Gian and TF's Mexican Fiesta

Well, I'm back in the District for a brief pit stop before taking to the skies for another weekend with one of my faves. While in the sooner state last week, I did carve out some time for a little cooking (actually it was a semi-full day affair, but so worth it). 


When I realized I wasn't going to be spending a lot of time in my own kitchen over the next couple weeks, I decided I needed to make time to do a little cooking in the kitchen I was visiting. It took minimal convincing to get TF on board (he was sold the minute I suggested it, which was a little disappointing...I had a whole convincing speech ready and waiting) and soon the planning began! We decided to cook Sunday dinner for six and were both so excited at the thought that it wasn't long before we crafted a menu filled with so many delicious dishes I was hungry just thinking about them! Since the group was a mix of varying tastes and eating preferences, Mexican was the natural choice for something that would be both fun to make and please everyone.


Being from Oklahoma, I'm somewhat of a snob when it comes to eating Mexican food on the east coast (to be fair, I'm the same way about eating seafood in Oklahoma). I know what I like, and Salvadorian fare just doesn't hold up to what I was raised with. Consequently, every time I visit Oklahoma, dining at various Mexican establishments tops my list of things to do. Last month when I visited, TF and I discovered the best queso ever (and there's a lot of stiff competition in those parts) and since I was arriving this time in time for dinner, reservations at 1492 were a first on our itinerary and served as the perfect idea playground for our Sunday menu.

Heaven in a bowl

Before we knew it, Sunday was upon us and it was time to break out the recipes. We vowed to make everything we could from scratch (the only thing we didn't attempt were tortillas...although, ironically I met a lady on the plane en route to the sooner state that convinced me I could totally handle flour tortillas; I may be attempting this soon) so lots of ingredients had to be scouted and even more planning than usual was involved to make sure everything was finished and hot at the same time. So much pressure, but we just had to take the plunge. Without further ado, Gian and TF's Mexican Fiesta (in pictures and delicious recipes)!


Pico de Gallo
[Original found here]

Picture fail by me; I had to attempt a make up session the day after

Ingredients

• 3 large diced tomatoes
• 1 diced medium sized onion
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 jalapenos (more if you like it hotter)

Preparation

1. Wash tomatoes and jalapenos
2. Dice tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos
3. Put ingredients in a bowl
4. Add salt, garlic, the juice of half a lemon. Mix it up and serve

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

[Original found here]

Ingredients [warning, this makes a lot--we doubled it and had tons left over]

• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cumin 
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Mix and use to flavor your desired dish. It was such a great flavor, we used it on  the stir fry veggies and chicken (TF really loved it so it's possible he scattered it on other parts of the meal while I wasn't looking)
2. Store leftovers in air-tight container

Fajita Stir Fry Veggies

This photo doesn't do justice to how colorful this portion of the meal was....I blame my ravenous state for my sloppy photography skills

Ingredients

• 3-4 bell peppers (we got a four pack of red, green, and yellow and just used all of them)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 ears of fresh corn, cooked and sliced from rind
• Fajita seasoning, to taste (or heat tolerance)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in wok or skillet
2. Add veggies (cook peppers and onion for 2-3 minutes before adding corn) and seasoning
3. Cook until tender

Refried Black Beans

[A La Rachel Ray]

Pre-Mashing

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add 1 can of beans, the chilies and cumin to the pan, and mash the beans up with the back of a wooden spoon
2. Stir in the remaining can of beans, season the mixture with salt and pepper, and continue cooking to heat through, 2-3 more minutes

Queso Blanco Mexican White Queso

[We continue our quest to replicate the work of 1492 and El Tequila, but this was a step in the right direction]

Ingredients

• 3 cups monterey jack cheese or 3 cups asadero cheese or 3 cups white american cheese, shredded fine
• 12 ounces green chilies
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 6 tablespoons onions, chopped fine
• 6 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

1. Put all ingredients in a double boiler and heat on medium
2. Cook until melted and well blended, stirring occasionally
3. Serve with fresh tortilla chips or hot flour tortillas

Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3-4 avocados (ripe)
• 1 medium tomato
• half a small onion (finely chopped)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1/2 freshly squeezed lime juice

Preparation

1. Slice, core, and dice avocados
2. Dice tomato and onion; mince garlic
3. Stir together avocado, tomato, onion, and garlic
4. Season with salt and pepper; top with lime juice

TF's brain child, we roasted the corn husks for a decorative addition to the meal :)

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

[Courtesy of Tyler Florence]

Ingredients 

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked (these little guys were a lot of fun)
• 1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Preparation

1. On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes 
2. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor
3. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky
4. Serve on top of enchiladas (below) or as a side for dipping

Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 12 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 lb chicken tenders (cooked)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 cups shredded cheese
• Tomatillo salsa for topping (see above)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cook chicken as desired (the vegetarian [me] cut and seasoned it with the fajita seasoning and then TF's brother smoked it, I must admit, it looked darn good) and slice fajita style or dice cooked chicken 
3. Layer 13 x 9 baking dish with a thin layer of tomatillo salsa
4. Fill tortillas with chicken and/or cheese and onion (if I was making this for myself I'd include spinach with the cheese, my absolute fave), roll and place fold down in baking dish
5. Top with cheese and tomatillo salsa
6. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted

Finished product (some of it is hiding on the other side of my queso cup). We were all basically in food coma the rest of the night. Best Sunday dinner ever!

*We made dessert to, but since this post is already overflowing with recipes, I'm saving that one for Part II tomorrow!