Christmas in July – Homemade Taco Seasoning

For my second gift idea this week, I went with a simple gift. Remember those crockpot chicken tacos I made last summer? With the homemade taco seasoning? Hubby and I love that taco seasoning. We use it anywhere you would normally use a packet of store-bought taco seasoning. We love it so much we thought it would be great to share with our family and friends.

So we mixed up a VERY large batch of the seasoning. I ordered some cute little jars and again put labels on them including instructions of how to make the taco seasoning when people ran out. I saved the label files if anyone is interested in them. Just shoot me an email.

One Year Ago: Monkey Bread and Boston Cupcake Crawl
Two Years Ago: Tomatoes stuffed with Salmon Dill Dip

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

Yield: 2 1/2 Tbsp is equal to one packet from the store

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp black pepper

Directions:

Mix it all together! The mix can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year!

Recipe from Sweet Life Kitchen

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13 Responses to “Christmas in July – Homemade Vanilla Extract”

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    SimplySweeter — July 26, 2010 at 12:22 pm
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    How To Be Perfect — July 26, 2010 at 12:56 pm

    Fantastic idea, I will have to give this a go x

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    Kristen — July 26, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    What a great idea! Now I just have to think of what to pair this with to give as gifts.

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    The Cooking Photographer — July 26, 2010 at 6:00 pm

    Hi Jen,

    Great minds think alike!! I have been brewing vanilla extract for months for Christmas gifts.

    I thought I’d answer your question here. I love your idea for frosting. It would be heavenly!

    Laura

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    Jenni @ Project Cookie 365 — July 27, 2010 at 2:20 am

    What? You can just add more vodka to your supply? I had no idea! I just used the last of my homemade vanilla, and it was soooo deliciously dark 🙂 Now that I know that, I’ll have to remember when I make my next batch! Do you have a favourite type of bean? I used Tahitian the last time, and it didn’t have that “normal” vanilla scent to it… I’ll have to find which beans give that traditional scent (though, really… any vanilla works for me!)

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    Calm In The Kitchen — July 28, 2010 at 1:41 am

    This is definitely on my gift giving list.
    I received homemade vanilla once and it is still one of my favorite gifts.

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    Debbi Does Dinner Healthy — July 28, 2010 at 2:18 am

    I have always wanted to try this!! My brother did it once but that was before I was into cooking and I totally didn’t appreciate it. I would now! Thanks!

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    bcallegra — July 28, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    I think it’s the perfect idea for a gift and never even thought of making it myself. Of course, if I do end up making it, I’ll probably just end up using it all before I give it away! 🙂

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    jmanley — July 28, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    how many beans did you put in the vodka bottles to start?.. love the idea.. Thanks

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    Jen — July 28, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    jmanley – I put 24 beans in each bottle of vodka. They were the big bottles of vodka. As you can see in the pictures, I used skyy, which is great, but I couldn’t watch the color of my vanilla change! Definitely try to get clear bottles or pour the vodka into a clear jar so you can tell when it’s ready.

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    jmanley — July 29, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    thanks for the quick response.
    Love your website:)

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    KV — August 5, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    what type of vanilla bean did you use – does it matter?

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    Jen — August 5, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    KV – The type of bean you use will have an impact on the flavor. I used Bourbon-Madagascar beans for my vanilla.

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