Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tacos

Tacos -- who doesn't like tacos. At our house we have them once a month. They are so easy to make, and everyone's eyes light up around here when they find out that that is what we are having for dinner. For me, it is a quick meal to put together. The only thing out of the ordinary that I do is to make my own taco seasoning mix. Yes, I know you can just buy the little packets in the grocery store. That, of course, is the easiest. But it costs much less, and barely takes any time at all to make your own. So I am going to share my recipe for taco seasoning mix. It really isn't "my" recipe at all, but comes from another of my favorite cookbooks, "Make-A-Mix Cookery", by Eliason, Harward, & Westover. When I was first married, I came across this cookbook and liked it so much, that I bought it as gifts for several people. I believe it is out of print now, but I have begun to look for it at used bookstores to get my daughters all a copy of their own.

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 tsp. instant minced onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper
1/2 tsp. instant minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until evenly distributed. After browning 1 lb. of ground beef, add the seasoning mix, along with 1/2 cup water, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

And there you have it -- your very own taco seasoning mix.

8 comments:

Emily said...

Monica, Tacos are a weekly fave at our house. Love the blog! God bless and enjoy!
Em

Ashley and Jessica said...

I LOVE this blog. You make the best tacos in the world and I love you!

Anonymous said...

I totally LOVE your tacos and i can't wait to have them again. I had no idea it was once a month!!! LOL i thought we had it alot less then that. Love, clara xoxoxo

Henley on the Horn said...

Have you tried making a bigger batch of the seasoning & keeping it in your cabinets? I wonder if this would work. You are so smart! Great idea to save $$$ in this economy.

Monica said...

Yes, you can make up several batches of the taco seasoning. I just wrap each batch in a small piece of foil, put all of the foil packages in a baggie, and pop it into the freezer. That way they are pre-measured and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Unknown said...

Aunt Monica!

What a fun blog - way to go! And I'm so pleased at the taco seasoning recipe because I'm just about out of the packets that I brought along to England with me last year - I forgot to bring any this year. I was resigning myself to no more tacos . . . but I never thought to make the mix! So thanks for the hot tip!

Bekah

Valerie (Kyriosity) said...

I popped in from the Femina blog, and was delighted to find this recipe. It pains me to have to spend oodles of money on those expensive seasoning packets, so I rarely let myself buy them. Now I don't need to! Do you think it would work to substitute garlic powder for the minced garlic?

Monica said...

Valerie,
Thanks for popping in. I'm sure you could substitute the garlic powder for the minced garlic. I just wouldn't use as much. I think this recipe can be quite forgiving, and one could substitute one thing for another quite easily.