This year Cinco de Mayo, the traditional Mexican celebration on May 5th, will fall on a Saturday evening. This seems like a great excuse to have some fun with your family and friends and cook up a mexican fiesta.
DId you know this celebration first began to mark the 1862 victory of the Mexican army against France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). Cinco de Mayo is not related to Mexican Independence that was established in 1810 on the 16 September.
There are many wonderful things about taking this Mexican festival and making it your own. For most of us in the US, Cinco de Mayo involves an array of popular traditional Mexican foods, such as tacos, enchiladas and fajitas with a range of tortillas, dips and sauces such as salsa, gaucamole and mole. With just a few inexpensive and delicious ingredients you can whip up a terrific family style feast with lots of great flavors and colors. Kids can enjoy the dips and the fun of build-your-own taco bar choices and the adults can indulge in the hotter side of Mexican cuisine and perhaps a margarita.
A really great Mexican feast can start with just a dozen key ingredients and the rest is really up to you. The work is really in making your selections for flour or corn tacos or for picking the heat in your chiles such as ancho, jalepeno or habenero. You could make a simple gaucamole with just lime, salt and garlic or really get more creative and add your taste in chiles and other ingredients. And it seems everyone has their own little twist on how to make good rice and beans!
So to help get the party started we have put together a basic shopping list for your Mexican feast but for your chance to win this week, we'd like you to add your favorite Mexican recipe OR review a food product that you use to create your mexican feast. For example you could review a bottled hot chile sauce, a favorite brand of wrap or bag of tortilla chip, jar of salsa, or packet of gaucamole or queso. We'd like to know what secret ingredients you use to make your Mexican magic in the kitchen!
So to get you started here are our 12 suggested shopping items for this Cinco de Mayo, but we'd love to hear what you would add to this list.
The winners, selected at random from all review and recipe entries, will win one of these great prizes to help for their next party:
Each entry for a review and/or a recipe will count as an additional entry in the giveaway. All entries must be submitted by 6pm EST on Monday May 7th. This giveaway is for US residents only. Please be sure to update your profile with your correct address to ensure we send prizes to the right place!
Tomatillos, nopal. And can't forget the Tres Generaciones or 1800 tequila.
I submitted a recipe, but no picture. Do we hear back if it was accepted?
I keep Holy Guacamole packaged avocado on hand at all times. It keeps in the freezer and is easy to thaw so I can make guacamole anytime without having to make sure I have that just right ripe avocado on hand.
Mmm I'll add: Rice, Margarita supplies (tequila), pico de gallo, and then take #1-11 and roll them into a huge burrito!!! :D Yum!! Oh, and bell peppers and onions! Oh man, you have to have those :D I just wrote a review on here for Frontera Salsa :) :)
guacamole made with greek yogurt...yum
Submitted a review for my favorite salsa, Amy's Salsa.
I can not eat food that is way to hot. I get real bad heartburn.. I love Mexican food but I have to have sauces and salsa's that are mild.
I love Mexican food, the spicier the better.
charro beans----easy to make-----and yummy!!
My moms home made Chicken Tacos!!
"Queso" is the generic term for cheese in spanish. I assume the author is referring to Velveeta in this article. Velveeta is not a typical mexican food item. Thus the "queso" as Americans know it, is a delicious Tex-Mex concoction. FYI- Queso is not pronounced "kayso". It's proper pronounciation is "kehso".
I just reviewed the Old El Paso Taco Dinner Kit! THANKS>
I just posted a review for Royito's Hot Sauce ---------> go buy some at Whole Foods now. You won't regret it! :-) Hot Hot Hot!
I just submitted a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake! Yum!
I have a guacamole recipe that is a bit of a twist -- you add mango and pomegranate seeds to the Guac. It's colorful and delicious! And I agree, beans are a must, especially black beans. I'd also add lettuce and onion to the list. Yummmmmm....