RECIPE: Taco Seasoning

We really love spicy Mexican food around here and we eat all kinds of Mexamerican things: tacos, quesadillas, burritos and enchiladas, not to mention the ever-popular nachos, queso sauce and bean dip. To season the meat and/or beans that go in these dishes, I've been accustomed to buying those little envelopes from the store, the ones that season one pound of ground beef (or one can of refried beans) and make them very tasty, although probably not even close to anything authentically Mexican.

The other day, however, I was surfing around on the internet and came across a recipe for homemade taco seasoning, and since I was intrigued by the idea of making it myself and since all the ingredients were readily available, I gave it a go and used it to season the meat we were going to be eating for dinner that evening.

I have to say, it was good. Really good. Everyone complimented the taste of the nachos and my husband even said, "There's something different about the taste, and it is soo good."

That sealed it for me: a new recipe for my blog file!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Note: I doubled the recipe below and put it in one of those plastic canisters that grated Parmesan cheese comes in; you know, the kind with the green lid. I tried storing it at first in a heavy-duty plastic bag, but it was even more irritating than all those little envelopes I used to buy that kept falling out of the cabinet every time I opened the door.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/4 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper (I doubled this amount because we like it spicy)
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Be very careful not to be all inhale-y right over the bowl because you will cough and cough and cough. And then you'll sneeze. A thousand times. God bless you.

Yield: Use three tablespoons per one pound of meat, slightly less for a can of refried beans

We think that this is just simply better than any little seasoning packet you could buy at the grocery. Plus, since you put it together with your own sweet hands, you know what goes in it. You can control the salt, and there's no MSG. You can make it as mild or as my-nose-hairs-just-caught-on-fire-hot as you'd like.