Pages

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Family Taco Night (and a Giveaway)

Last night was taco night at my house. There is just something about tacos that I love. My husband will tell you that tacos at home are not as good as tacos out, but I totally disagree. Part of what I love about having tacos at home is the contrast of the hot filling with the cool toppings. I also love the contrast of textures, whether my crunch is from the shell (when we do crispy shells, which isn't often) or the lettuce. I think part of it too though is that tacos remind me of dinner as a kid. They are one of the few meals that I have brought to my marriage intact. Others, I have adapted and really, much of what I make is new to me - either stuff that my husband grew up on (he's Italian) or recipes that I have found.

So, when MyBlogSpark contacted me about doing a Blog Spark for a family taco night with Old El Paso, it was a no-brainer. When it comes to eating Mexican food at home, frequently we turn to Old El Paso for our taco sauce, shells, meat seasoning mixes, refried beans and enchilada sauce, but that is only a partial list of what they offer. I was surprised to learn about all of their taco seasoning mix varieties, which includes flavors like Burrito, Cheesy Taco, Chili, Fajita, Taco, Mild Taco and even a seasoning with 40% less sodium. We generally just get the one called Taco. Through MyBlogSpark, you can print off a coupon for $.60 on 2 Old El Paso products and try some of the products for yourself.

Generally, when we have a family taco night, we either use our shredded chicken, which I make in large batches and freeze or we simply brown up some ground beef or turkey (turkey mostly lately). Occasionally for a Mexican treat I will make Chipotle Chicken for my husband and the kids will have chicken I removed from the pan after cooking and before seasoning in burritos. You can put a twist on taco night, with one of the delicious recipes available from Old El Paso, like Easy Fish Tacos (this sounds so easy) or Tarantula Tacos (perfect for Halloween).

And to keep your family laughing at the dinner table, you can have some fun with El Tacodor™, the world’s only family taco night game. With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit http://www.eltacodor.com/today to download instructions, a score card, and a challenge sheet for even more fun on family taco night! There's even a chance to put the spotlight on your family by sharing pictures of your family playing El Tacodor.

For news, tips and more recipes, visit Old El Paso. You can even find a link there for a $.60/2 coupon.

Giveaway
Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso, I have the opportunity to giveaway to one lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader, an Old El Paso “family taco night” prize pack which includes a packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings.

To enter: Leave a comment sharing what you do for family taco night at your house.

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry)

Follow A Busy Mom of Two on Twitter.

Tweet about this giveaway. This can be done once daily, please be sure to leave a link to the tweet in your comment.

Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Sign up to receive daily updates. Leave a comment letting me know you subscribe (or that you already do).

Share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you shared.

Giveaway will remain open until October 28th at 6 pm and is open to residents of US only. Winners will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Through my participation in MyBlogSpark, I was able to participate in this event. MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso provided me with a "family taco night" prize pack for me and is providing one "family taco night" prize pack for one reader.

104 comments:

  1. I don't have a family taco night, but it sounds like a great idea. I would play mariachi music to make it more festive.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I follow you on Twitter @mami2jcn

    ReplyDelete
  3. I receive your emails.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. tweeted:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27341206818

    ReplyDelete
  5. We are pretty plain - meat, cheese, lettuce, and shells. My daughter likes to have nachos instead. Erin, happynurse27@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. We usually make taco night a movie night as well.

    hewella1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. We usually have taco night on Friday or Saturday. Invite friends/family over and have fun with games/movies.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. @tcarolinep twitter follower

    ReplyDelete
  9. http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/27368325021

    ReplyDelete
  10. blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-busy-mom-of-two.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Shared on FB@tcarolinep Jessiekatie S.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Taco Night is just like any other dinner night at our house. We sit at the table and talk about our day, and there's more time to talk since tacos are so easy to prepare!

    ms0812(at)zoominternet(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  13. E-mail subscriber

    ms0812(at)zoominternet(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  14. Following you on Twitter (@1day1dollar)

    ms0812(at)zoominternet(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  15. what we do is chop up lettuce and tomatoes--shred cheese and pour on the taco sauce and if it's nice outside--we eat them outdoors. :)


    marci
    tristatecruisers at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. subscribe via e-mail :)


    marci
    tristatecruisers at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Taco night is nice because my husband and I usually cook it together--one of us will cut up and cook the chicken or beef, while the other slices up the tomatoes, avacadoes, and lettuce for toppings.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ours is more of a Taco Salad Night! We love all being able to mix up exactly what we want in our bowl!

    ReplyDelete
  19. When we serve tacos, we make it special by offering all of the fixin's to satisfy all of our particular tastes. I like salmon and shrimp, dh likes beef.

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. tweet

    http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27391411652

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. We usually let the kids pick their own toppings so they get only what they want.

    ReplyDelete
  22. For family Taco Night, we just do the basics, but we love to have guacamole...it's our fave!

    stephanierosenhahn at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Following you on Twitter!
    @asthepotter

    stephanierosenhahn at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. tweeted 10/15:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27444017266

    ReplyDelete
  25. Taco's are my favorite from home as well!

    sarahkayjordan at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  26. We just eat and eat and eat!!! No lie I can eat about 5 tacos!

    ReplyDelete
  27. We build our own tacos, and my youngest tries to get all of the cheese! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm already a subscriber via email. :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27508522743


    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. We make our own taco bar.

    Thanks
    surveys4lori@rocketmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Email subscriber

    Thanks
    surveys4lori@rocketmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Follower

    Thanks
    surveys4lori@rocketmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. tweeted 10/16:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27543156950

    ReplyDelete
  34. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27590898278

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  35. tweeted 10/17:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27640157476

    ReplyDelete
  36. Taco night is one of our favorites meal nights. I set up the table with bowls of different toppings, so everyone can make their own special tacos, serve the drinks in fancy margarita glasses and we will usually play games on the wii together.
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Email subscriber.
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Shared on Facebook
    (Tamara Bennington)
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  39. We love taco night at our house! It is one of our faves! We do crunchy shells inside soft shells for a double decker!

    ReplyDelete
  40. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27694489749

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  41. We always have family taco night buffet style - everyone likes different things, so we have rice, beans, olives, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc and everyone gets to make their taco soft, crunchy, nachos or a salad - however they like it! This would come in handy for us - I'm about to be on maternity leave and maybe this would help my husband with dinner!!

    jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net

    ReplyDelete
  42. Following you on twitter as @champagnewisdom :)

    jamieandandre at bellsouth dot net

    ReplyDelete
  43. tweeted 10/18:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27734829799

    ReplyDelete
  44. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27788928205

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  45. We all sit together and enjoy each others company.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I like taco tuesdays! We add mexican rice, black beans and sometimes corn to our flour tacos! mmm
    kaleangel2000@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  47. tweeted 10/19:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27856158394

    ReplyDelete
  48. We get lettuce, tomatoes, ground beef and beans, cheese. And kids eat them on flour shell wraps.

    ReplyDelete
  49. We make a line and I let my daughter "decorate" her own taco and we have rice with it. Nothing to exciting but she loves making her own and actually being allowed to play with her food!
    haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. I follow youon twitter
    haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  51. We love taco night. We lay out all the fixings and let everyone make their own creation.

    sweetone62406 at hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  52. I follow on twitter @LLLSummer

    sweetone62406 at hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  53. I tweeted http://twitter.com/LLLSummer/status/27880087647

    sweetone62406 at hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  54. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27882111591

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  55. tweeted 10/20:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/27935164602

    ReplyDelete
  56. We set out all the fixings and use both hard and soft shells. We are taco lovers!

    cbobbycat at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  57. I am an email subscriber

    cbobbycat at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  58. Hi! We love tacos at our house as well! I'm the only one who likes the crunchy tacos, everyone else goes with soft tacos or burritos. We normally just do ground beef, lettuce, sour cream, tomatos when their in season or salsa. Cheese is everyones favorite. Sometimes we'll have black olives as a treat! Thanks! Paula
    cornellfamily at centurytel dot net

    ReplyDelete
  59. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/27985278944

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  60. We love tacos and taco inspired foods! We make "regular" tacos with both crunchy and soft tortillas, and we also do taco salads, layered tostadas (flat tortillas) and nachos. I also sometimes make a all-in-one taco dish (meat, beans, rice, vegies, cheese) that we eat in a bowl with chips.

    creedamy at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  61. tweeted 10/21:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28029221127

    ReplyDelete
  62. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28359676183

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  63. tweeted 10/22:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28410298878

    ReplyDelete
  64. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28456490735

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  65. tweeted 10/23:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28505972326

    ReplyDelete
  66. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28544662425

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  67. tweeted 10/24:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28599643764

    ReplyDelete
  68. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28653766454

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  69. We like to get everyone into the kitchen to help with the cooking. The kids love to help stir the meat and cut the toppings.

    jmdanials (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  70. tweeted 10/25:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28692466175

    ReplyDelete
  71. For taco night, we add to the mood by playing a Mexican CD my husband and I bought on our honeymoon.

    Laura

    laurasu82 at yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  72. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28754367750

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  73. tweeted 10/26:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28797212950

    ReplyDelete
  74. We all eat together & we all "construct" our own tacos

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  75. follow you on twitter @pixie13sweeps

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  76. tweet 10/26
    http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/28835152713

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  77. We try to have Taco-movie night.
    supergrand2009@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  78. Follow you on twitter @countrynest
    supergrand2009@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  79. Email subscriber
    supergrand2009@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  80. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28847415081

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  81. We have taco night on our game night too. We let the kids make the taco when every thing is ready, they love it!

    fineinsanity {at} live {dot} com

    ReplyDelete
  82. Twitter follower {mom2anutball}

    fineinsanity {at} live {dot} com

    ReplyDelete
  83. tweeted 10/27:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28895834494

    ReplyDelete
  84. We haven't had an official taco night yet - but I'd make beans and rice to go along with the tacos.
    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  85. we usually all cook it together then sit down to a movie and play boardgames afterwards


    giveawaymommy at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  86. Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/giveawaymommy/status/28925456544


    giveawaymommy at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  87. Email subscriber


    giveawaymommy at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  88. I shared with my friends on facebook


    giveawaymommy at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  89. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/28942103917


    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  90. tweet 10.27
    http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/28943296409

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  91. We have taco night at least twice a month. Usually it involves eating tacos outside ( or inside now that it's getting colder out) and then snuggling up to watch a favorite tv episode on netflix.
    Its one of my favorite meals!

    aigcanada7 (at) hotmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  92. tw http://twitter.com/#!/achrissmile/status/28959837848

    aigcanada7 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  93. http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=136178996432851&id=100000967177106

    shared on fb

    aigcanada7 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  94. subscriber via email

    aigcanada7 (at) hotmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  95. Taco night always goes great when there's a great movie to watch!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  96. tweeted 10/28:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/28992657471

    ReplyDelete
  97. We have close friends over for a family taco night-great way to get together -we have tacos, of course, play games and have gab fests
    thanks for the giveaway
    aunteegem@yahoo.comre

    ReplyDelete
  98. I follow via twitter (LuckyDuckyToo)


    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  99. I am an email subscriber.

    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  100. http://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/29015196691


    runningmatey at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete