28 / matters magazine / school 2018 On the Menu – Spice Up the Dinner Routine Add taco night to your weekly family dinner plan – it’s fun and delicious BY KAREN TEDESCO H ere we go again. After months of vacation and the somewhat relaxed family schedules that go with summer, school starts and our routines kick in. The days seem to get more hectic for everyone in the fall, even if you don’t have little ones. And maybe those well-intentioned goals to get a handle on daily meal planning fall by the wayside. That’s where the beauty of taco night comes in. Traditional tacos are humble fare, arguably the original handheld meal. As well as satisfying hunger relatively quickly and economically, there’s some- thing about making tacos that feels like a special event. It might have something to do with how tacos can be personalized, rolled around any number of fillings, sauces and condiments. Plus they happen to be one of the few meals that we can stuff freely into our mouths, no utensils required! Planning taco night at home requires a little ad- vance work. When all the individual components are ready and made ahead, it’s just a matter of as- sembly. That’s a moment that becomes the perfect opportunity for wrangling some quality family time. Find the best place in your house to gather – the dining table, kitchen island, or a table in the back yard. Ask for help getting all the prepared ingredi- ents together, then let each person build their own taco – it’s a fun way to get everyone involved in the process of preparing and eating a meal together. While I’m not in favor of strict rules when it comes to making tacos, if you want to make really delicious ones at home I suggest using high-quality corn tortillas. If possible, look for tortillas made without preservatives and a minimal list of ingredi- ents, ideally just corn, water, salt and lime. Think about it – with something as basic as a taco, it’s the tortilla that functions as the wrapper for all the tasty things inside it. I’ve become a fan of locally made Vista Hermosa tortillas, which can be found at Whole Foods stores in the SOMA area, but you can also check out Mexi- can or specialty markets for other freshly made ones.