Friday, March 12, 2010

Friday's Frugal Food


One thing I have slowly started to do is season my food with herbs and spices that I have on hand instead of using the pre-packaged mixes.  Take taco seasoning for example.  I used to buy those pre-packaged bags of taco seasoning all the time (my family loves taco night).  Out of curiosity, I read the list of ingredients and thought to myself,

"Wait a minute, I have most of this stuff in my spice cupboard already.  I bet I could make this myself."  

So I did.

And you know what?  We all liked it better than the store-bought mix.  And I knew exactly what I was putting in the meat.  Yay for no MSG's and no preservatives!

Here is what I do:

Brown a pound of ground meat.  Preferably with some chopped onions and garlic, but a few shakes of minced onion and garlic work great, too.  Add:
A few shakes of cumin.
A shake or two of oregano.
A shake of cayenne pepper.
A shake of black pepper.
A twist or two of sea salt.

That's how we like it.  If you are more of a measuring person, you could try this:

1 TBL minced onion (unless you chopped some fresh onion)
1 tsp minced garlic (unless you chopped some fresh garlic)
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika go great in this, too.  You could make a larger batch of this and keep it in an air-tight container, or you could add the ingredients one by one as you are cooking.  Whatever toots your horn.

Mmmm....I want some tacos now.....

15 comments:

  1. Following you from Friday Follow! Happy Friday to you!
    http://more-than-a-mommy.blogspot.com

    Going to really enjoy your blog!

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  2. I started doing this a while back too and was very pleased by how simple it is. Who woulda thunk that tacos can be made without a packet? ;)

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  3. Following you back from FF! Have a great weekend! :)

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  4. This is fate-because I was just about to make tacos and didn't have any pre-mixed taco seasoning!! Off to be creative thanks to you!

    (Following you from FF!)

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  5. Happy Friday Follow, came to return the favor and I am now wondering why I never though of making my own mixes...love it!

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  6. Thanks for the follow & am now following you back. Taco mixes are one of the few mixes I still buy; I'll have to try this. Thanks for the tip!

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  7. Returning your Friday Follow! Great post. I had almost the same exact epiphany about two years ago and have been pleased with it ever since! Happy Blogging!

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  8. Hi--your newest follower from FF! Looking forward to blogging with you. I love the taco seasoning recipe!!! Thanks!

    Halley from
    missiondrivenmom.blogspot.com

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  9. Oh, you are speaking my language.......I need some tacos for sure!!

    Thanks for visiting The Cottage Home!

    Lindsay

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  10. I get to be #100... I love your idea, sadly my spices, so under used, have "lost their savor". Time to restock! Thanks for visiting my blog, and for your ideas. Have a great week.

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  11. I forgot to mention that I have a surprise for you over on my blog - please come and check it out - http://guidetosurvivingmotherhood.blogspot.com/2010/03/such-good-day.html

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  12. Thanks for following me and the dog name suggestion...dog named kitty is funny, my brother had a cat he named kitty...I am now your 100th Follower! Congrats!

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  13. Happy Saturday!! I am a New Friday Follower!!

    Sarah

    sarahsblogoffun.blogspot.com

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  14. What a great idea! I will have to try this since I have tons of spices. Following you back from FF! Thanks for stopping by on Friday.

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  15. I'll that idea as soon as I run out of tace seasoning (they had a great deal at a salvage store). Have you tried using lentils instead of hamburger? I read that your fam likes beans.

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