Become your own master of spices.
As odd as it sounds, making homemade taco seasoning was the one instance that I can point to and say is how I started to enjoy and understanding cooking. I was trying to make tacos one evening at my parents house but realized that I had accidentally bought fajita seasoning instead of taco seasoning. Not the biggest deal in the world but I thought each seasoning mix was pretty distinct from the other. Somehow, I conjured up the idea to try and mix my own taco seasoning as I had an entire cupboard full of spices at my disposal thanks to the fruits of my parents’ kitchen.
This was by no means a revolutionary moment but it did serve as a great way for me better understand how individual spices smelled and tasted. For the first 22 years of my life I had no idea that the iconic smell of tacos comes mainly from one spice…cumin. I also didn’t know that adding a tablespoon of chili powder instead of a teaspoon can result in downing glass after glass of water and is a great way to clear your sinuses.
With all that being said, this simple recipe of mixing spices introduced me to the amazing culinary world and I’ve definitely grown much more appreciative of great spices and flavors. Now I know why the “Spice King” was such a big deal in Game of Thrones!
The recipe below is based off the original one that I found on google when I was in a pinch. Over the past year or so I’ve made some tweaks and changes to arrive at the recipe that I currently use below. The recipe makes enough seasoning for roughly 1 pound of ground beef.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Measure and add each spice to a small bowl or container
- Mix the spices together using any utensil such as a fork, spoon, etc.
- Add seasoning to one pound of fully cooked ground beef along with 1/2 cup water
- Mix well to ensure seasoning is dispersed evenly amongst the beef
Enjoy!
Thank you for reading! I am new to writing so if you have tips or suggestions please feel free to leave a comment.
-Cam
