Homemade Taco Seasoning & Quesadillas

Over the years I have tried to find different items to make homemade so that we are not eating all these artificial flavorings & additives. Taco Seasonings is one thing that always gave me tummy issues. So, I decided to look around for a homemade alternative. I tried different recipes and then came up with the one I use all the time! This recipe hangs on the inside of my cupboard door with a few other basic 'go to' recipes. This is something my husbands Grandmother did when she lived in this house.

 

And in the middle of my spice cupboard this is what I found:

Yes, we are a weird family. My 11 yr old daughter is currently running a "GIVE FORKS A CHANCE" campaign. She feels strongly about the use of forks for things you wouldn't normally use them for...ice cream, soup, cereal. I have found at least 5 of these post-its reminding us to use our forks. I am unsure why the poor spoons are being left out tho!

Back to business....

Brown your ground beef. 

I use cast iron skillets. Maybe it's the redneck in me, I don't know, I just love them.

While the meat is browning you can start warming up the tortilla shells

I heat the smaller cast iron skillet to medium and just warm the tortilla's until they these great looking dark spots on them:

When the meat is browned:

Add 1/2 c water into the skillet.

I turn the heat to high & simmer it pretty hard.

See the icky grease?? UGH

Drain that nasty stuff off. And set the skillet aside.

To make the taco seasoning. {recipe to follow}

We need some friends from the spice cabinet. 

Dried onion, garlic powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning (there might be something wrong w/ using Italian seasoning in a Mexican type dish??), cumin, & salt. 

I love these magnetic spice holders. They have a strong magnet on the back and you fill them with the spices, label them and hang them in your cupboard. If you are like me and have metal cupboard from the 1960's. Or they do make metal strips you can hang. I can't find this exact kind but these are similar

http://www.amazon.com/Kamenstein-Piece-Colored-Magnetic-Storage/dp/B00AHUSEK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368140438&sr=8-1&keywords=magnetic+spice+tins+red

They really make the cupboard look organized

You can turn the lids around so that you can pour or shake out the spices and herbs. Very handy!

You mix the ingredients like so:

Add 3/4 c of water and the seasonings:

Simmer for 5-7mins

Shred some cheese:

Place a tortilla shell into the smaller skillet, top with some cheese, then taco meat and a bit more cheese (the cheese acts as the glue that holds it all together)

Top w/ another tortilla. Cook on both sides until crispy.

Cut and serve!

I would garnish w/ some salsa and sour cream but the kids ate these just the way they are. 

Very simple but delicious. And you can feel better that you made the seasoning yourself!

I am sure you can make a large batch of the seasoning and keep it in a sealed container for quite some time. 

You can also experiment with cayenne pepper if you like the seasoning to have a little kick!

Taco Seasoning recipe

2 t. minced dried onion

1/2 t. salt

2.5 t. chili powder

2 t. garlic powder

1 t. Italian seasoning

2 t. ground cumin

Mix all together. Add seasonings and 3/4 c water to browned ground beef. Simmer 5-7 min. 

                                                                               Happy Eating,