Cinco de Mayo Deliciousness

~ in preparation for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, we're been sharing some of our favorite recipes. Tarah shared hers on the weekend and now i'm sharing mine. i love appetizers and dessert. when in a restaurant, im much more likely to order multiple appetizers and save room for dessert than to order a meal. i feel like i'd do really well in Spain where tapas are popular. *note to self: travel to Spain* for me, Cinco de Mayo is about getting together with friends, enjoying some delicious bevvies, some dips and chips and ending the night with some yummy dessert. all my taste buds will have been satisfied at this point: salty, sweet, creamy, spicy {mildly spicy ~ i'm a weakling}. i'm sharing my recipes for my homemade guacamole, mango pico de gallo, bluberry lime margarita and churros. yes you read right. churros. the churros were my first attempt and i'll be honest, it took me a couple of attempts to get the right color on them but thanks be the sweet goddess that it ended up deliciously!! new recipe staple *high five* ~

 ~ chips and dips are such a yummy snack to have when the sun is out. sitting in the backyard with the cool breeze of spring weather watching the dogs bask in the sun is a perfect way to spend any day~

Guacamole

1 onion chopped finely

2 garlic cloves) chopped finely

1/8-1/4 jalapêno pepper

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes quartered

2 avocados 

one bunch cilantro chopped

1 lime/lemon

salt & pepper to taste

{i used a regular cooking onion because that's what i had but a red onion is really delicious also}

{you could add garlic to your preference ~ garlic is not a part of traditional mexican guac {as many of my Mexican students have told me} however, one of them most recently told me that some part of Mexico do in fact use garlic ~ thx Maria!!}

{like i said, i'm a weakling when it comes to spice but i was super proud of myself for using jalapêno because i've always avoided it. i also used gloves while removing the seeds and chopping it up. it was the last thing i chopped to avoid any seeds mixing with any of my other ingredients}

{i used cherry tomatoes because that's what i had on hand. also because they're also crisp. they are a bit time consuming so if you're making a larger batch, maybe some regular tomatoes would be easier. just make sure they're nice and firm for easier chopping}

~ chop everything up and put aside

~ in a bowl, mash avocado. you can either leave it lightly mashed and chunky or a smoother mash, totally up to yo

~ add garlic, onions, jalapêno, tomatoes, salt & pepper. combine carefully to not crush the tomatoes

~ add chopped cilantro and the juice of one lemon/lime and combine

Mango Pico de Gallo

1 onion chopped finely

3 cloves garlic chopped finely

2 handful cherry tomatoes chopped in quarters

1 mango chopped

1/8-1/4 jalapêno pepper

1 lemon

salt and pepper

~ chop everything as closely to the same size as you can. a pico de gallo is a very basic type of salsa and it's hard to hide any sloppy chopping. try as best you can to keep some really beautiful knife chops with all your veggies

~ combine everything, salt & pepper to taste and add the juice of one lemon 

{same as with the guacamole, i used whatever i had on hand and adjusted to my own preferences so feel free to do the same as the recipes are quite simple and fool proof}

~ margaritas are always a delicious drink whether celebrating or just having a taco night. i like both blended and on the rocks and enjoy the traditional flavors. however, sometimes its fun mixing it up and trying something new!~

Blueberry Lime Margarita {on the rocks}

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 limes

2 bottles of lime flavored sparkling water {i used Perrier}

1/2 cup Pom juice {this was an adjustment for my family's tastes- can be omitted}

1/4 cup agave {less or more depending on your preference}

1/2 cup tequila {i used Patron but you could use any tequila although i'd avoid a golden tequila for this recipe}

~ combine everything in a blender and pour into preferred glasses with some ice

{truthfully this intended to be a blended drink but my dad forgot to bring me some ice so i adjusted. i also added the Pom juice because my family loves Pom juice. it did give it a yummy flavor but could be omitted or substituted for another berry flavor or mango}

Churro Bites

~ my first experience with churros was when i was 12 and went to Disneyland for the first time. i remember we saw everyone eating these long stems of fried goodness. my brother and i begged our mom to buy us one. we waited in line and were finally able to savor the sweet, fried goodness of a Disneyland churro. any time i think of churros, i think of Disneyland ~

~ i used a this recipe i found on pinterest as it was a first attempt for me with churros. i found that the mixture was too runny. this was simply based of what i remembered from seeing churros made on food network. i ended up adding about 2 extra tablespoons of flour to where i felt it was the right consistency. i'd suggest following the recipe if you're a first timer too and then trust your gut if you need to adjust ~
~ i lucked out and used my dad's deep fryer {it only sees the light of day maybe 4 times a year but comes in handy for a recipe like this! }. as you can see my churros are not perfectly sized but i like that about them. makes them look more homemade
~ rolling the warm, crispy churros in cinnamon sugar is THE best way to enjoy these. i didn't use melted chocolate like the recipe suggested. we enjoyed them as is but whether dipped in chocolate or enjoyed with vanilla ice cream, you're sure to love them!

xoxo
Oz