Thrifty Recipe: Homemade Taco Seasoning

We have Mexican food often in our home, and I really prefer to make my own taco seasoning, rather than buying the oddly-colored, chalky stuff that comes in the packets.  Don't misunderstand; I am not above buying them if I am just tapped-out, but if I can avoid it, I do.  One way to avoid giving in to the packaged stuff is to make a large batch to have on hand.  Here is how I do it:

I use an old, sanitized yogurt container or sour cream container.

Here is what you need:

The following measurements are my best estimate; I do not measure as a rule, and prefer measurements like "palmful" and "pinch", but I realize some of my more structured cooks will not appreciate this formula, so here goes:

3 cups of chili powder

1.5 cup of onion powder

1 cup of garlic powder

1/2 cup of cumin powder

1/4 cup salt

3 tbsp. black ground pepper
3 tbsp. tbsp oregano powder

2 tbsp. paprika (optional)

That's the basic recipe.  If you want to bring this up to an even more delicious level, add in a couple of packets of this goodness:

You can find Goya seasonings in the Ethnic food aisles of most grocery stores, and some even have it near the salsa or regular bouillon cubes. It is amazing, added to any of your Mexican food recipes.  

Mix it all up and store it in your container. (I'm running low; time to mix up a new batch!) 

I usually use between 1/4 to 1/2 cup per pound of meat I cook, depending on how I feel. You just add it to the pan with your meat and add a cup of water and simmer.  This is delicious as a base in soups as well.  Good stuff, and comes out much cheaper than those packets. Try it out and let me know what you think!