauce (which can be made with this same basic recipe by seasoning the ground beef mixture with onion, garlic, salt, pepper, a bay leaf, and Italian seasonings instead of the Mexican flavorings). Spaghetti sauce also requires a little more added liquid such as water.

This usually takes about a half an hour start to finish, is simple and inexpensive.