Beyond Taco Tuesday: Real Mexican Cooking at Home | Cooking Tips, Recipes & Kitchen Inspiration

Today, we are talking about Mexican food. And if you are anything like me, Mexican food at home pretty much means ground beef, packaged taco spice, and that yellow box of taco shells. Sound familiar?

Well, today, Jody and Kirstie are taking us on a full culinary adventure, and we are reinventing Taco Tuesday for good. We talk about an easy, delicious homemade spice blend that replaces that dusty little packet forever. Jody and Kirstie also share their favourite guajillo chili sauce, which Kirstie says makes her feel genuinely rich as a human when she has it stocked in her freezer. And yes, we absolutely talk tacos, but we talk about so much more than that such as the art of taco garnishes, a rice bowl revelation that I honestly cannot wait to try and taco neck. This episode is going to change the way you think about Mexican food at home. And I promise you, it is way easier than it sounds.

In This Episode:

• Stir-fry follow-up: Amy reports back on her stir-fry success from the previous episode, including the baking soda trick.
• Mexican food in Canada: Why Mexican cuisine deserves so much more credit than fast food and Taco Tuesday.
• The baking soda secret: Dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda in one tablespoon of water, mix it into your raw ground beef before browning, and the result is incredibly tender, flavourful meat.
• Homemade taco spice: Skip the packet. Chilli powder, cumin, and cinnamon are already in your pantry.
• Corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas: Why warming your tortilla matters, and where to buy the good ones.
• Guajillo chili sauce: A foundational sauce you can use in chilaquiles, pozole, enchiladas, crema, and braises. It also freezes beautifully.
• Hominy: What it is (a large, starchy, white corn kernel), where to buy it (canned, just like beans), and how it transforms a pozole.
• Pozole: A rich, meaty stew that is a special occasion staple in Mexican cooking.
• Birria tacos: Slow-braised, shredded beef tacos served with a cup of broth for dipping. A morning taco tradition.
• Chilaquiles: The dream Mexican breakfast of tortilla chips simmered in salsa, topped with fried eggs and queso fresco.
• La Costena beans: A pantry staple worth knowing. Heat with garlic, cumin, and a squeeze of lime.
• Building the perfect taco: Less meat than you think, more garnishes than you imagined. Cabbage, crema, salsa, cilantro, queso fresco.
• The rice bowl revelation: Your taco garnishes fall onto a bed of rice. That is not a mistake. That is a third course.
• Fish tacos: Baked cod with a spice paste and simple garnishes. Fast, fresh, and doable at home.

Chef Over Your Shoulder is our podcast about the connections we make through cooking. Pairing professional Chefs Jody O'Malley and Kirstie Herbstreitand from the Culinary Studio with me, a burn-to-the-bottom-of-the-pan expert, creates the perfect “recipe” to demystify the kitchen and bring back the joy of cooking…without the pressure.

Links and Resources

Guajillo Chilies: Easy tips to Start Cooking with Dried Chilies!

Chilaquiles Rojos: A Classic Mexican Breakfast Made at Home

La Costena Beans

Fish Tacos That Impress (in 30 Minutes or Less!)

Easy Mexican Chicken Pozole

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