Homemade Taco Seasoning

I like making spice mixes and marinades at home. That way I have control over the quality of the ingredients and the taste, especially when it comes to marinades. I like to play with the flavors and the end results are always so gratifying! Most of the time I just randomly throw together spices that I have on hand and whisk in a little oil and few squeezes of lime or lemon juice, and voila I have the makings of an extremely flavorful pan-fried shrimp or Tilapia fillets. 

Sometimes, I like to measure out spices in traditional combinations, tweak it a little to tailor it to suit my family's taste buds and use that in my marinades. My Homemade Taco Seasoning is one such spice-mix. I add it to my marinade and let it work its magic on shrimp or tilapia fillets. Or, you can sprinkle it on your salad to jazz up the flavors, add a little to your dip or simply use it as a dry rub for chicken, beef or pork. My family's personal favorites are however, shrimps and Tilapia.

And did I tell you that I am totally in love with my cast iron skillets? Now I have 4 in different sizes. one Lodge 10.25 inch one that I use the most, like almost everyday for the last one year, 2 8-inch ones and a 6.5 inch one that my good friend and fellow blogger PG went hunting for to give me as my birthday gift! I am just plain lucky! 

Ingredients: (Yield: a little more than couple of tablespoons) 

• Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Crushed Red Peppers - 1/4 tsp
• Paprika - 2 tsp
• Ground Cumin - 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Cracked Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Dried Oregano - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Onion Powder - 1/4 tsp

Take all the spices in the ingredients list in a bowl and whisk till everything gets mixed nicely. Store in an airtight container.

You can double or triple the recipe and make a bigger batch so that you can use it a few times. 

Sometimes, I add a little smoked paprika (about 1/4 tsp) and switch out chili powder with paprika completely.