Salsa Beef and Bean Lettuce Cups

I have two teenage boys. One 17 and one almost 16.

For the most part, they are really great kids. No problems with drinking or drugs, no staying out late, not hanging with the wrong crowd. They do well in school, the treat people well, they are not prejudice, see no color, voice their opinions when they think something is wrong, they are kind hearted....sounds pretty good huh?

Well here is a question.....what happens between the age of 15 - 17 that makes them think they know EVERYTHING?

It drives me crazy. My oldest will argue and argue with me till I am ready to scream. Drives me mad!

So I'm just venting a bit, and reaching out to the Mom's out there for guidance or words of wisdom on dealing with my smart alec.

I keep warning the younger one "Watch and learn".

Speaking of boys....my friend Rebecca at Foodie with Family happens to have 5 of them! She comes up with the greatest recipes to feed know-it-all's and smarty pants alike. We are always looking for recipes to feed our hungry crew and Rebecca came up with another great one.

We love tacos at our house. We probably have them 2 times a month. I'll switch out the filling to break up the monotony. Some times it's ground beef, some times it's chicken and some times it's fish tacos (their favorite).

I never made ground beef and bean filling and I had never used lettuce cups...until now.

Behold the Salas Beef and Bean Lettuce Cup:



What a great change of pace from the regular ole tacos.

Salsa Beef & Bean Lettuce Cup
recipe from Rebecca
For the Beef Filling:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 of a pound of sliced bacon
1/2 an onion, peeled and finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
1 can (15.5 ounces, approximately) chili beans in sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
To Serve:
Butter or Iceberg lettuce leaves
shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
cubes of ripe avocado with lime juice squeezed over them
salsa

To Prepare the Filling:
Stack the bacon slices and cut cross-ways into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick strips. Fry those over medium heat in a 12-inch, heavy-bottomed skillet or frying pan until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Pour the remaining bacon fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat.

Break up the ground beef into the hot pan and add the chopped onions and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to continue breaking the beef and working the onions and garlic into it as it cooks. When the beef is no longer pink in the center, drain off any fat (if there is any!) and return the pan to the heat. Add the can of beans with their sauce, stir well and bring up to a simmer. You can simmer it to thicken the sauce if necessary.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

To Serve:
Stack the lettuce leaves 2 to 3 thick to provide a little structure for when you lift it to eat it. Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the beef filling in the center of the lettuce cup. Top with the shredded cheese, cubes of avocado and a dollop of salsa.