Cinco De Mayo

Contrary to popular belief Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day... but a celebration of the Mexican army's defeat of the French in the battle of Puebla in 1862. After years of being involved in various wars Mexico was short on cash. When they failed to pay their debt to the French France decided that it was time to start their own Latin-American empire. The battle of Puebla didn't bring an end to the French occupation... but it did boost the morale a bit. It was several years before they managed to rid themselves of the French. It isn't a very big celebration in Mexico unless you happen to be in the state of Puebla... but in the United States it is a huge event especially in Central Texas where I live.


To celebrate we made Fajitas and my daughters went out in the yard to play with the piñata she made at school. She also made one for her sister when she got home so that they both would have a chance to break one.






Pinto Beans

These make a great side dish or filling for tamales or tacos. You can also make these in a slow-cooker. Just throw all the ingredients in a crock pot except the tomatoes and salt and cook the beans all day. Throw the tomatoes and salt in during the last hour or so of cooking time.

1-lb. of pinto beans
several cloves of garlic
1 onion
1-2 bouillon cubes

Sort and wash beans. Place in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes and then soak for 1-2 hours. This is the quick soak method…otherwise just soak the beans overnight.
Now you are ready to cook the beans. Add garlic and onions to the water and cook until the beans are almost tender. When the beans are done add bouillon cubes or salt. Add other spices such as cumin and chili powder if you wish... you can even throw in some stewed tomatoes or jalapenos. Be creative.

Tacos and Tostados

This could be a photo from my childhood... the divided Pyrex cookware with beans on one side and taco meat on the other. Taco meat nestled in a crispy perfectly formed shell with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and mild salsa poured on top. I haven't had this type of taco in a long time. This type of taco just doesn't exist in Mexico. Sure they have crispy shells and they have a ground meat dish called picadillo... but they are about as similar to this dish as those egg rolls you got on the Chinese buffet last night are to ones purchased at a street stall in Guangdong providence in China.
That said I have fond memories of taco night and so I thought that it might be a good dish to try cooking with my kids. A couple of weeks ago we made tostadas and they were a huge hit. The most difficult part of the whole meal was trying to eat them without them falling apart.

Just look at that concentration!

For taco night we simply browned some turkey meat. We added a seasoning packet and there you have it... Nothing could be easier. My older daughter was very proud of herself. I don't often let her cook things on the stove, but now that she is tall enough she has been able to help more freely in the kitchen.

Next we chopped up all the goodies to go on top: Lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. We grated cheese and put the salsa and other condiments on the table.

My big girl got the taco shells all lined up and ready to heat in the oven.

She put some lime juice on the Jicama salad.

She then set the table and took this photo so I could post it here.

This is the Jicama with chili powder on half (for the adults) and the other side plain for the kids. We through in some lime and orange slices.

Here is the finished plate with beans, rice.

Cheers,

Jenn