It is quite possible I may never buy another bag of tortilla chips again. I thought I was hooked when I made these plain for the Bonfire Chili recipe, but that was only the beginning of my love affair.

I have this thing for chili-lime flavor. I love it. I also have a thing for tortilla chips. I love them too. So, it would only make sense that the two paired together would make my heart sing a little.

At one time I had a small jar of this crystallized lime stuff that someone had given me. I never really used it much and after awhile it got kind of all stuck together and gross so I threw it out. Well, last week when I was craving chili-lime stuff I went to the store to find some more. I stood in the seasoning aisle for about 20 minutes looking for this stuff. Not remembering the name, of course. (Because without post it notes my brain is useless.) I enlisted the help of the very friendly Publix guy and a little old Spanish man (who I think fancied me) to help me find this lime stuff. We searched everywhere and couldn’t find it.

And then, just as I had reached up from picking up Goldfish crackers off the floor that my daughter had so thoughtfully placed there, VOILA, there it was! True Lime Crystallized Lime Powder! It was in individual packets, kind of like sugar, instead of a jar, but who cares! I was so excited I found it. They also have a lemon version in case your interested.

Before I got down the aisle, that little old man found me and asked if I had ever found it. I told him I had and showed it to him. Then he wanted me to tell him the recipe of what I was going to do. He seemed very, very interested.

Wicked Good Chili Lime Tortilla Strips

• one package of corn tortillas
• chili powder
• lime powder
• salt
• pepper
• avocado oil

Take out about a half a stack of the tortillas and cut them in half and then cut them in strips like this.

Since the lime was in packets it took a little more work, but I just opened up about 9-10 packets, dumped in some chili powder and salt and pepper and tasted it until I thought the flavor consistency was about right.

I mixed it in this handy dandy shaker so that I could just shake it right on the tortillas as they were finished. I don’t use this very often, but when I need it, it sure comes in handy.

Now, if you have never used avocado oil before, you are truly missing out. I used it the first time when I made these Fried Plantains, which were amazing. I had heard that avocado oil was really good for you and the benefits are hands down better than using vegetable or canola oil to fry with. What I wasn’t expecting, was that when you fry with it, what you cook is not greasy at all. Every time I have used it the result is the same and you are not left with a greasy mess on your food. It tastes cleaner and really kind of makes you feel like your eating something healthy. It is more expensive and so far I haven’t been able to find it in a container larger than this one. However, you can reuse it by straining it out into a jar when your finished with it and then store it in the refrigerator.

Get out a large heavy bottom skillet and pour in your oil. Let it get really hot over medium high heat until when you drop in a piece of the tortilla it immediately sizzles and floats to the top. Begin dropping in the tortillas, as many as you can fit at a time.

I gave them about 1-2 minutes on one side and then flipped them over for another minute or so and then started to take them out. You want them crispy but not too cooked. I didn’t even let get get very brown in color. When you take them out, place them on a paper towel lined plate or pan and immediately shake on your chili, lime mixture. I added just a tiny bit more salt to mine when they were finished, but you can decided if you need more or not.

What you are left with is a delicious, crispy, non-greasy snack. I ended up making a huge bowl full of these because we were having a dinner party and I was serving the Bonfire Chili again. They made for a great snack out by the fire later when we were hungry again.