Pumpkin Pie Sorbet

Other than my blender and my food processor, I have never used a kitchen gadget as much as I've used this ice cream maker. You can make ice cream out of anything! Sorbet is actually my preference, and it's a great way to use up overripe fruit! The other day I picked up a bag of frozen strawberries, thawed them and then put them in the blender with some simple syrup and a little bit of water. So fresh tasting and such a strong and amazing strawberry flavor! You can take any juice and make a quick sorbet - fresh squeezed orange juice, or lemonade. Toss in some yogurt to make frozen yogurt. It's endless.

So I wondered what a pumpkin sorbet would taste like? I had pumpkin on the brain because of Halloween of course, so I went to pick up a can of pumpkin. But they were out of the plain pumpkin, and just had the pumpkin pie mix. Not a big deal, it's still obviously pumpkin, but it is already sweetened and spiced. Not much left for me to do!

I dumped the can of mix into the ice cream maker and poured in a healthy splash of half & half. Or was it heavy cream? Can't remember... you can use either. Or, none at all.

15 minutes later....

What can I say. If you like pumpkin pie - you will LOVE this. It's best fresh. If you are going to make it ahead, I'd probably add more cream to it so it doesn't freeze too hard.

POTATO TACOS

When I was a kid, this was one of my most favorite things! We called them potato tacos. It is my Dad's recipe, and I believe the story was that he got the idea from a street vendor in Mexico. No one I have ever talked to has ever heard of tacos with potatoes mixed in - including the many Mexican-Americans I have asked. So, maybe it didn't come from Mexico. Or, maybe it did, but it was just that one street vendor's special recipe? Everyone who has tried them loves them. It's different, but familiar at the same time. You gotta try it!

Mixing potato with meat is certainly a good way to stretch a buck, and in this case, it gives a whole new twist to something we have all had a million times, in a million different ways. The traditional recipe is simply ground beef mixed with equal parts potato (boiled is fine) and then it's put into a flour tortilla and fried.

You can also mix some chopped cilantro and diced onion into the filling.

Fill a large flour tortilla, then fold it in half and fry the tacos in batches in a little bit of oil until golden on both sides.

When done, garnish with all your favorites. I like shredded lettuce, cheese, a little sour cream, fresh diced tomatoes and hot sauce!