There were no actual daggers in the house, so I settled for shooting them through my eyes, but I don’t know if he felt it. I made sure to make a HUGE racket later on when I did the dishes, made dinner, started laundry, and scrubbed the carpet of a sticky mess made by The Threenager. And there was no official assignment for when I found him in the yard with a rubber mallet raised high over his head, smashing my favorite mug. Or yesterday, when he used scissors to cut open several of those powdered Crystal light packets, and dumped them all into a 1/2 cup of water, and trailed what is essentially Red Dye No. 5 all over the house. (He actually tried to clean that one up himself, using the kitchen scrub brush. It looked like it had been dipped in blood. I threw it straight in the trash.) I need to start making my to-do list at the end of the day. An I-did-it list? The future is too impossible to predict. I saw a headline the other day: Marie Kondo says she’s ‘given up on tidying’ after having three kids. I’m not making this up. I died laughing. Remember Marie Kondo? She’s the one who tried to convince us that we should all meticulously fold our underwear, and color coordinate our pantries, and never keep items that don’t spark joy. She must have finally figured out that GIANT MESSES are the only things that spark joy for children. Fight me on this, I swear it’s true. I love this stuff. It has an amazing ingredient list, no MSG, and makes super flavorful and saucy taco meat. When I serve tacos to guests (like for Taco Tuesday), they always ask how I make the taco meat, and I’m like, uh, it’s the store bought stuff? On every homemade taco seasoning recipe I see, they always claim, “you’ll never go back to store bought after you try this!” and I’m over here like oh, heck yes I will, nothing compares with this magical premium McCormick stuff. It’s SO much better than any recipe I’ve tried. I was determined to figure out how make it at home. You might be thinking, hold up, who even needs homemade taco seasoning? Can’t you just throw in some chili powder and be done? Well I mean, sure. If you want dry, boring tacos. Ground beef is not to be argued with; it’s good on its own (just ask Ron Swanson or these Smashburgers.) But these are tacos we are talking about. If there is not a fiesta of flavor in my mouth with every bite, did taco night even happen?? These are serious questions, and I’ve got serious answers. Cornmeal serves two functions:
It gives the taco meat a corny, rich flavor that I am a huge sucker for. I add masa harina to my favorite Chili and Enchilada Soup, and crushed Fritos to my Mexican meatballs. Cornmeal is a natural step for any Mexican inspired dish. It’s like having the flavor of a perfect corn tortilla, right there in your taco meat. Cornmeal acts as a thickener. Instead of dried out bits of ground beef covered in spices, you are going to end up with taco meat that is simmering in a gorgeous flavorful thickened sauce. Have you ever had a taco from a legit taqueria that didn’t drip down your hand when you ate it? Didn’t think so. This cornmeal-created sauce makes your taco meat juicy like that.
We are using a blend of chili powders for dynamic flavor. I use regular chili powder, Ancho chili powder, and chipotle chili powder. We like chilis not only because they are spicy, but because they have amazing flavor. More chili types = more flavor. This recipe is not too spicy, in spite of all the chili powder types. My kids who are all under 12 ate it happily. (If yours don’t, just add more sour cream, it’s the answer to everything ;) It has an excellent, slightly smokey flavor from paprika and smoked paprika, as well as the chipotle (chipotle pepper is simply smoked jalapenos, did you know that?) Cocoa powder is the final ingredient and adds a subtle flavor that you probably wouldn’t be able to pick out without knowing. Chocolate has Latin roots, and does wonders for Mole. It adds perfect depth to this seasoning blend.
Add it to your ground beef! With some water to keep it moist. That’s it, yo. Measure out all spices, pour them into tiny bowls and arrange them artfully on your counter. Just kidding. Dump them all into a medium bowl. Mix spices together, a whisk is handy here.
Now, once you have your seasoned meat or alternative, the sky’s the limit for how to use it! Here are some of my favorite ways:
Tacos »> Don’t skimp on the toppings – cheese, sour cream, thinly sliced lettuce, cilantro, salsa, etc. Burritos »> stuff those tortillas with your seasoned meat, beans, cheese, sour cream, and more 5 Minute Restaurant Style Salsa « so much better than the store bought stuff! Seriously The Best Recipe for Taco Salad »> This is a SHOW STOPPER, I’m telling you. I’m heading over to edit this post right now because when I wrote it, I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t nail a homemade taco seasoning recipe! I finally got it! Carol’s Legendary 7 Layer Dip »> Add a taco meat layer to this dip to take it to the next level! Ultimate Chili Nachos with Queso and Guacamole »> swap out the chili for some taco seasoned meat for an easier (and still super delicious) nacho night Killer Red Enchilada Sauce That’s Done in 10 Minutes »> Fill your tortillas with your seasoned meat and some cheese, and then top with this super simple enchilada sauce Coconut Jasmine Rice with Cilantro »> With some rice and taco meat, you’re half way to a burrito bowl! Spanish Cauliflower Rice »> A great, low-carb alternative to serve with your taco meat! Simple Beef Taquitos »> from Five Boys Baker Taco Lasagna »> The Girl Who Ate Everything
You could add up to 1 cup cooked rice, too. Do you do Taco Tuesday at your house? We host it every summer. I make a HUGE amount of taco meat (stretched with beans) and invite all the neighbors over for dinner. It’s meant to be a super casual drop in event, and designed to strengthen friendships rather than impress. I don’t clean my toilet or bother hiding the ever present pile of laundry. I go into details on how to host your own Taco Tuesday on this post for 5 Minute Restaurant Style Salsa. I got the idea from this Kitchn post about How to Host a Crappy Dinner Party. Read the comments for lots more ideas for how to do this with your spin on it. We’ve been doing Taco Tuesdays every summer for 6 years now, and it’s sooo much fun! The reason I’m bringing this up on my post about taco seasoning is because I want to point out how easy it is to feed a crowd with tacos. When taco night is over, any leftover meat goes into ziplocks in the freezer, and pulled out again the next week. My best friend Sarah calls it “The Mother” taco meat. 😂 Like a sourdough starter, you just keep adding more. Maybe I’ll even give my new batch a name this summer, like how everyone names their sourdough starters, ha! When you want tacos, you can let your taco meat thaw in the fridge, or you can toss the whole thing frozen into a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and heat on low. It will take a few minutes, but eventually it will thaw out and heat up just fine. Having frozen, pre-made taco meat on hand at all times is one of my mom secret weapons. Easiest last minute meal ever. Even if you thaw it first, always add in some water when you heat it up so it doesn’t dry out. Update: here they are, my Taqueria-Style Chicken Tacos! There’s even a slow cooker option (and there will be zero jars of salsa dumped in your crockpot, can I get a hallelujah!!).
