Any Excuse for a Fiesta!

In our multicultural family, we are lacking in Hispanic heritage.  We’ve got Filipino, African American, Navajo, and Cherokee covered, as well as our Irish and Italian ancestry.  But you know me, any excuse for a meal with a theme and I’m all over it!

My husband grew up in Denver, where there is a large Hispanic population, and I went to college there, so to say we like Mexican food is an understatement.  Our favorite place in Denver (no, it’s not Casa Bonita, surprisingly), used to be Chavez over on Sheridan and 38th (maybe…can’t remember for sure).  It was family run, and all the Chavez brothers served as the waitstaff.  They were charmers and incredible flirts.  Now that I think about it, I believe this was where my friends and I went for Mexican, not my then-boyfriend, now-husband.

When my friends told the Chavez boys I was moving to Seattle, they insisted I visit their uncle’s restaurant in Spokane on the way.  The name of it?  Joaquin’s Doughnut Hole.  Really.  I didn’t make it there, on any of the half dozen times we’ve moved to or from Washington State.

But I digress.  Here’s what we’ll be having for Cinco de Mayo…it all totally rocks!  I am using a couple photos from other sources, since I haven’t made this menu yet but wanted to post before the 5th of May. I mean, I’ve made all these recipes many times, I’m not making you be my guinea pigs.  I just didn’t take photos of all of them!

 Krista’s Beer-itas on the Rocks

12 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate
12 oz. tequila (use the limeade can to measure it)
12 oz. Mexican beer
12 oz. ginger ale, Sprite, or 7-Up (I prefer ginger ale)

Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice, add all ingredients, and stir it up. Rim your glasses with sale and enjoy with some chips and a mix of half guacamole, half salsa. If you’re not going to serve it all immediately (or very soon), leave the ice out and just put ice in each glass after you rim it.

 

Credit for these also goes to my amazing friend Krista.  I was living in Kansas and she was in Washington about 7 or 8 years ago when she told me how to make these. Someone in her neighborhood had brought them to a potluck.  They are beyond description in their deliciousness. If you're going to share them with more than about 4 people, make a double match. I'm serious, just do it.

Bacon-Pineapple-Jalapeno Poppers

12 fairly large fresh jalapenos
1 tub pineapple cream cheese
8 slices center cut bacon, cut in thirds

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds.  I do this under running water, so it doesn’t burn my eyes.  I usually wear gloves and whatever you do, DON’T RUB YOUR EYES! If it's warm, I even open the window over the sink to let the fumes out. I'm very delicate, you know.

3. Fill each half with a spoonful of pineapple cream cheese and wrap with 1/3 slice bacon.  Secure with a toothpick.  Place on a wire rack on a rimmed cookie sheet.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bacon is fully cooked.

For our entrée; we’re having my Chicken Verde Enchilada Stack.  You can find the recipe here, in a post from January . If I can find decent jicama, I'll make a slaw with jicama, cucumber, and cabbage with a cumin-lime vinaigrette.  My kids cannot get enough jicama, but it's rarely fit to eat in our grocery stores this far north.

For dessert, I’m making these Margarita Ice Cream Sandwiches.  I’ve made them several times since I saw it in Cooking Light magazine, and they are the bomb (or is it la bomba?).

photo and recipe from Cooking Light magazine

So whether you make one, all or none of these, here’s wishing you a Happy Cinco de Mayo as we celebrate Mexican heritage and freedom!  (Mexican Independence Day is not until September, so don’t go shootin’ off any fireworks or such craziness!)