We usually go to a Mexican restaurant, but last year it was such a ZOO that it was not enjoyable, so I may do a menu similar to yours!!

I didn't pay attention to the date until I got to the grocery store and saw the Mexican flag on display! I'd already picked up enchiladas from the prepared-food case -- I guess that's why they had them today :) (my new DW was being installed today and I didn't know what time they were coming, so I wanted to have a dinner I could just heat up)

Lucky me, I can wash my fiestaware (small f lol) quietly tonight!

i Feliz Dia !

Making chicken enchiladas, a Sensation salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, and Margaritas. Maybe a few chips and salsa before dinner.

I pronounce it wa-ca-MOE-lay, but usually hear gwa ca moe lay.

LOL, Cindy! I hear that a lot when I'm back in Michigan. And ja-la-PEN-yos instead of ha-la-PEN-yos. My little (6'5") brother knows that it bugs me, and has started calling them ja-LOP-en-os. Love that brat (LOL)! BTW, I've never heard of a Sensation Salad, but I know from other recipes you've shared with me, that you're an awesome cook. Will you give it to me?

Same to you, Lynn. I hosted my book club today and the character spends some time in Mexico, so that and the date dictated my menu. I made a black bean salad I always make (From Cooking light, with black beans, roasted corn, red onion, red pepper, mango, cilantro,lime and some heat) over greens, pulled chicken quesadillas, spinach quesadillas, chips, w accompaniments, a fresh fruit platter, and hibiscus iced tea.

The best part is I'm making the same thing for dinner plus homemade guacamole, pica de gallo, and tortilla soup. Have to get cracking.

My daughter's birthday was yesterday, May 4. Every year for her birthday dinner she asks for dh's steak fajitas Yesterday, I had to make the marinade and actually did a pretty good job since there is no recipe! I also made guacamole and a corn and black bean salad. So usually we don't have Mexican again the next night. However, I have some chicken I need to use up as well as some leftover cilantro and avocado so I'm going to make a chicken and tomatillo soup for dinner. So for once, we will actually sort of celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

No plans. We don't celebrate it. I was at work earlier, went outside and a student was coming in with a huge sombrero and said "Happy Cinco de Mayo" LOL. Hubby has plans with a friend tonight and I am picking up a few light fixtures, etc. for our new venture (rental house) and will probably pick up something lite for myself after that. Your meal sounds good - enjoy!

Looks lovely Lynn. I hope you and your DH have an enjoyable time on that spectacular back portal with that incredible view.

I met a friend for dinner last night at a Mexican restaurant. We did an early Cinco de Mayo dinner.

Tonight one of our DD's, who happens to be working nearby, is coming for dinner. We are having DH's yummy chicken enchiladas, along with both chicken and pork burritos, which I picked up at a Mexican restaurant.

Enjoy!

Lynn, looks divine. I'd be happy with any meal and that view.

I'm in the North Bay Area and we say ha-la-PAIN-yos. I'm guilty of pronouncing the G in guacamole, and of course we also call it "guac" for short.

Lynn, beautiful setting & presentation. I am always impressed that you treat your husband/family like guests for meals!

Beautiful, Lynn! I'd take a picture but I'm exhausted. I did manage to make a corn tortilla casserole though. Corn tortillas are my favorite, especially fried soft for taco's. I also made wacky moley to go with it. I've called it that for about 30 years now, just me being silly!

I have a question. Guacamole is my favorite dip. I constantly get complimented on it. I've been told it's one of the best people have eaten.

I'm saying that because everyone and their mother, including chefs, always use lemon or lime juice in their Guac. Me? Never. It ruins the flavor.

Do you use lemon or lime in your guacomole?

I think some people just do that to keep it from getting brown? I find it better to make it fresh, serve it right away, and skip any citrus at all.

If I have the luxury of being able to serve it right after I make it, I use just mashed fresh avocados, garlic, salt and chopped (small dice) fresh tomatoes. If it's going to be awhile, I'll add a small amount of lime juice. My good friend who's Hispanic and a fantastic cook ( and hotel and restaurant owner) gave me her recipe when I first moved here.

Mtn, I was watching a chef on the news making G. yesterday and he said adding citrus enhances the flavor. I laughed out loud.

Lynn, that's how I make mine, unless I can find some vidalia onion.

OMG, Oakley, I do add a bit of small, diced Vidalia when I can get it! Yes, I know EXACTLY how great your guacamole tastes because we make the same one! Mine, yesterday was so delicious I could have made a meal out of just that. But, DH grilled the marinated chicken breasts while we enjoyed our margaritas on the back portal. The weather was perfect for it yesterday. Topped them with the cheese, sautéed onions and green chile and sprinkled on fresh cilantro. I add a bit of balsamic vinegar and salt to my black beans and top them with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and sliced green onions. Yummy and super healthful. It was a great evening all around.

Sounds delicious! Have you noticed all the recipes where you add sour cream to guacamole? Now that's a waste of a good avocado! lol.

I can't figure out why balsamic vinegar is used. I made a cherry pie a couple of weeks ago and the recipe called for a T. I could taste it and the vinegar ruined the pie for me. DH ate it all. :)

Lynn, when we drove down to Mexico City years ago, we stopped at little hole in the wall restaurants on the way. I had never eaten guacamole before (I was in my early20's), but it came with everything we ordered. And cabbage soup. YUM.

Anyway, when we came home I developed a severe allergy to plain avocados. My throat would swell and itch. It took about ten years for me to get over the allergy because I noticed if I addrd other ingredients to it, like the above, it helped tremendously.

One time I made guacamole for lunch and dh called from the office to check in. He asked what I was up to and I said I'm eating the best guacamole I'd ever made and I'm having a bad reaction to it at the same time, so I guess my obit would say "Death by Guacamole!" lol

The allergy is GONE, thank God.

So true, Oakley, adding sour cream to guacamole is a total waste of a good avocado IMO, too (LOL)!

That's really strange about your on-again-off-again allergy to avocados. Glad you can eat them again!

Although I love balsamic vinegar and always add it to my beans and like making salad dressings with it, cherry pie with balsamic sounds awful!

You guys don't put cilantro in your guac? I would miss it most mightily. I do use either lime or lemon juice to some degree because I like just a slight acidic edge.

This sounds crazy but I add pressed fresh garlic, tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice and - wait for it- a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce. It's a deeper salty flavor that pulls out the other ingredients.

Spanish: Worcestershire in guac? Haven't tried that, but I love it and do use it a lot. Last night DH surprised me with lobster tails to go with our steaks. I always put a couple drops of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice in my warmed butter for the lobster.

Linelle: I love fresh cilantro and always keep a bunch, as I use it often . . . but never in guac. My friend who gave me this recipe 33 years ago is Hispanic and can trace her roots back to some red haired Spanish conquistador. She warned me not to "Gringo up her recipe by adding stuff to it or I'd ruin it" and she'd never share another of her long-time family "TRUE New Mexican recipes" with me again. (LOL). She's a great cook (did I mention she owns a hotel and restaurant, as well as being an architect?) , and so i never have. And, yes, she's shared many of her recipes with me over our 33 year friendship.

Try it, you might like it! Just a little bit. You want it to pull out flavor, not add flavor.

Ain't it great that we can adapt recipes to suit our own tastes?!! I feel fortunate to live where we have such fresh and plentiful Mexican food. It's simply a regular part of our local cuisine.

I have a friend from Cincinnati who puts pasta in her chili. I try not to judge. :p

So true! I top my "Back-East chili " with cottage cheese, and it totally grosses out my family (lol). I try not to judge other takes on guacamole or anything, but I guess that it's just what tastes best/normal to an individual. What you're used to . . . although I really don't mess with my friend's recipes. After 33 years of eating them at her house and making them myself, they are delicious and the norm for me now. And, truth be told, I am an Anglo out here and my NM food is always scrutinized by my Hispanic friends who dislike "Gringo-ized" NM food. Because of that, I've always tried to stick with the original recipes that they've shared with me.

But, we do travel a lot and always are OK with eating at Mexican restaurants around the country. Huge difference in just about everything, but we enjoy it. We'll be heading to Atlanta and Augusta, GA, and Aiken, SC soon and both my sis and our son have Mexican restaurants they plan on taking us to in every town. We'll enjoy them all, I'm sure.

Spanish: ok, I'll try that the next time I make it. I'm not a food snob. I guess that I'm just very used to the way I always make things after all this time out here.

Ommm Nommm Nommm. I love Mexican street food. We used to have a lady who would come by once a week with her granddaughter and sell home made tamales. We miss her! A gal I work with is Mexican and she brings in posole any time there is a food event at work. I just love that stuff! And the food trucks with the Abuelita cooking while her grandchildren run the counter, man it doesn't get better than that.

I spent my Cinco de Mayo at the gorgeous Oregon Coast so I missed the Taco Crawl hosted by the hip downtown restaurants in my city.

"Gringo up?" I love it! I can see Worcest. sauce in guacamole for some reason. If I can remember next time I'll add a dash.

Worcestershire sauce is a wonderful mystery ingredient. Try a little in melted butter over popcorn.

That sounds delicious, Linelle. Thanks!