Planning for Cinco De Mayo

May 5th is Cinco de Mayo and here are a few ideas if you plan of celebrating with friends and family to get a jump start on the festivities. Serve your food buffet style and let everyone help themselves.  

Scroll to the bottom of the page for an easy Corona Margarita recipe that everyone will enjoy.  

Easy Mexican salad you can throw together in no time.  Chopped Romaine lettuce, can of drained and rinsed black beans and corn, peeled and diced avocado, crushed tortilla chips, grape tomatoes, and an offering of an easy dressing made of 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, pinch of fresh garlic (if desired) and tablespoons fresh minced cilantro.  Easy method is place all the dressing ingredients in a small jar, put on the lid, shake and serve. 

I like to serve steak fajitas, and always have an offering of flour tortillas and/or corn.  The corn is preferred and used if you are on a Gluten-Free restricted diet. 

Serve up your favorite salsa, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, taco sauce, shredded lettuce and grated cheese, black beans, and guacamole.

Don't forget to serve cut up limes!

~Corona Margarita~

Dampen the rim of the margarita glass and dip it into salt.  Pour the following ingredients into a blender and blend well.  Serve it with a lime wedge garnish.

6 ounces white or blanco tequila

12 ounce Corona

6 ounces frozen limeade concentrate

Ice cubes

Fun Spin on Tacos

I love taco bowls instead of taco shells occasionally but had never made my own.....until now. I had a package of flour tortillas so I decided I'd try something new. What did I have to lose? I took my large muffin tins and turned them upside down. I gave the bottom of the pans a good spray with cooking spray and tucked flour tortillas in between the cups (pictured). Then I placed them in a preheated 350 oven for a few minutes until they turned golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. After carefully removing them from the oven, place each bowl in a bowl and fill with your prepared taco meat and toppings.  

The taco bowl is delicious to eat and handy to break into pieces for scooping up your salsa, taco meat, sour cream, refried beans and cheese.  

If you're short on time, you can bake the bowls ahead of time and store in a covered container or plastic storage bag.  Plus you can make the taco meat the day before and store covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble and serve.  We're all looking for time savers these days.

Happy Weekend!

Slow Cooker Guinness Pulled Pork Tacos

• I'm trying out a delicious pulled pork that I enhanced with Guinness beer to serve in a couple of weeks for St. Patrick's Day. After it's finished cooking in my slow cooker, I offer corn tortillas I have warmed slightly in a 300 degree oven, spoon the pork onto the tortillas, top with fresh cilantro and enjoy. 
•  All you need is your slow cooker, a 4 pound boneless pork loin, 1 thinly sliced white onion, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper,. and one bottle of Guinness beer.  Whisk all of the seasonings together in a bowl and rub over the pork loin.  Place the pork loin in your slow cooker on top of the onion slices and pour the beer on top.  Cover and cook for 10-12 hours. It's that simple. Serve with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, or a bit of fresh shredded cabbage in the tortilla.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pork Tacos Al Pastor

This is in my weekly summer meal rotation for so many reasons and it's on my menu this weekend when our family will gather at our lake home. The key ingredient is Frontera Al Pastor Marinadeal with chipotle and pineapple seasoning for pork created by the well known Chef RickBayless.

Here's all you do for 4 servings. Modify if entertaining for a larger crowd. I'm hosting 10 people so I'm tripling the pork and pineapple. Marinate 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin in 1/2 pouch of marinade for 30 minutes or longer in a ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator. Save the other half of marinade for grilling. Prepare the grill to medium hot. Remove the pork from the bag and grill the pork brushing on the reserve marinade while its on the grill.  Place sliced pineapple brushed with the marinade on the grill with the pork for the last 2 minutes of grilling.  The pineapple really makes it!  Remove when all is finished cooking, and place on a platter to slice.  Serve with warm tortillas (wrap in aluminum foil and warm in 300 oven for 8 - 10 minutes), limes cut into wedges, guacamole, grilled pineapple, a bit of chopped onion and cilantro for maximum flavor and enjoy!

Taco Tuesday

It's Taco Tuesday and you can make it fun and easy.  Prepare your favorite taco meat the day before to save time and refrigerate until you are ready to heat and serve.  My family prefers having the choice of warmed flour tortillas or crunchy corn taco shells.  Place these in baskets lined with cloth napkins.  Gather and fill your prettiest small bowls and dishes with guacamole (store bought or home made), sliced limes, sour cream, shredded Monterey jack cheese, salsa, refried beans and shredded lettuce.  Family and friends of all ages love the idea of a toppings bar and this is a favorite of mine.  Simplicity is key and don't forget a store bought key lime pie topped with whipped cream for a special dessert.

Fish Tacos on the Grill

 This recipe for Mango-Barbecue Fish Tacos is a great summer recipe which offers sweetness and vitamin enriched nutrients.

This recipe makes 4 servings and takes about 45 minutes to make:

Ingredients
1 mango, seeded, peeled and diced
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime zest
3 cups packaged coleslaw mix
12 ounces skinless cod, thawed if frozen and patted dry
8 6-inch corn tortillas, wrapped in foil
1/2-1 cup purchased or homemade guacamole
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges

1. Place half the diced mango in a blender and add barbecue sauce, puree until smooth.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2/3 cup of the barbecue sauce mixture, mayonnaise and lime zest. Reserve the remaining barbecue sauce mixture. Add remaining mango and coleslaw mix.  Toss to coat, cover and chill.

3. For a charcoal grill, grill fish on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 4-6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness or until fish flakes when tested with a fork.  Brush generously with the reserved barbecue sauce mixture during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

4. Place wrapped tortillas on grill rack over heat while fish is grilling to warm, turning once.

5. For a gas grill, preheat the grill.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cover and grill fish and tortillas as directed above.

To serve, fill warm tortillas with coarsely flaked fish, coleslaw, guacamole and cilantro.  Squeeze with lime juice and serve with lime slices.  Tortilla chips and salsa always a great side!

*Keep fish from sticking by cleaning the hot grill brush with a brush or crumpled foil.  Then, using tongs, grease it with a folded, oiled paper towel. (MidwestLiving).

*Healthy tip: Corn tortillas lower in fat, calories and sodium.

Easy Taco Stew

Here's a supper you can make tonight in about 30 minutes that will satisfy the taco tastebuds:)  It's one dish with a Mexican flair.

                                  To make here's all you'll need!

1 lb. ground beef, 1 envelope taco seasoning, 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans of stewed tomatoes, 2 undrained (15 oz.) cans each of light and dark kidney beans, 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans and 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese.

Lightly spray your Dutch oven with cooking spray.  Brown the ground beef and drain the fat.

Add 1 cup of water, taco seasoning, tomatoes and the beans and bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 20 minutes on low.  Ladle into individual bowls and top with shredded cheese, a wedge of lime and fresh cilantro if desired.  Crumbled tacos add nice crunch too.

Tasty side offerings are corn muffins, tortilla chips and sour cream.

                                      ~Here's to Taco Tuesday~