– A Guest Post by Karl (Karl is a jokester for those of you who don’t know him)
Ladies and ladies of Jo’s Country Junction, I have a proposition to make for you: How would you like to make everything in your life better?
That thing you love is now yours. The quilts you’ve been putting off? You now have time for all of them. The Saxon Invasion of the early Holy Roman Empire? Consider this your fine, well crafted French crossbow. For this…
This is Tajín. (Sorry people of the south, some of us Midwesterners are behind the times)
(We have trouble finding it in our area. Here’s an Amazon link.)
As a student teacher ‘abroad’ in Texas, I watched and tasted in wonder the myriad works and the unholy matrimony between chiles, lime, and salt. Many a-time, I basked in the twilight afterglow of a forgettable meal made legendary by its simple addition. Tajín is a staple of Tex-Mex home cooking, a common spicer-upper workhorse of any Hispanic kitchen. I saw a meme the other day that listed seasoned salt, garlic salt, and black pepper the ‘primary colors’ of the seasoning rainbow.
If that is so, then Tajín is that golden color of turn-of-the-century lighting reflecting off a varnished counter top. It’s that warm feeling you get seeing your friends, your family, and Chadwick Boseman at rapt attention in the middle of a standing ovation as you walk in. You don’t know how you got here or where it is, but there’s a feeling that you’re home.
I had a reason for writing, but I got lost in all of the-
A RECIPE!
So I’m like some kind of mutated combination of Slumdog Millionaire and Jo Kramer when it comes to cooking things: I measure the important things, but usually just kinda go with the flow and add whatever, and I usually have some kind of a reason, or a ‘way back when’ kind of reason for doing things. Below, a simple ingredient list:
Chopped apples in a Pyrex, a whole lemon, an orange if you’re feeling weird, and Tajín. Chop up about two apples and put them in a Pyrex. Then, add the juice of a whole lemon, and an orange if you’re feelin’ it (AND ONLY THEN). Finally, top with a generous helping of that chile-lime hug you’ve been waiting for.
When I was in Texas, one of the teachers on my team always put Tajín on her cantaloupe and other fruits she ate, and just about everything else, really. So there’s that. But I’ve run into a problem as the cold winds of winter were not as graceful to my old bones, and for whatever reason now, it really hurts my teeth to just bite into an apple like I always used to. Something about turning 25, I guess.
Here’s where the Slumdog Millionaire comes in: my older sister Kayla always chops up apples for Spencer and her to eat, and she keeps them for days by adding the lemon juice! I’ve had a batch of Tajín apples (that somehow weren’t consumed in a fury) in the refrigerator for four days before and no brown! That, and it makes them super delicious, all on their own. Then, I added the Tajín on top as a throwback to my days in Houston. I usually combine all things, shake well, and marinate in the refrigerator before consumption.
Super simple! Then, just pop out and eat.
It may not actually repel the Saxon Invasion, but it will make you feel like you can.
(a note from Jo: I LOVE these and am so happy that Karl keeps them in the refrigerator all the time. I snitch them as often as I can.)
What a great blog Karl..Tajin comes in the Giant bottles in California. Great as you mentioned on fruit. Enjoyed your blog this morning with my coffee, it works well on alot of things.
Haha! ‘abroad’ in Tx! I’m happy you found TexMex food! It’s wonderful. How did the Tamales turn out?
I hope you write more guest posts on Jo’s blog!
~ PattiLynn in TX
Hey, Jo, I just read the blog about your cross-stitch. If you ever want to sell that pattern that says “Accept what is…” etc., I would like to buy it from you. My brother needs this reminder.
Thanks for considering my request.
Hmm, sounds tasty, does Tajin have a lot of salt in it? I remember how much salt is in another seasoning, Old Bay Crab Seasoning. Combining salt with lemon juice (or other citric acids) can really wear away the enamel on your teeth. A friend’s daughter loved to eat salted lemon slices and her dentist told her that the enamel on her teeth was disappearing. No more lemon and salt for her.
You mentioned not being able to bite into apples now…time for a dental checkup?
I really enjoyed the blog today, thanks Karl! Our son lives in Austin and he has this in his home all the time and yes he eats it on his fruit. I have yet to find it locally so I just grab some when we visit or he comes our way.
Thanks for the fun post, Karl! We love to try different spices. When it arrives from Amazon I’ll let you know if I’m a convert.
Bahahahaha! 25 is OLD???? Sweetheart, enjoy your youth!
I have some of that! I need to get it out and use it! Also, with the lemon juice on apples. If you use apple juice it doesn’t change the flavor of the lemons and it works just as well! Welcome to the blog, Karl! pam
By the way, how do you pronounce that. :)
Jo – I have been reading you for several years, have your book, have made made of your quilt patterns and I love your blog. I’ve never commented because everything was just great. But I gotta tell you that if Karl posts some more, I’ll have to comment every time he does it. I was laughing out loud. We live near Houston and our guest rooms are open to Karl any time he wants to show up – with or without Tajin. Karl is hysterically funny, a very clear wordsmith, and the door is open to him any time.
I discovered Tajin at the local ALDI store here in Wisconsin. Bought it, loved it, and always have it on hand now. Hadn’t tried it on fruit yet, though!
pronounciation is tah-HEEN
Try it on onion rings!
Great post, Karl! Hope you contribute frequently! I can’t go by the spice section in the grocery story without a trip through the spices! I think I may have seen this one but didn’t know what it was, so, of course, I’ll have to have that one too! Thanks for a very entertaining read!
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