The Secret Recipe Club:
Mexican Taco Seasoning with Fried Ice and Donut Holes
One of the things I love about the blogging community are the “challenges” that are hosted by different blogs and people……I try wherever possible to join in and I have met some wonderful people through some of the events I enter; my favourite “club”, without doubt, is The Secret Recipe Club, which allows me to meet new people, discover some amazing new food blogs and try (and taste) new and exciting recipes. The Secret Recipe Club is a “recipe swap” type of club, where members are assigned a “secret” partner every month – they then make a recipe from their assigned blog, in secret of course. On”Reveal Day”, we all post and share our blog posts via a “blog hop linky” and you then discover who made one of your recipes, which is very exciting! I have discovered lots of lovely people and some fascinating blogs, as well as some delectable recipes too……it’s a brilliant way to share, meet and greet in a virtual “on-line” way.
My “Secret” partner this month was Melissa from the FAB named “Fried Ice and Donut Holes” blog. I love the name of her blog, and I also loved all of her recipes, and there were many that grabbed my attention before I settled on making her “Taco Seasoning”. Other recipes on my “must make soon” list are: SPICY ITALIAN DRUNKEN NOODLES WITH SAUSAGE, CHEDDAR ALE SOUP, DENVER OMELET PIE and the AMAZING sounding CHEDDAR JALAPEÑO BURGERS. However, Melissa’s simple recipe for Taco Seasoning was my chosen recipe this time, as I find it VERY hard to source good taco seasoning in France and even the UK, and I am a BIG Mexican Food lover. So, I thought that a batch of this would set me up to cook Mexican for the next few weeks! Also, I am a “Cinco de Mayo” birthday girl, read “Fiesta Babe”, so it was essential that had an ample source of this seasoning for my upcoming birthday on the 5th May!
You can read more about my lovely partner Melissa here, About Me, but, I JUST have to tell you quickly where her blog name comes from; when she was little she remembers her grandfather telling her to behave, otherwise she would only get “fried ice and donut holes” for dinner……..that means NOTHING! What a GREAT memory and what a unique name for a food blog too. Melissa is a teacher who loves to cook and bake, which, is more than evident if you visit her blog and check out her lovely recipes. On to Melissa’s recipe now, and it really is SO simple and yet the results are brilliant – I made a batch if this a week ago and I have used it several times since then……not just in Tacos, but also in a Layered Mexican Salad as well as some Cajun style kebabs too. One important point that Melissa makes about making your own seasoning is that you can cut back on the salt too, which is perfect for me, as I suffer with high blood pressure and have to be very careful about my salt intake.
Here’s Melissa’s recipe for Taco Seasoning, and do remember to credit her with this recipe if you make this and share it on-line! Melissa says………”We love Mexican food and make our fair share of enchiladas, but we don’t make tacos nearly often enough in our house. Growing up, we had tacos relatively often, as it was something that we all liked, but when we made them we always used a packet of taco seasoning to flavor our ground beef. Taco seasoning is not something that has ever crossed my mind to make, even though I’ve seen it on many blogs that I follow. When I decided to make tacos for dinner last night, I also decided that I was going to try to make my own taco seasoning. It couldn’t have been any easier, and I guarantee that you have all of the ingredients you need in your spice cabinet already! Making your own cuts down on salt that you find in pre-mixed packets and it is just as good, if not better than the store bought stuff”……….I LOVED this seasoning mix thanks Melissa, and I plan to make this all the time now!
(SOURCE: Annie’s Eats)
4 tablespoons Chili Powder
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Paprika
3 tablespoons Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well to blend. Store in an airtight container.
To Prepare Taco Meat:
Cook 1 pound of ground meat (we used ground chicken this time). Add 1 cup of water with 2 heaping tablespoons of taco seasoning. Simmer until most of the liquid is completely gone.
Thanks Melissa and The Secret Recipe Club for yet another fun and intriguing month of mystery and flavour……….do pop over to see how Melissa copes with fried ice and donut holes if you have time, and tell her that I sent you, she may offer you a donut hole or two! Karen
Proud to be featured as
Lindsay (life and kitchen) says
Wow, it must be Monday because for a minute there I thought your recipe included taco seasoning, fried ice, and donut holes! Which could potentially be quite tasty 🙂 Great SRC pick!
Karen S says
Thanks and LOL! What a great name for a blog eh? Karen
Casey says
Awesome SRC pick! I always love having my own taco seasoning in the house. It’s awesome to add for basically any dish you want to liven up 🙂
Karen S says
Thanks Casey! So easy and cheaper than shop-bought too! Karen
amy @ fearless homemaker says
I love homemade taco seasoning! I just used up a jar of it, so I need to make another batch ASAP. =) And yay for May birthdays – I’m on day before you, Cuatro de Mayo! =)
amy @ fearless homemaker says
and I mean “one day” before you, not “on day.” darn typos!
Melissa says
Thanks SO much for the super kind words, Karen!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the taco seasoning, and your pictures are absolutely amazing!! May birthdays are the best! I was supposed to be born on the 5th too, but I was 2 days late. I hope that you have a wonderful birthday!!
Emily @ Life on Food says
Everyone needs a little taco seasoning in their lives. Happy Reveal Day!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
I love making my own taco seasoning to cut back on sodium… this sounds like a great blend!
Sweet as Sugar Cookies says
What a fantastic recipe. I’m sure this seasoning is going to make for some yummy Mexican food in the future.
Fran@fransfavs.com says
Great SRC pick with Cinco de Mayo coming up! A batch of this will be put to very good use in my kitchen.
dena @ohyoucook says
Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I spend waaay too much money on those overpriced packets of taco seasoning, but could never come up with a good spice combination. I can hardly wait to try your recipe!
Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies says
Making your own taco seasoning is so much better than buying those packets at the grocery store! Great SRC pick!
avril says
Ahhhhh….Happy “early” Birthday to you Karen! Taco seasoning is the best and goodness you made a fabulous looking batch of it! 🙂
sara says
Love the idea of making your own seasoning…I need to do more of this!
Terri Betz says
Happy early Birthday! Thanks for the recipe, I love reading your blog!
bakingaddict says
I love Mexican food too and this seasoning sounds delicious. Fab pictures as always. It’s great to read about your SRC partner.
Traci says
Love your taco seasoning. I need to quit being so lazy and buying it. Your photos are stunning by the way. 🙂
Kirstin says
YUM! I started making homemade taco seasoning several months ago! Love it
Maya Russell says
So easy! Shared on Twitter as @maisietoo – https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/330633059185606656
sallybr says
Great job being featured on the Editor’s Choice! I somehow missed commenting here on Reveal Day, because I was soooooo incredibly busy…
but better late than never! Congrats on the post….
hannah welsh says
I absolutely LOVE the presentation! It takes me away to somewhere exotic! xx
Lisa Williams says
This is such a clever idea and then its stored away for whenever you get that craving for tacos 🙂
Lisa Williams says
Also it would make a beautiful gift 🙂
Lisa Williams says
tweeted to share it 🙂
anthony harrington says
have never tried making my own seasoning, will have to give it a go
Maya Russell says
Fresh seasoning is so much better. Tweeted again: https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/334929731843670016
Paul Wilson says
The taco seasoning looks delicious – easy to prepare too.
Annie Costa says
Just made some of this and seasoned some pork with it..absolutely delish!
Maya Russell says
It would go with any meat – chicken, pork, beef…
Starrynews says
Great taco seasoning! This is very flavorful, and it’s so nice to be able to whip it up with ingredients on-hand, and control the sodium. Thanks for sharing! CQ2
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks for making this and letting me know! Karen