Soft Tacos and Burritos

This recipe is for soft tacos. If you want hard tacos - get the kit in the grocery store. Making the hard shells from scratch is not worth the trouble.

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 can tomato sauce (or one of those little ones- put the rest in a freezer bag)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin
dash garlic powder

shredded lettuce around 1/2 cup
chopped tomato
diced or sliced onion
grated cheddar and pepper jack mixed
jalapenos, sourcream and/or olives (optional)
taco sauce or salsa
soft white corn or flour tortilas

I have sampled many different versions of tacos. Some cook the meat in the tomato seasoning sauce, and some put the sauce on top and some do both. I find the meat cooked in the sauce to be tastier if you boil off enough liquid that it will not sog the taco. And some people add refried beans to make them more filling.
Brown the ground beef and add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Try to chop the beef up fine with the spatula while browning. You can use turkey if you want or even TVP (add some beef bullion if you want.

Warm the tortillas, they are best warmed in a lowheat skillet, very quickly on both sides to make them flexible. If they are not warm they will break when you go to wrap stuf with them. You can also follow the instructions on the package for microwave warming, but be careful and don't over-nuke them or they will get rubbery. It actually helps if they are nuked frozen because the ice condensation will keep them moist. Either way, when you get them hot, the most important thing is to wrap warm tortillas in a clean cloth and put them on the counter to keep them warm and soft until you make the tacos or burritos.

Assemble the tacos, usually the meat is on the bottom, followed by the cheese and then the rest of the veggies and then the toppings.

Carne Asada Tacos
You can make tacos using other things beside the ground meat/tomato filling.

1/2 lb chicken or beef (raw or cooked)
2-3 tbsp oil
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
cumin
strips of onion and green pepper
Brown meat in oil, (or use grilled meat). If raw, saute (asada) until almost done then toss with the seasonings. If the meat is cooked, add the seasonings, and just warm it up and brown it up a bit.
These types of tacos may not have vegetable fillings if vegetables were browned with the meat. Cheese is not usually used, (but white mexican cheese cubes are good), but lettuce may be added.

Burritos
There is not much difference between burritos and soft tacos except for the way that they are constructed.
Burritos use larger tortillas to completely enclose the filling. They usually use refried beans and can also include rice and cooked onion and peppers. They use grated cheese, but rarely include lettuce or raw veggies. Though lettuce and tomato may be used as a topping with the salsa.
The meat fillings are basically the same as for soft tacos.
When you fill a burrito the put the beans and meat in the center of the tortilla, cover with cheese, sauce (if not in meat or if desired), and other toppings, but the whole mess shouldn't be over 1/4 cup probably less. Then fold up the bottom part about 1/3 the way up over the fillings, Then fold in both sides,, they should be able to overlap and keep the fillings in and not fall apart when you lay them fold side down or put them in your hand. Or you can roll them up like enchiladas and eat them with a fork with extra sauce and toppings.
There are endless variations with these sort of things. In Guatemala I have been served mashed potatos in tortillas, and chow mein tacos.