Saturday, June 14, 2008

Hosting A Mexican Fiesta

Any time is a great time to host a Mexican fiesta. This type of dinner party or get together is a wonderful way to show off your Mexican cooking skills. As far as menu choices, the possibilities are almost endless.

Mexican fiestas are typically very casual and colorful occasions. This goes for the atmosphere, food and decoration, alike. Mexican food options include everything from tamales and tacos to burritos to guacamole to salsa to refried beans to carne asada to quesadillas to margaritas to deep fried ice cream to Mexican wedding cookies to much more!

There are many dishes that can be made and frozen, ahead of time... even as far as several weeks in advance. Doing so makes it much easier to get things ready, on the day of the event.

Some recipes such as hot dips and even enchiladas or burritos can be prepared and served in crock pots, which can easily be placed along a table for serving. For outside fiestas, plugging the pots into a plug strip will eliminate the need for multiple electrical outlets.

Grilling is another great option, for outside fiestas. Even recipes as simple as grilled corn on the cob with chili butter, lime juice and a touch of cheese are more than festive when prepared in this manner.

Large green onions, also referred to as 'knob onions' are yummy grilled, as well. Grill with jalapeños, drizzle with lime juice and serve with carne asada, for a traditional treat. These onions can be found in Mexican markets.

Another idea for a Mexican fiesta, at home, is a taco bar. Similar to those seen in Mexican restaurants, a taco bar can include all the ingredients to assemble tacos, burritos, etc. be sure to include other side dishes such as tamales, nachos and refried beans.

No party, of any kind, is complete without a variety of cold beverages. Serve Mexican beer, sangria, margaritas and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks like iced tea, lemonade and soda... even ice cold water will be appreciated, by some.

To give your buffet tables a Southwestern feel you can use terra cotta tableware and serving bowls. You may also opt to use brightly covered disposable tableware that is now available in many south of the border patterns.

Pinatas are a must, for any fiesta... especially when there will be children in attendance. Again, as with the tableware, they can be purchased in many different varieties, both online and at party supply stores.

Use a very large sombrero, for a unique and inexpensive centerpiece. Place a balloon bouquet in the very center. Fill the remainder with corn chips. Place small bowls of guacamole, salsa and cheese dip around the sombrero. Enjoy!

Homemade salsa is quite simple to make. Consider making your own using one of the following Mexican recipes

Salsa Recipe

2 (10 ounce) cans tomatoes (Rotel brand-1 hot and 1 mild)
1 (14 ounce) can peeled tomato
1-2 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
1/4 cup onion
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Use a food processor to pulse the onions and jalapeño to desired consistency. (This should only take a few seconds.) Add tomatoes with juice and green chilies, process again. Transfer to a bowl and add spices.

Chill until flavors are combined, approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Pico de Gallo Recipe

3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, no stems
1 or more jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice or more to taste
salt to taste

Directions

Slice the tomato in quarters and remove seeds and gel. Chop into small chunks.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator 1 hour to let the flavors mingle.

Everyone loves Mexican food and Pinatas. Hosting a Mexican Fiesta can be a fun and rewarding experience. Your guests will enjoy it and gain new respect for your skills as a party host.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Ube In Filipino Food

Purple yams, officially referred to as ubes, are a common ingredient in Filipino recipes. These yams are actually violet in color and are used in all different types of recipes. They have even been known to make a pleasant looking violet-colored cake.

Many yam aficionados will tell you that true Filipino ubes have a darker skin than the purple yams, referred to as such, which are available in the United States.

Yams are not potatoes and should not be confused with purple Peruvian potatoes that are available, at some grocery stores and farm stands.

One of the most common Filipino ube recipes is Halayang Ube or purple yam jam. This is made from powdered ube, milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and butter.

Ube Balls are common, as well. This dish consists of condensed milk, mashed ube, cornstarch and water. The condensed milk and ube are heated over low heat, until somewhat warm.

At that point, cornstarch and violet food coloring is added. Continue cooking until mixture thickens. Stir constantly. Mixture is ready to cool, when it separates from the pan.

Once ube mixture has completely cooled, shape into small balls. Roll in sugar and tightly wrap in plastic wrap, to store.

Other uses for ube yams in Filipino food is as an ingredient in cakes, cupcakes and the beverage Halo-Halo.

Filipino food is highly regarded as an exotic cuisine in many parts of the world and the ube yam is one of the ingredients that sets Filipino food apart from other cuisines of the region.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I Have Another New Squidoo Lens

As stated in a preview post, Squidoo lenses are to web building what blogs... hrmm.. are to bloggers? You can easily throw up content, network with other lens owners, join groups of related lenses and promote your content right within the Squidoo communtiy.

My new lens is based on one of my other web sites:

Extended Health Care

Check it out

Friday, June 6, 2008

Support Our Troops

I believe in supporting our troops. The men and women of our armed forces put themselves into harms way for the freedom of every single person in this country.

They have a tough job:

Support Our Troops And Get A Flag

Click the link above, click the link to give to the USO and donate 20 bux.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

The Daily Mashup For June 6th 2008

One of my sites appeared here:

The Daily Mashup

Can you guess which one?

Project ROI Guru Is Feeling Generous

My friend James over at Project ROI is holding a contest. The prize is free SEO consulting and linking services.

So, If you own a website, would like to get a boost in traffic, and learn how to do it for yourself, I suggest you check out this post on his blog:

Want my phone number and link juice?

The dude knows what he is talking about. So entering is worth the 5 minutes it takes to meet the requirements.

GPS: The Game Lives Again!

If you like "GPS Hunting" or whatever it is called. If you like puzzle contests. My friend, Eric from Indieclub.com has breathed new life into his VERY popular online puzzle/scavenger hunt game.

I helped with building out the site, but alas, I never played. I did follow peoples progress on the very active discussion boards and it seems that everyone that played had a blast!

Check it out:

GPS:The Game

not to be confused with Eric's movie

GPS:The Movie

I Have A New Squidoo Lens

Squidoo lenses are very cool because you can easily add all types of content to the page. There are modules to add Flikr photos, YouTube videos, Polls, Debates, as well as regular text posts.

Anyway. Check out my new Squidoo Lens based on my favorite type of food:

Mexican Food and Recipes


ha cha!