The last ten months has been a roller coaster of emotions, major life changes, and everything in between. We bought a new home and sold our old one. The girls started school and my youngest child started his first year of preschool two days a week for two hours a day. Add soccer practices, games, swim team commitments, play dates, and other family outings, by 10 p.m. I’m exhausted. By the time I get the kids to bed the only thing I want to do is watch Mad Men while eating ice cream.
Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t ask me how the unpacking and settling into our new home is going. The truth is, most of our things are still in boxes in the garage. My husband jokingly told me we should just donate all the boxes to charity and start over. I thought he was so silly for even suggesting this in jest a month ago but the idea is becoming more tempting by the day. Living out of boxes does have its privileges. Our house remains pretty clean because there really isn’t much to mess up. Eli’s toys are confined to a 18×18-inch box and most of the rooms are essentially empty. The great thing about living in an empty house is letting the kids and their friends literally run around in circles. I’ve also enjoyed cooking in my new kitchen, much more so than our old house.
On more than one occasion my husband has suggested I make hard shell tacos for dinner. I found this rather odd coming from him because I think I’ve made ground beef hard shell tacos only two times during our marriage. I’m not sure why I haven’t made tacos more often. Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown accustomed to making and eating taco truck style tacos with carne asada and pico de gallo. The only other reason I can think of is because of the off taste of those taco seasoning spice packets you buy from the store. My mom used to make tacos and I never liked the flavor or aftertaste of those spice packets. Something always seemed very unpleasant to me. Tonight I decided to indulge in my husband’s taco cravings and make my own taco seasoning mix. After doing some research on the internet, most basic recipes commonly use chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. To this, some people add oregano and others add cumin. Some recipes called for salt and some omitted salt altogether. I decided to experiment with my own proportions based on how I like to season food. I mix ground beef with my spice concoction and cooked it until done. The blend of spices and flavor was so good. It was so much better than those strangely powdered taco seasoning packets that any reservations I’ve held on to about making hard shell tacos seemed to not be an issue anymore. Best of all, the spices I used were the ones most people commonly have in their pantry. Making your own spice packets not only is more economical, it is far superior in flavor than the package variety.
I ended up cooking one pound of ground meat and I was very pleased that ALL three of my kids loved dinner tonight. Not one speck of meat was left – a mother’s victory on two fronts. This is a great recipe by itself but can be a great baseline for making your own taco seasoning mix, especially if you prefer certain spices over others. Feel free to tweak to your own personal liking. Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Mix all the spices together and use it to season one pound of ground beef before cooking.
Andrea says
I love this and am going to try it.
Cynthia says
This is recipe is definitely a keeper. I seasoned my taco meat with this exactly as it was written, with the only exception of adding in a 6 oz can of tomato paste, and some water to simmer it all together. It turned out wonderfully. Thank you!
Winnie says
Great post Alice! And I love your fall header…so pretty 😉
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I’ve been hunting for a great taco seasoning recipe – this seems doable 🙂
I love the new blog layout, especially that colorful header!
So great you all are finally settling down – unpacked boxes can wait 😉
Mary Beth says
I’ve always wanted to make my own taco seasoning, so I’m definitely keeping this in mind. Thanks for the recipe!
Deborah Peters says
Great post! We make our own seasoning too; I really watch the salt in things and much of that leads to making homemade versions. I hear ya on the move! We’re still in some boxes after 18 months and no desire to unpack them…lol! I’m convinced we could live with less for sure 😉 Haven’t missed anything.
Sincerely,
Deborah Peters
http://deborahapeters.com
Lisa [With Style and Grace] says
Oh, I wish I had this the other day when I tore apart my pantry looking for the prepackaged seasoning stuff. This is way better. ps. I love your spice photo with the fonts, super cool!
catering services in charlotte nc says
Really great recipe!
When I don’t have time to make the seasoning I just skip it or use some already made at the grocery store but when you take the time to make your own homemade one -like your recipe- it’s totally worthy and changes everything!
Tia G says
You know, I would not have thought of it, but I also have all these ingredients in my spice rack. What a great idea!
Taco Dip says
Great seasonings you have here. This can all be used in making a dip recipe for taco.
Susie says
thanks! I’ve been making taco’s from scratch seasonings for YEARS because I hated the taco seasoning packets too! I happen to be making some right now too and i’ll add some paprika since i’ve never done that!
Amanda says
Thank you for this post!
I live in Germany as well (in Aachen) and it is hard to get items to make Mexican food here. I brought packaged spices from the US but ever since I altered my diet to be more healthy I haven’t liked the taste of them!
I was googleing how to make a 10 minute apple crisp and found your recipe & this post. I like the way you think!
katz says
I’m making the Indian fry bread off of Pioneer Woman’s blog and using this taco seasoning to season my ground beef (I don’t like store bought ground beef. I buy roasts and grind my own meat in my food processor. Makes great ground beef without all the junk and tastes better in my opinion.) for the Indian tacos I’m making this weekend. Thanks Alice.
Pennie Azran says
Love this blend–will definitely have to try it! I love your blog and I’ve decided to award you The Versatile Blogger Award! See your mention here:
http://passioneats.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-100.html
Congratulations!
goodeatsbykmuir says
Perfect timing! I am making Mexican inspired burritos tomorrow night. Thanks for the inspiration
adrene says
Thanks for this simple but essential recipe. Can I just say I LOVE your new banner!
I am always excited when a new season begins to see what you photograph. This one screams fall in a sophisticated classy manner…its you!
Jeff @ Cheese-Burger.net says
This seasoning mix looks great. I’m gonna keep the recipe handy for the next time that I make tacos.
Hotly Spiced says
Your tacos look delicious. Moving is no fun at all. I hope it’s not too long before you get everything in order.
CandiRae says
I’ve recently decided to “simplify” my life…I’ve packed up a ton of stuff to be donoated. Thought about having a garage sale, but don’t want the headache nor use up time to do one. Thanks for the awesome taco recipe!!! Will try it this weekend for our game night!
lisa says
oooh! we’re a family of taco-night fans! AND it’s a great want to empty out the fridge of leftover or need-to-get-rid-of veggies (i.e. last handful of spinach, carrots, etc). or throw in a can of corn and a can of black beans. also a great way to use the last of a rotesserie chicken. LOVE taco night in our house.
Tracy Lawson says
We have taco’s a lot at our house, but like you, I’ve only made hard shelled taco’s a handful of times because we typically have flour tortillas in the cupboard. This is a great idea – just having the spices combined and ready to throw it in the pan on one of those nights when everything seems to be crazy. I’ll be putting some of this together just to have on hand. Thanks for the share.
Kami says
Gorgeous fall layout, by the by. I love making my own seasoning mixes, if not for how much money to save! I made my own creole seasoning mix that my friends all adore. I just need to remember to put it in burgers sometime. My brother told his wife the same thing about all their boxes after they moved into their new house this past spring. Three kids and unpacking? Yeah, right! Good luck!
Ashley says
Great new header! Love to see you blogging again. I miss seeing you. Perhaps we need another donut adventure then I could see your new house! Or you could make me tacos. ha.
KarenP says
It worked – thanks!
alice says
Hi Shannon,
I don’t add any water to it. In the past when using those store bought packages, I’ve found water diluting the flavor of the meat and I didn’t like it. If you wanted a more “wet” meat mixture adding a little bit of beef or chicken broth or a a couple tablespoons of a tomato based product would probably be best.