Our Awesome Festive Group! :)
Our lovely Hostesses ~* kRiStIn * jEnNisE *
Appetizers:
Fresh Mango Salsa
(this is how much was made for the dinner, makes 1 1/2 gallons!)
1/2 gallon Tomato Sauce
1/2 quart Chopped Mango, added to 1/2 quart pineapple tidbits
3 cups quarter-inch sliced Green Onions
1 1/2 cups quarter-inch diced White Onions
2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 cup White Sugar
2 TBSP Garlic Salt
2 TBSP Coarse Black Pepper
3 TBSP Minced Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
3 Quarts Diced Roma Tomatoes
Add together, stirring well in the bowl. Eat and Enjoy!
The sombero's were used to hold chips and the YUMMY Mango Salsa!!! (soooo good!)Flautas
Ingredients:
2 lbs Ground Beef (the 80/20 fat content works best)
2-3 raw potatoes, peeled and chopped
Corn tortillas
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
Pepper to taste
Toothpicks
Oil for frying
Brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and pepper. You will want to chop it really fine while cooking it. If you are using a lower fat beef, add a little oil to help with the flavor and the consistency. Add the potatoes and mash the beef and potatoes together using a potato masher. Let it boil down, and absorb all the oil/grease. This step takes awhile. When the meat is somewhat mushy, you know it is done. When it is cooled enough for you to not burn your fingers, start to warm up the corn tortillas. The tortillas are much easier to work with when they are warm and doing it on a griddle works best but microwaving is fine. Spoon a helping of meat in the tortilla and roll up to where it is really thin. You will place 3 flautas on each toothpick. This will help during the frying to keep them rolled up! In a frying pan, heat up some oil in the bottom of the pan, you just need enough to let them brown in the pan, not deep fry. When the oil is hot, place your set of 3 in the pan and brown on the 2 sides that you can, then take out the toothpick and you can brown the other sides. Place on a paper towel to drain the grease off when they are done.
Festive table setting - with a maraca for a place card holder & we all donned our napkin rings-- so cute.Chile Con Queso
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped green chile, I used a mix of Hot and Mild chile
2 lb block of Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 lb bag of the orange/white cheese(I used the Mexican blend already shredded)
Milk
Melt the butter in your stockpot, then add the green chile and onions. Let them cook on Med/Low for at least 30 minutes. You can cook it for longer, it helps with the flavor. Add the Velveeta and stir just a bit to mix it with the onions and chile. Let it melt down slowly. When the Velveeta is completely melted, add the other cheese. The key here is to just let it melt together, you can keep stirring so that it doesn't burn the bottom, but just let it keep going. After all the cheeses are completely melted, then you will add milk. It is hard to say how much to add because it depends on the consistency you want. I pour in about a cup then stir it together and let it just warm up and see what the consistency is, and I will add accordingly. Once it is where you like it, then turn it down LOW because you don't want it to boil. Eat with tortilla chips.
SALAD
Santa Fe Salad with Chile Lime Dressing(taken from Weight Watchers)
Ingredients
6 Tbsp reduced-calorie mayonnaise
3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped3 Tbsp water
1 medium scallion(s), minced
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup(s) cooked corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 cup(s) grape tomatoes
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into thin strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 cup(s) romaine lettuce, cut into thick shreds (about 2 hearts)
Instructions
To make dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cilantro, water, scallion, lime juice, sugar and chili powder until smooth. Transfer to a jar or a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl or food storage container, layer remaining ingredients in order listed; cover and refrigerate.
To serve, spoon salad ingredients into a bowl. Shake dressing and then drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat. Yields about 2 cups of salad and 1 1/2 tablespoons of dressing per serving.
The Quesadillas were marked with "festive" imprints! Look close, there is a guitar on the one closest and maracas on the other one I believe.
Chicken and Salsa Quesadillas
2 cups shredded chicken1 can chopped green chile
Garlic Salt and Onion Powder to tasteSalt and Pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup Salsa
Shredded Colby/Jack cheese to liking
Flour tortillas
Mix all the ingredients, except tortillas together. Spoon the meat onto one half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over and generously spray each side with cooking spray(this is the key for the crunchy tortilla). Place quesadillas on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes on each side. The longer you bake them the crunchier they will become.
MAIN COURSE
Sal Picon(brisket meat)
Bake 4 lbs of brisket with 4 bay leaves and 1 chopped onion, wrapped in foil. Bake at 350 for 4-5 hours.
Pull out the meat and let it cool a bit. Shred the meat and pull the fat off if there is any on the brisket, it is easier while it is still warm.
In a blender add:
7 oz can Chipotle with Adobo Sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/3 cup oil
Mix together and set aside. Add 1/3-1/2 cup of the mixture to the meat and let it sit overnight. When ready to serve, you want the meat at room tempurature.
Then add:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 c. Pepperjack cheese, cubed small (we used just Jack cheese to cut down the "heat")
2 cups cubed tomatoes
8 oz. can Garbanzo beans
Stir the meat together with the above ingredients. If it needs more spice, add a bit more of the Adobo Sauce mixture. Serve at room tempurature with warm corn or flour tortillas.
The ladies had the dinner set up out side and we are told it was just so beatiful and breath taking! They did a WONDERFUL job moving inside... due to inclimate weather... (and by inclimate, I mean UTAH SPRING at it's finest!!!)Pinto Beans with Jalapeno
1 lb bag of Pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno
1/2 can tomato sauce
Salt
Soak the pinto beans in warm water overnight. You will need enough water to cover the beans up to 2-3 inches of water above. We used our crock pots for each step. The next morning, cut off the top of the jalapeno and place the jalapeno in with the beans, add the chopped onion and tomato sauce and stir. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High 5-6 hours. When the beans are soft they are ready to eat. You will add the salt at the very end, and salt to taste. (Side note: if you don't want to soak the beans overnight, they will just take longer to cook the next day. You can also boil them in a stockpot on the stove for a few hours if you don't have a crockpot, or don't have the time. The key is getting them to boil hard for a few hours so they will get soft)
Our sweet little take home gifts, a "Fiesta Mix" cd, wedding cookies & more spanish cookies, a pepper growing kit! (I can't wait to grow mine!) and a cute little basket to hold it all. Spanish Rice
2 cups rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 can tomato sauce
Chicken Buillon
2 TBSP Cilantro, chopped
Salt
In a frying pan, heat up enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Brown 2 cups of rice in the oil and add the chopped onion and garlic. Add the water and tomato sauce. Let it boil a bit and when some of the water is gone, add the Cilantro on top of the rice, do not stir in. Add salt to taste when the rice is cooked.
Not pictured: HORCHATA!
DRINK
Sunrise Punch
2 liter Lemon Lime Soda (we used Shasta)
1 can frozen Hawaiis Own Frozen Concentrate(we made a different kind each time, ex. Paradise Punch, Guava Raspberry, etc)
Ice
Thaw the frozen punch in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Pour in the punch bowl with the Soda and ice. Stir it all together, making sure to dissolve the punch and serve!
Horchata
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
5 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup white sugar
Directions
Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.
Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice.
DESSERT
Frosty Raspberry/Strawberry Squares
1 C. flour
¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. chopped nuts
½ c. melted butter
Mix together and spread into shallow baking pan.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stir occasionally
Spread 2/3 of crumbs into 9X13 pan
Combine
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 egg whites
1 c. sugar
2 c.sliced strawberries/raspberries (or 10 oz pkg frozen &reduce sugar to 2/3 c.)
Mix together and beat fast until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in 1 c, WHIPPED whipping cream. Spread over cooled crust and top with remaining crumbs. Freeze 6 hours or overnight.
