Frito Pies

Sometimes Teddy is impossibly cute.  Yesterday, we had barely placed the tree in the stand when Teddy walked in and dropped her toy right in front of it.  She does this every year.  The cutest thing about it is that she rarely plays with toys.  She has a pile of them and she knows they are hers and she doesn't like anyone touching them.  I guess she associates Christmas trees with getting new toys and she was sending a message to Santa.

 I made the after school kids Frito pies for their dinner today.  I've decided I would rather feed these kids this holiday than do tons of baking for the neighbors.  I have been giving the neighbors my cookie platters for over 20 years and I am sure they will be disappointed but I have to set priorities.  I think feeding the kids is more important.  Maybe I can pump out some kringles for the neighbors this year closer to Christmas when the program ends for over the holidays.

When my kids were young, we visited Sante Fe often.  The first thing they wanted as soon as we arrived were Frito pies which were sold on the square.  This is what they look like.

 They are basically chili dumped on Fritos with cheese and diced onion and sometimes jalapenos.  I like to make a hearty, tasty chili for this dish.  I made 14 quarts of this so I will give you the ingredients for a single recipe.  Dice 1 large onion, 5 stalks of celery and 2 green peppers.  Saute' them in a bit of oil.  I also used diced bacon to give it a bit of smokiness. Add 1 pound of ground beef and cook until it browns.  Add 3 T. cumin, 3 T. chili powder.

 Add 1 large can of crushed tomatoes.


 Add 1 T. granulated onion and 1 T. granulated garlic.  Add 3 T. dried oregano, 3 T. sugar, hot sauce to taste and S&P. .  Add 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of tomato juice and a beef bouillon cube. 

 Taste for seasoning and adjust.  I added a lot more cumin and chili powder because when you add the beans it dilutes the flavor a bit.

 Add about 3 cans of beans.  I added pinto, kidney and black beans.  Let this simmer for about 1 hour.  I've never made chili for the kids before and having it served as Frito pies should be a treat and lots of fun.  I can't wait to hear if they like it.  I bought them several bags of clementines for dessert.

Comments

sandra said…
YOUR AWESOME AND THAT RECIPE IS SOOOO FUN AND YUM!!
Anonymous said…
wow, that sounds amazing, and served in the bag,, thats great!! Never heard of this dish before,,
Teddy makes my heart squeeze a little everytime you write about her,, she is a complicated girl,, high maintenance too lol,,, how could you not love her, even though I know she would probably eat me alive if I came in your house lol,,,
Susan said…
I think your priorities are right where they ought to be. I hope Teddy is getting a new toy from Santa - I hear that foxes are all the rage. Or so "says" Lovey.
Leanna said…
OMG!! Frito pies are the best comfort food out there. I had mine with jalapeno slices and onion. Oh SOOOOOOO good! I learned about them when I lived in El Paso. Best lunch ever! Those and taquitos with shredded roast beef inside and fried a golden brown and then dipped in hot jalapeno salsa.

My mouth is watering now. I need to make some taquitos tonight. Breaking out the slow cooker today!
Anonymous said…
I've never even heard about Froto pies but they do sound delicious :-) This is a must try :-)

Yes she's so cute :-)
The only thing any of my dogs ever have done when the tree came in was to lift the leg and pee on it :-) It was Orvar of course and he never really couldn't figure out that trees indoors should betreated in another way than those outdoors :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
ryverwynd said…
My boy scouts (husband and son) call this "walking tacos"! They make these on camping trips, and we have even made them for company on game nights here at the house...fun!
Oh, the kids'll LOVE those!
Anonymous said…
We call them Frito boats here, but it's the same idea. I'm sure the after school kids will love your contribution.

Will the kids have enough to eat once school is out for the Christmas break? One of our high schools sends food boxes home with the students as they leave for the holiday.
Debby said…
I used to be a director of two after school programs. So wonderful you are doing this for them. They usually are pretty hungry after a day of school. Such a great idea. I love that you eat out of the bag. Your kindness never ends.
Guillaume said…
Teddie sure is cute! Hungry kids, lucky kids.
Unknown said…
Bless you!You are so amazing.
Ian's Girl said…
Mmmmm, reminds me of Texas! I know those kids LOVED these!
Mary Ann said…
Whew, I just use a can of Bush's Chili Magic, and hamburger. :-)
chickpea678 said…
I knew I had heard of Frito pies someplace recently!