YOU GUYS!!!

um, i feel like 8 billion years ago, I told you i'd talk about making your own DIY taco seasoning and now I'm FINALLY getting to it!

let's all celebrate! who wants a margarita? you? and you? no. i need what's left and don't have enough for the rest of you… just kidding! there's always room for more… sort of. maybe? FINE i'll let you have a sip of mine.

alright I'll stop being dramatic about margaritas long enough for us to talk tacos!

SO. growing up were you an old el paso box mix kid? i SO was. i think it might have been my favorite night of the week! i LOVED taco night. and that box mix (soft and hard shell combo OBVI because even then I couldn't make up my mind and have a definitive favorite).

There's something really nostalgic about whipping up taco on a weeknight. I think it might be because it was like the first thing I learned how to make that didn't require a recipe (i'm looking at you frito crusted chicken drumsticks from my kids pampered chef cookbook).

I think i might have even taught my brother how to make tacos too. we spent alot of summers hanging out together just him and I.

BUT. i LOVED the seasoning that came with the old el paso taco kits. truthfully it was the only thing I knew and the thing that tasted like “homemade” tacos to me.

I couldn't imagine a world without that cute little seasoning packet that I could cut a slice into the top of and combine with 1/3 cup of water and make the world completely right.

UNTIL! I had Frankie's mom's tacos (which are practically famous in his hometown) for the first time. <- they tasted COMPLETELY different from the seasoning packets I was used to.

I honestly don't even know what she uses or how she makes them. It's very possible that she also uses a packet for flavoring, but that's not the point anyway so I'm not worried. THE POINT is that that's when I realised that tacos at home didn't have to come from an Old El Paso taco kit.

and so, after that I was changed.

And then I learned about nutrition…. and sodium…. and how bad for you those mixes can be for you if you have them too much. and I ventured into the world of homemade taco seasoning. The world where you have FULL control over how your tacos taste. what?!?

(although, I won't lie to you and act like i don't still crave a taco kit every once in a while for nostalgia's sake)

but, can you imagine it?

a world where you not only decide HOW much flavor the tacos get, but how much of each SPICE make up the flavoring.

and lucky for you, i tried quite a few combos. this one has been my favorite.

I use a lot of cumin. because…. cumin. is that okay?

Um. i hope so.

if not don't worry, just change it up and reduce the cumin to your liking. I should tell you though, this seasoning has been frankie approved – so that means it's pretty good. just saying.