Tacos

Recipe research page for Communication Design, Fall 2026

The Recipe

Seasoned ground beef, browned with onion and garlic, simmered in a quick homemade taco seasoning until it's juicy (not dry), then piled into warm shells with all the classic toppings. A simple, weeknight version of taco night.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onion and cook until soft, then stir in the garlic for about 30 seconds.
  3. Drain most of the excess fat, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
  4. Stir in the taco seasoning and tomato paste, and cook for a minute.
  5. Pour in the water, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered until the liquid mostly reduces and the meat stays moist.
  6. Warm the tortillas or taco shells.
  7. Fill each shell with meat and add your toppings.

Recipe adapted from Natasha's Kitchen.

Sample Imagery

Placeholder images standing in for the type of photography I plan to use: a hero shot, an ingredients flatlay, and a step-by-step prep shot.

Photo: Hero Shot
Finished tacos, hero shot
Photo: Ingredients Flatlay
Ingredients, flatlay
Photo: Prep Step
Browning the beef, prep step

Recipe Website References

Smitten Kitchen

Every post opens with one big, warm photo and a title that reads more like a text from a friend than a headline. I clicked through three recipes before I even meant to. The serif type and casual writing give it real personality, which is what I want mine to have instead of feeling like a spec sheet.

Pinch of Yum

The homepage is packed with recipes but doesn't feel overwhelming, mostly because everything's broken into big photo cards with short, friendly titles. I also like how easy "Start Here" makes it to jump in without digging around. That's the kind of simple navigation I want for my own page.

Food52

This one feels more like a food magazine than a recipe site. There's a "Must Reads" list mixed right in with the actual recipes, and the headlines read like articles. I want to borrow that idea of giving the recipe a little story instead of just dropping straight into ingredients.

Non-Recipe Website References

Stripe

Stripe crams in a lot of information but never feels busy, since it leans hard on whitespace and a really clear type hierarchy: one headline, then short supporting lines. I want that same restraint for my instructions so they don't turn into a wall of text.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp somehow feels both casual and buttoned-up at the same time. There's a bold, friendly headline up top, then everything below is broken into short, easy-to-scan sections. That balance of personality and clarity is close to the tone I'm going for.

Kinfolk

Kinfolk barely uses any text. It's almost all big, quiet photography on a plain background. It's a good reference for the mood I want in my own taco photos: simple, warm, not overstyled.