In my home tacos are a favorite meal. Not only are they delicious and quite easy to make, but versatile allowing everyone to create a unique meal. I like re-fried beans, lettuce, onions, jalapenos, cheese, and sour cream all wrapped up in a soft tortilla lightly toasted on my lovely flat cast iron pan, an old Warner Ware. I was raised cooking in cast iron cookware, and have a wonderful collection of Griswold and Warner Ware handed down from both sides of our family. Paul and I also collect iron pots and pans, sometimes buying something we don't really need because the bargain is just too good to pass up.
Paul prefers his 'taco' dinner as a salad, a bed of lettuce and some salsa satisfy his taste buds, while our 16-year-old, Daniel, craves a soft taco shell with lots of sour cream and cheese. Hunter, our 23-year-old, loves to pile everything on his taco, particularly jalapenos and hot salsa. We don't always use hamburger either, sometimes I'll cube up pork, chicken or venison for our taco stuffing.
Because we do partake of some version of Americanized tacos so regularly and I was constantly running out of the store bought seasoning, I decided to blend my own at home. This recipe is one derived from many available on-line. I've discovered that cumin, garlic, cilantro and cornstarch are absolutely necessary to the blend, but the other spices can be adjusted to taste - like it hot, add more red pepper. Go ahead and double or triple the batch and store in an airtight container. If your family is anything like mine it won't be around long enough to become dull.
HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Cilantro
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes*
*(if you like it hotter, add more or leave out if you like a milder flavor)
DIRECTIONS
Blend well. Store in airtight container. Use 2 Tablespoons per pound of meat.
I too have been making my own taco seasoning for a while. This one has more spices so I think I'll give it a try. Change is good......especially in the winter.
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Garlic: Warding off Vampires and Boring Meals :
Here’s a riddle for you: Name something that has lots of cloves in it, yet contains no cloves at all?
While you may know that “clove” is the proper term for a segment of a garlic head as well as the resiny cooking spice of the same name, chances are there’s still some history you haven’t heard about this pungent, delightful ingredient before.
Garlic gets it’s name from a hybrid of two Old English words, gar and laek , which translate to ‘spear leek’ . This fierce title is due to the shape of its cloves.
Garlic enjoys a great deal of popularity in classic literature, gracing not only the pages of Chaucer’sCanterbury Tales, but also in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and even in the ancient epic tale of Beowulf.
Peeling garlic is a lot more simple than most home cooks realize – just peel off a few cloves from a head of garlic, place them in a metal bowl, cover with another metal bowl to form a sphere shape, and shake the whole arrangement vigorously for 30 seconds. Once the top bowl is taken away, only the peeled cloves and discarded papery skin will be in the bottom bowl.
To remove the “garlic” scent from one’s hands, simply rub them against a piece of stainless steel, such as a pot. (or avoid it altogether by investing in a premium spice blend with garlic already in it!)
The smaller the head of garlic, the more pungent it typically is. When garlic is diced fine and dried, it offers users a potent ingredient for their dishes that’s both shelf-stable and ideal for everything from side dishes to meats. Crushing garlic through devices like a spice grinder will up the flavor ante even more.
If a stored head of garlic has begun to sprout a green shoot or its cloves are dried and leathery, it is no longer suitable for cooking. For forgetful cooks, the best bet is to keep a bottle of dried garlic or a garlic spice blend handy – no more worries about garlic drying out!
If you’ve never tried this multi-tasking marvel or simply don’t use it that often, there’s never been a better time to start. Garlic makes savory dishes delightful and can even turn ordinary rolls into a regal nibble fit for a fine restaurant table. Crack into the power of the clove today!
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