Homemade Taco Seasoning and the Blooper of the Week
I did a little experiment the other day. I posted a question on Facebook asking people what they would like for dessert if they were going to a retreat at a camp. I got so many great and helpful responses that the next day I asked about main course ideas.
The idea of a “taco bar” was repeated more than once. I loved that idea and decided to give it a whirl. In searching through the kitchen, I discovered all the ingredients except one thing.
Taco Seasoning.
I always buy those handy dandy little packages when I make tacos at home…
But, a google search (at 6 am!) quickly gave me a recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning. I multiplied it by 10 and used it on 15 pounds of ground beef with one large can of drained kidney beans.
TACO SEASONING (for 15 pounds of hamburger) ~ served 50
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. salt
3 Tbsp. pepper
To set up the “taco bar” we had soft shell tortillas, tortilla chips (if people would prefer to make more of a taco salad),taco meat, chopped iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Here’s where the “blooper” part comes in.
When I went to put the flour tortillas on the serving platters, I discovered they were VERY stuck together. I heard somewhere along the way that you should wrap them in foil and heat them in the oven.
I thought warm tortillas seemed like a nice idea anyway, and thought that perhaps the heating process would loosen them up a bit.
WRONG!
When I pulled them out of the oven, I discovered a gluey mess.
…a “sticky” situation, I tell you what!!:)
So there we were…
5 of us 10 minutes before lunch was to be served, trying to peel apart those crazy tortilla shells. (We managed to do it somehow…)
Can any of you help me out? What SHOULD HAVE I DONE to prevent the tortillas from sticking together??
…I think I now understand why we’ve always just had taco salad!!;)
That has definitely happened to me! If you wrap them in foil and put them in the oven they really don’t need to be in there very long at all, otherwise they get gluey. I usually divide the stack in half and lay them in a shallow hotel pan (spray with oil first!), and leave it in a hot oven for…I don’t know….5 minutes tops?
If you have some time on your hands (haha…funny joke, right?) you could always turn the flattop grill on low, and heat them individually on there, 3-5 seconds each.
A taco bar is definitely a popular option, and its generally pretty easy to put together ahead of time, which is so nice! You could also add in some chopped & grilled/baked bell peppers and onion, hot peppers, cilantro (if you want to get fancy), red onion…or whatever you feel like! People love having options.
That looks like a great taco seasoning recipe! If you ever need to save some time, you can also buy it from Sysco in one of those big spice containers by Clubhouse. Probably not as good quality as the homemade stuff though!
guacamole is also a good idea for a topping. With the tortillas, have you tried rolling them up or bending them while they are still in the plastic bag. I have seen it done at another camp it seemed to work.
We have a taco bar every year at our annual 4th of July pool party. I have a pan with a cover to hold my soft shells in. We also have a small microwave available nearby, if someone wants to heat up their soft shell. It works fine. I prefer mine unheated. (Don’t freeze the soft shells, buy them fresh or they will be impossible to take apart.)
The best tip I have for you is: have individual bags of Doritos or Fritos. Our party guests love to make their own Taco’s in a bag.
I’m enjoying your blog very much.
Forgot to mention that black beans and fried rice (with mexi spices) are also a great taco filler!