Taco seasoning

Tacos/nachos are just the best 'can't figure out what to do for dinner and it's getting later and later and I'm sooo hungry' meal. We virtually always have the fixins on hand (chips and cheese and salsa and whatever we have in the fridge, ranging from pickled jalapenos to caramelized onions to sour cream to homemade guacamole to roasted red peppers), and if we don't have ground beef we've got marinated chicken or steak from Trader Joe's or even, on one delightful occasion, duck confit. Usually it's ground beef, and I always keep some home-mixed taco seasoning at the ready.

Here's my favorite taco seasoning recipe. I found it in a Google search for 'best taco seasoning', of course. I cut back on the salt a bit but otherwise it was perfect. It's enough for a pound of ground beef - I quadruple the recipe and store it on the countertop.

Taco Seasoning

adapted from this recipe

1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne

Combine all the ingredients. :)

Brown a pound of ground beef, drain the fat, add 2 Tbsp of seasoning and 3/4 cup of water and simmer till the water's mostly cooked off. Then create your own taco or nacho bliss with chips or tacos and... really, I can't even pretend there's a recipe for tacos or nachos...

And yes, I do keep my spices in a variety of adorable little jars and bins. And yes, they are labeled with a label-maker on specially-ordered clear label tape. Some of the jars sit on the countertop. The others are in a spice rack built by the wonderful Mr Leaven, and they are alphabetized. It all makes me very happy.