Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

Who misses a chance to get together, make some good grub and chill? Certainly not this familia.  We all packed up and headed over to my parents house for some good mexican food. I offered to make dinner since they made dinner for us yesterday  plus they're helping out with the girls while Jason is gone in Houston for a business trip. We are having taqueria style tacos, mexican rice, refried beans and fried ice cream for dessert. I'm not sure how authentic fried ice cream is for a mexican dessert, but its in all the local mexican restaurants- so close enough for this chick! :)

Ingredients:
3 pounds flank steak, or meat cut for carne asada
1/3 cup white vineager
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic
2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of EACH of the following seasonings: salt, black pepper, white pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powderm garlic powder, and dried oregano

1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 white onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

4 dried New Mexico chile pods- I couldnt find this so I used California Chile Pods.

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

corn tortilla
cotija cheese
lime wedges for serving

Directions:
Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

Recipe courtesy Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup white rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

 

 

Ingredients:



1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
9 cups water

Directions:
Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.

Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

 

 

Ingredients:

1 quart vanilla ice cream, good quality

5 cups corn flakes, crushed

1 cup flaked coconut

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

2 quarts oil for deep frying

 

Directions:



Make 5 1/2-cup scoops of ice cream. Place on a pan or baking sheet lined with waxed paper and freeze for at least one hour.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl add crushed corn flakes, coconut and cinnamon. Stir together. Set aside. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and milk together, set aside.

Remove ice cream from the freezer and roll and press the corn flake mixture around the ice cream. Like packing a snowball. Then roll the ice cream ball into the egg mixture then back into the corn flake mixture. This will give you a thicker crust. Return to the freezer for at least one hour or until the ice cream is very hard.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until the temperature reaches 365 degrees. Remove the ice cream balls from the freezer and carefully drop into the hot oil. Deep fry for only 20-30 seconds. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel. Serve immediately with honey and strawberries. Makes 5 servings.