1. Slowly brown the ground beef over low heat, using a wooden spoon to chop and sitr the meat, keeping it very fine and smooth.

2. When the beef is brown, drain the fat.

3. Add the refried beans and use the wooden spoon to smash the whole beans into the mixture. Remove from the heat.

4. Add the salt, chili powder, and 2 tablespoons of the taco sauce to the mixture. Remove from the heat.

5. In another skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil until hot. (Test with a small piece of tortilla--it should bubble when dropped in the oil.) Crisco oil will give the food a taste closest to the original.

6. Spread 1/12 of the beef mixture on the center of each corn tortilla.

7. Fold the tortillias over and press so that the beef filling acts as an adhesive and holds the sides together.

8. Drop each taco into the pan of hot oil and fry on both sides until crispy.

9. When cooked, remove the tacos from the oil and place them on a rack or some paper towels until they are a little cooler.

10. Pry open each taco slighly. Add 1/2 slice of American cheese (cut diagonally) and some lettuce. Top with about 1 1/2 teaspoon of the remaing taco sauce.

Makes 12 Tacos

Tidbits
Try to use very thin tortillas for this recipe so that they won't crack when you fold the filled tacos in half before frying. It's best to use warm tortillas and even moisten them along the middle where you will be folding, for additional fexibility.