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

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
I’ve been brewing some vanilla extract since about August or September, and I can’t wait to give it to my friend who also loves to bake (and who, coincidentally, just pinned something on Pinterest about making her own vanilla – at least I know she’ll like it!). I need to find a nice bottle for it first though, and she’ll have to be OK that a label may be part 2 of her gift in January. I’m also going to make my sister some of the Fire Roasted Ketchup.
Last year I did the salted caramel sauce for the same friend, and it was amazing. It took me 3 tries to get the taste right (I kept overcooking it and it tasted a little burnt) but it was totally worth it!
beantownbaker — December 9th, 2013 @ 5:48 pm
Oh the homemade vanilla will be perfect for her! And, once you have one batch, you can just keep adding to it so you never run out of vanilla.
I’d love to be on the receiving end of these 😉 great ideas!
Oh! I love making homemade gifts too! This year i made a ton of stuff: orange ginger marmalade, blueberry jam, lemon curd, vanilla sugar, caramelised walnuts, spiced honey, cardamom coffee beans and orange&clove loose leaf tea. Im working on my mustard and your recipe sounds nice!
Love your blog, i always make your blueberry curd, yum!
beantownbaker — January 4th, 2014 @ 10:38 am
Wow – you made a LOT this year! I bet people loved all the homemade gifts. Thanks for reading (and commenting!)