DIY Taco Seasoning

When it comes to quick and easy meals, particularly when I'm in no mood to make too much of  a fuss in the kitchen i usually settle for tacos. I absolutely love tacos. Beef tacos, fish tacos, hard or soft- I don't really discriminate.

They are such an easy go-to meal which is probably why we have tacos for dinner at least once every 2 weeks. I always have tacos in my pantry, and I usually keep corn tortillas in the freezer. The only thing I never use is those taco seasoning packets that come in the taco or tortilla boxes. To be honest, I'm sure most people would have the majority of these seasonings in their cupboard, not like Monosodium Glutamate, as listed on some of those packages. The great thing about making your own seasoning mix, is you can easily adjust the flavors to work with your palate.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Mix all condiments in a bowl, and set aside until you're ready to make your tacos. Feel free to use whatever meat you have on hand. I happened to make Tacos this week with ground beef. As a good rule of thumb, figure the blend above to be enough for 1 lb. of meat.

Not-So "Sloppy" Joe's

I had never tried a Sloppy Joe, up until a couple of years' ago. I think it may have been a combination of growing up abroad and that my mother would automatically refuse to give us anything to eat that had the word "sloppy" in its name. Either way, I was finally convinced to make one by my boyfriend who grew up eating them as a kid. I obviously had no idea what it was supposed to taste like, and pretty much all I knew of them was typical pop culture references on TV or some cooking show; so I resorted to using the dry package. I was eventually able to come up with my own version of this American classic.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup onion

1.5 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

4 Buns (Kaiser Rolls)

Finely chop 1/4 cup of onion. Saute until translucent and add the ground beef, mix well so the onions are evenly distributed with the meat. Add the salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder and mix well. Once the beef has cooked through add the tomato sauce and mix well. At the beginning its going to seem overly liquid, but it will cook down. Once the tomato sauce has reduced in half add the Worcestershire sauce and the sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes until the mixture is a nice and saucy.

I always like to serve on a toasted bun, preferably kaiser rolls, and pair with another comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Feel free to swap out ground beef for ground turkey, the condiments and sauce are what help give this dish a huge boost of flavor.

Comfort Food Classics: Pasta Bolognese

Comfort Food. Everybody loves them and everyone has their own favorites. One of my boyfriends favorites is Pasta Bolognese. I feel like every other time we eat at an Italian Restaurant, he's all over it. My own variation of it has all the components of a traditional meat sauce as well some very basic classic techniques. Sautee of a Mirepoix, and a very basic Wine Reduction are the one's we'll tackle today.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Celery
1/4 Cup Carrots
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
3/4- 1lb. Ground Beef
1/4 Cup Red Wine
1 Large Can/Box of Tomato Sauce

1 Bay Leaf



Mirepoix Mixture-Sauteeing

 We start off with a basic mirepoix. Simply said it’s a mixture of Onion, Garlic, Celery and Onion all chopped to equal sizes, usually 1/4" squares, the Garlic is finely chopped. In most recipes when I use a mirepoix I use equal parts (with exception of the garlic!). Once the mixture has been sautéed in the olive oil, add the red pepper flakes. Cook through until the mixture starts leaving a little browning on the bottom of the pot. Add the ground beef and make sure to cook thoroughly salt and pepper to taste as well as the Garlic and Onion Powder, mix well into the beef mixture.

Please make sure not to use cooking wine, but a Red Wine you would actually drink and mix into the pot. Cook until it’s been reduced down (almost entirely evaporated), which essentially cooks out all the alcohol content from the wine, but leaves another layer of flavor. Finish off by adding the tomato sauce to it and let her simmer for at least 30 minutes. Keep tasting the mixture so it’s to your palate. (Add salt, pepper or even red pepper to your own taste!).

In a separate pot, add 4-6 cups of water, add some olive oil and a good amount of salt. Bring to a boil and add a packet of your favorite pasta. Cook until al dente, which is really just cooked thru but still has a bite to it. Drain and mix with the Bolognese sauce. Add freshly grated cheese of choice, I prefer Pecorino Romano, but feel free to use whatever you have at home.