Living in the Old Pueblo means one thing when it comes to May......

Watch out for a Red Hot Cinco de Mayo Celebration sponsored by Heather & Eric!

Micheladas & Margaritas:  Ryan & MJ

You can imagine the delicious concoction that came out of these ingredients!  And just in case you weren't a big fan of Spicy Dos Equis, you can't go wrong with Costco's Golden Margarita! 

SALUD!

Recipe:

http://michelada-recipes.com/new-mexican-michelada-recipe/

Guacamole:  Ann & Jason

It looks like a lot of guacamole but don't be deceived.... we ate almost the entire thing!  The recipe for this one will be a little haphazard as Jason takes after his mom in creating his own recipes with a "dash" of this and a "pinch" of that!  God bless them :)

Enjoying Guac and Micheladas on the patio while listening to some Spanish guitar in the background.... quite the fiesta!

Recipe:
12 ripe avacados
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1-2 Serrano chiles, seeded to taste, minced
1-2 Jalapenos, seeded to taste, minced
1/2-1 red onion, diced
1/2-1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, continue to taste with plenty of tortilla chips, adjust ingredients as needed!

Carnitas Tacos:  Heather & Eric

The slow cooker tradition continued with delicious carnitas tacos!  The carnitas was served with your choice of flour or corn tortilla, sauteed peppers & onion, cheddar cheese, queso fresco, sour cream, and guacamole!

The final presentation was definitely Cinco de Mayo worthy!

 
Recipes:

Carnitas:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Carnitas/Detail.aspx

Heather tripled the spices to make it even more delicious!

Mexican Rice:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Rice-II/Detail.aspx

Heather used El Pato for the tomato sauce, added a couple garlic cloves with the onion, and added half a cup of frozen corn about 5 minutes before the rice is done!

Churros with Mexican Chocolate:  Katie & Denis

As you can imagine we were stuffed to the brim with Micheladas, Guacamole, and Carnitas but that didn't stop us from indulging in Katie & Denis's homemade churros and mexican chocolate.... I'm proud to say I was one of the few who finished my entire dessert :)

 

Katie sure knows how to bake!

Recipes:

Mexican Chocolate Pots de Cream

Serves 8 people

2 cups whole milk

¾ cup heavy cream

8 large egg yolks (save the whites for a healthy breakfast the next day – you need one after this!)

8 ounces Mexican chocolate, finely chopped (see note below)

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Unsweetened whipped cream

Note: This can be made with all regular chocolate (I think it is even better that way).  So just sub out the Mexican chocolate for more bittersweet chocolate.

Heat milk and heavy cream together in a saucepan and bring to a simmer slowly.  Pour hot milk/cream over chopped chocolate.  Stir mixture until smooth in order to melt the chocolate and combine.

In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks.  Then slowly add a small amount of hot chocolate mix to the eggs, constantly whisking.  This helps to increase the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.  Then slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the chocolate, whisking constantly (again to not scramble the eggs).

Place ramekins in a baking dish with high sides and fill the ramekins with custard.  Then add hot water to the pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.  Bake in a 300 degree oven until the edges are set but the middle is still wobbly, about 20-25 minutes.  Let cool, then chill in refrigerator for about 3 hours before serving.  Serve with whipped cream on top.

Churros 

1 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup flour

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vegetable oil for frying

Start by pre-heating vegetable oil in a large frying pan to about 375 degrees.

In a pan bring water, brown sugar, salt and butter to a boil and all mixed together.  Remove from heat and stir in flour (use those muscles to get it all mixed together).  In a separate bowl, beat eggs with the vanilla, then add to the flour mixture.  Stir again until blended and all egg is incorporated. 

Fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the dough (or you can use a plastic bag with a small corner cut off on the bottom if you don’t have a pastry bag).  Make sure oil is hot by adding a little bit of dough and seeing if it bubbles up right away – if not heat the oil some more.  When oil is hot enough, begin piping dough in small batches of about 5-6 at a time into the oil to cook.  Flip after about 1 minute to cook on both sides.  Remove from oil with a slotted spoon when the churros are golden brown.  Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.  Then while still warm, toss in cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Repeat until all dough is used.