Homemade Taco Seasoning

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

We started off the weekend over at our friend Ross and Crystals house to work on a little wedding project ;) The bridal party is doing a group dance during the reception and we got together to work on the dance moves. Their DJ made them a fun mash up of a few songs for the dance - we may or may not be dancing to part of the Glee version of this song… I’m excited to get together again to practice – it was tons of fun.

Lance and I also took a mini road trip up to Apache Lake!

We stopped at Sonic on the way to get some milkshakes for the road :)

We went to scope out the lake and check out the facilities they have up there. There is a hotel, which is nice and the lake is gorgeous and huge! We are going to plan a trip up there with the boat for later this summer – I can’t wait!

 

On our way home we stopped at Tortilla Flat – which is essentially the remainder of an old western town. It’s…well..interesting. There is a restaurant, a saloon and a tiny museum. We walked around for a few minutes, but didn’t stay long since it was so hot outside (like 111!)

Suuuper creepy hanging dummy…Funny story about this – when we were teenagers we would drive up to Tortilla Flat at night for fun (the road winds up the mountain) and this hanging man used to freak me out every time we drove past it.

I guess this is supposed to be a mock version of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine?

Today I bring to you a recipe that I swear by – I use this taco seasoning all the time! It’s a great alternative to the store bought mixes and makes delicious tacos. Its really easy to make, its just a combination of spices that you probably already have on hand – and its healthier than the prepackaged stuff!

I typically get about 7 servings out of 1 batch – but I also use it for other things like my Nacho Popcorn too! I use a canning jar to store my seasoning in – I find that they make great airtight containers (Tupperware works too!)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Printable Recipe

 

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

 

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well to blend.  Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

 

To prepare taco meat:  brown approximately 1 lb. of ground beef, turkey or chicken, add 1 cup of water and 2 heaping tablespoons of the seasoning  and simmer until the liquid is almost completely gone.

 

*2 heaping tablespoons is approximately equivalent to a package of taco seasoning

 

Source: Annie’s Eats