Making tacos for dinner is a sure fire way to get everybody gathered round the table for a family meal.  Having a Mexican themed family dinner is not only delicious, it can also be a source of fun as everyone can build their own tacos.  Making tacos is fairly simple; most of the ingredients are eaten fresh, except for the meat which is cooked with spices and diced veggies.  If you are planning a family taco night, here is a list of ingredients you can use as inspiration.

(1) Hard shells, and soft corn or flour tortillas.  What are tacos with out the taco holders?  If you've always eaten tacos with the hard shells, get some soft tortillas for a little variety.  You can even spread a layer of refried beans on the soft tortilla and wrap it arount the hard shell!

(2) Ground beef or turkey, or shredded chicken + diced onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes + taco seasoning = taco base.  For leaner tacos, cook the ground meat separately and drain off the fat before adding other ingredients.  Instead of seasoning packets, you can also use your favorit salsa to flavor the meat and veggies.

(3) Shredded lettuce

(4) Sour cream

(5) Freshly grated cheese.  Most people use cheddar, but you can use marbled cheese, mozzarella, or pepperjack.

(6) Refried beans.  If you buy it in the can, look for vegetarian style refried beans, which do not have any extra (but tasty) lard or bacon fat. 

(7) Salsa or pico de gallo

(8) Canned chiles or jalapenos. For those who want to build their tacos packing heat.

(9) Guacamole.  You can buy it in the refrigerated section, or make it your self.  Just use a fork to smash the flesh of a ripe avocado, and blend it with lime juice, cilantro, black pepper, chili powder, and salt.

(10) Fresh (or canned) corn prepared with lime juice, cilantro, minced onion, and a bit of tomato or red pepper.  Basically, a corn salsa.

(11) Napkins!