Real quick, before we leave for Disney (hey y'all, we're going to Disney World!), I wanted to share this seasoning blend I found. I tried it last week on some ground beef and was very happy with it. I mixed my batch in a Ziploc bag for now, but will soon get an empty spice bottle to keep some on hand at all times, forever.
There's nothing wrong with the packet seasoning mixes that I've always used before, I guess, but after YEARS of doing tacos that way...I finally got bored and decided to branch out. You can increase or decrease or add or subtract any of this, until you get exactly the flavor you want! THIS IS VERY EXCITING!
Okay, it's not that exciting. It is tasty, though.
_____________________________________
Mexican Seasoning Blend
• 1 tbs chili powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
_____________________________________
Mix up a batch of seasoning in a small container of some kind. Season any kinda meat as much as you want, drain it, and stuff it in a taco.
Then eat the tacos! Then go to Disney World!
Showing posts with label salt-n-pepa (shoop). Show all posts
Showing posts with label salt-n-pepa (shoop). Show all posts
Tabasco
Just in case some strangers wander in, let me preface:
Last week my friend Emmy sent us a question to answer. Here is her e-mail followed by our separate answers:
Dear Sister Supper,
I need y’all to debunk or refute a cooking myth for me.
Now, granted, I did in the last year start a job at a towboat company, meaning I make occasional ventures down to Louisiana, but the fact is, most of the time there, I live in hotels and eat at various strip restaurants. It’s sad, I know.
So really, all I have to rely on for my resources for Louisiana cooking are the Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood book and movie, and the latest Disney movie, the Princess and the Frog.
Here’s my question – in BOTH movies, the clear, go to, emergency cooking staple that goes into every single recipe is TABASCO. What are you cooking? Let’s have a taste – NEEDS TABASCO. That Bloody Mary needs more Tabasco. HEY OTHER PERSON COOKING GUMBO, NEEDS TABASCO.
So, ladies, is Tabasco really the STAPLE of Louisiana cooking like some perhaps uninformed or cliché movies would lead me to believe?
As for us Kentuckians, well, we have a bottle of Tabasco on the stovetop…but we never have any food in the house and we rarely cook – so usually, we just eat Tabasco and saltine crackers. Think I’m making this up?
Sure am not.
Please advise me on how to be a more authentic Louisiana cook…assuming we live in a dream world of cookery where someday I learn how to make anything besides tacos and spaghetti.
Love,
EmmySuh
Kendra’s response:
MY ANSWER IS...Tabasco is not just a staple, it's a tradition. Our mothers used Tabasco as their go-to hot sauce and yes, everything you cook could always do with a hit of hot sauce. We like SPICY food, which is not at all a myth, but an absolute truth. We like food that will fuck you up. You will find a bottle of Tabasco on every restaurant table in Louisiana, next to the salt and pepper. Or, you should. If they don't have it out, ask for it, because they sure enough have it in the back.
HOWEVER. In my experience, the younger generation has begun experimenting with other hot sauces. Louisiana Hot Sauce rivals Tabasco in popularity. This is also happening with another Louisiana staple - Tony Chachere's seasoning. That is also found everywhere in the state - often on restaurant tables - but lately Slap Ya Mama and Zatarain's brands are catching up. Our Subway chains down here offer Zatarain's seasoning along with salt and pepper.
At our house, we regularly use Cholula (a Mexican imported hot sauce) for table use, but I keep my Tabsco on the stovetop for cooking. I find Tabasco has a vinegary taste to it that i don't like fresh out of the bottle, but cooked into food - particularly eggs - it's unbeatable. but if I need to add a dash of heat to my already prepared foods, I go for something with a more blended flavor.
My husband could drink Tabasco straight out of the bottle, though. I think he even did that once.
(Kendra's note: edited and updated with more hot sauce links than you could possibly want or need!)
And Krista’s response:
Yeah, what she said. I don’t like spicy food. I like food so hot it will kill me. I want to FEEL my food, I want my food to HURT. I am happiest when I am CRYING while I chew, when my nose is dripping into my plate, when my heart is threatening to explode because what the fuck is this? is this jalapeno or habanera or? My husband is so terribly embarrassed by this (he’s from north Louisiana – a bona fide Yankee, if you ask me). I can’t go to Subway without choking around a sandwich, but it’s so good.
I do keep the big bottle of Tabasco on my stove (y’all know – the BIG BOTTLE). It’s really good in eggs, yes, and oooh in cheese grits. Mostly I use it for soups and stews – I use almost half a bottle in my corn chowder because I know Will is so sick of it I get to eat the whole big pot by myself…so why not make it hot enough? I use it in stuff that’s going to cook awhile (chilis, crock pot meals) and I sometimes sprinkle it on pasta dishes.
Like my sister, I’m not a huge fan of the raw taste of it. I hate the smell of it. I’m more inclined to chop up any ol’ pepper and throw it in my ingredient list or sprinkle some red pepper flakes over whatever I’ve just cooked. But if I need heat in a pinch, it’s my go-to.
Kendra mentioned Tony’s as well – to me, THAT is more of a staple. In fact, Kendra once referred to Tony’s, salt and pepper as the holy trinity, and I like that. I put the HT on EVERYTHING. Literally EVERYTHING is better with Tony’s. I’ve tried other brands but I always go back to him.
As for being an authentic Louisiana cook? I would say add an onion, some garlic, and the Holy Trinity. You know my mama’s onion caveman story – and I know you hate them – but you gotta have an onion. They sell ‘em in the big bags for a reason!
And serve with rice.
Last week my friend Emmy sent us a question to answer. Here is her e-mail followed by our separate answers:
Dear Sister Supper,
I need y’all to debunk or refute a cooking myth for me.
Now, granted, I did in the last year start a job at a towboat company, meaning I make occasional ventures down to Louisiana, but the fact is, most of the time there, I live in hotels and eat at various strip restaurants. It’s sad, I know.
So really, all I have to rely on for my resources for Louisiana cooking are the Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood book and movie, and the latest Disney movie, the Princess and the Frog.
Here’s my question – in BOTH movies, the clear, go to, emergency cooking staple that goes into every single recipe is TABASCO. What are you cooking? Let’s have a taste – NEEDS TABASCO. That Bloody Mary needs more Tabasco. HEY OTHER PERSON COOKING GUMBO, NEEDS TABASCO.
So, ladies, is Tabasco really the STAPLE of Louisiana cooking like some perhaps uninformed or cliché movies would lead me to believe?
As for us Kentuckians, well, we have a bottle of Tabasco on the stovetop…but we never have any food in the house and we rarely cook – so usually, we just eat Tabasco and saltine crackers. Think I’m making this up?
Sure am not.
Please advise me on how to be a more authentic Louisiana cook…assuming we live in a dream world of cookery where someday I learn how to make anything besides tacos and spaghetti.
Love,
EmmySuh
Kendra’s response:
MY ANSWER IS...Tabasco is not just a staple, it's a tradition. Our mothers used Tabasco as their go-to hot sauce and yes, everything you cook could always do with a hit of hot sauce. We like SPICY food, which is not at all a myth, but an absolute truth. We like food that will fuck you up. You will find a bottle of Tabasco on every restaurant table in Louisiana, next to the salt and pepper. Or, you should. If they don't have it out, ask for it, because they sure enough have it in the back.
HOWEVER. In my experience, the younger generation has begun experimenting with other hot sauces. Louisiana Hot Sauce rivals Tabasco in popularity. This is also happening with another Louisiana staple - Tony Chachere's seasoning. That is also found everywhere in the state - often on restaurant tables - but lately Slap Ya Mama and Zatarain's brands are catching up. Our Subway chains down here offer Zatarain's seasoning along with salt and pepper.
At our house, we regularly use Cholula (a Mexican imported hot sauce) for table use, but I keep my Tabsco on the stovetop for cooking. I find Tabasco has a vinegary taste to it that i don't like fresh out of the bottle, but cooked into food - particularly eggs - it's unbeatable. but if I need to add a dash of heat to my already prepared foods, I go for something with a more blended flavor.
My husband could drink Tabasco straight out of the bottle, though. I think he even did that once.
(Kendra's note: edited and updated with more hot sauce links than you could possibly want or need!)
And Krista’s response:
Yeah, what she said. I don’t like spicy food. I like food so hot it will kill me. I want to FEEL my food, I want my food to HURT. I am happiest when I am CRYING while I chew, when my nose is dripping into my plate, when my heart is threatening to explode because what the fuck is this? is this jalapeno or habanera or? My husband is so terribly embarrassed by this (he’s from north Louisiana – a bona fide Yankee, if you ask me). I can’t go to Subway without choking around a sandwich, but it’s so good.
I do keep the big bottle of Tabasco on my stove (y’all know – the BIG BOTTLE). It’s really good in eggs, yes, and oooh in cheese grits. Mostly I use it for soups and stews – I use almost half a bottle in my corn chowder because I know Will is so sick of it I get to eat the whole big pot by myself…so why not make it hot enough? I use it in stuff that’s going to cook awhile (chilis, crock pot meals) and I sometimes sprinkle it on pasta dishes.
Like my sister, I’m not a huge fan of the raw taste of it. I hate the smell of it. I’m more inclined to chop up any ol’ pepper and throw it in my ingredient list or sprinkle some red pepper flakes over whatever I’ve just cooked. But if I need heat in a pinch, it’s my go-to.
Kendra mentioned Tony’s as well – to me, THAT is more of a staple. In fact, Kendra once referred to Tony’s, salt and pepper as the holy trinity, and I like that. I put the HT on EVERYTHING. Literally EVERYTHING is better with Tony’s. I’ve tried other brands but I always go back to him.
As for being an authentic Louisiana cook? I would say add an onion, some garlic, and the Holy Trinity. You know my mama’s onion caveman story – and I know you hate them – but you gotta have an onion. They sell ‘em in the big bags for a reason!
And serve with rice.
Low Sodium 4Eva
Last night's quesadillas and black bean soup would have been PERFECT, had everything not been over-salted all to hell. Usually I buy the low-sodium taco seasoning in the little packets...Old El Paso brand, I think. Well, they were out of low sodium last time I stocked up, so I bought a few packets of regular, just to be done with my grocery list. Yeah. No. I think I've finally found the motivation I need to come up with my own taco seasoning mix. Do you buy or make your own? I've seen a few recipes online to make your own, and you can control the amount of salt that goes into it (and the amount of everything else! YAY CONTROL!) I've also seen recipes for making your own cajun seasoning (like Tony's) but, again, with the ability to control the salt content. HMM.
The soup was my own damn fault. There is no salt in the recipe, but I know I always have to add a pinch. I added more than a pinch. I forgot I was only cooking a HALF pot, and I added enough salt for a whole, and...well...I half-ass fixed it by adding more beans and broth, and throwing a couple of potato chunks in there to try to soak up the salt. Meh. I guess for that trick to work, it has to cook longer than I had time for. I was in a HURRY, because I always am.
Anyway, it wasn't bad! Everyone ate and was happy with it, I just know it was too salty, and today I FEEL GROSS. I think I'm retaining water...
Tonight, I'll bake some quick fish sticks (you can bake some quick chick stacks! OH MY POOR BRAIN) and tater tots while I prep the beef tips for the slow cooker the next day. Seeing a pattern here? One night of sticking a frozen meal in the oven while I prep for a home-cooked meal the next night. And so on. Repeat for the next several decades.
PS. I checked my tome for green bean recipes for you, but unfortunately all I have in there right now is sesame green beans, green bean casserole, and a couple recipes that involve adding a half ton of bacon. Probably not what you're looking for!
The soup was my own damn fault. There is no salt in the recipe, but I know I always have to add a pinch. I added more than a pinch. I forgot I was only cooking a HALF pot, and I added enough salt for a whole, and...well...I half-ass fixed it by adding more beans and broth, and throwing a couple of potato chunks in there to try to soak up the salt. Meh. I guess for that trick to work, it has to cook longer than I had time for. I was in a HURRY, because I always am.
Anyway, it wasn't bad! Everyone ate and was happy with it, I just know it was too salty, and today I FEEL GROSS. I think I'm retaining water...
Tonight, I'll bake some quick fish sticks (you can bake some quick chick stacks! OH MY POOR BRAIN) and tater tots while I prep the beef tips for the slow cooker the next day. Seeing a pattern here? One night of sticking a frozen meal in the oven while I prep for a home-cooked meal the next night. And so on. Repeat for the next several decades.
PS. I checked my tome for green bean recipes for you, but unfortunately all I have in there right now is sesame green beans, green bean casserole, and a couple recipes that involve adding a half ton of bacon. Probably not what you're looking for!
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