Happy Cinco de Mayo (early)!!!

This isn’t a post about celebrating Cinco de Mayo the way a real Mexican descendant would with the same reasons. I will admit it – I’m not that up on my Mexican history. So, with that being said, I do celebrate it the way most Americans do. With yummy drink and food. Celebrating the tastiness of the Mexican culture.

Since I was off work today, I decided to begin the Cinco de Mayo celebration a day early. I knew tomorrow, I wouldn’t have time to truly enjoy cooking the food. I began my morning scouring the internet (basically googling) “Cinco de Mayo recipes”, “Cinco de Mayo food”, “Authentic Mexican Cuisine”, “Cinco de Mayo desserts”, and of course “Cinco de Mayo drinks”. My search left me somewhat with a lack of inspiration. I wanted something that would POP, something that would stand out, something that would be impressive.

I decided to get dressed and head to the one place I knew I could get inspiration from…Wal-Mart. *smiles* It’s no secret around these parts. We have a ginormous Mexican population, and the best place to find the best selection of Mexican-inspired food is at the local Wally World. Now, I am sure there are local places that Mexicans know of to get their goods, but I’m not privy to that information. Although, I wouldn’t mind exploring authentic goodies.

In the end, I stuck to what I knew I could prepare, and I thought held a little of the Mexican flavor. *Side-note: I was informed I was missing the Lime with the meal, but that’s a whole nother story. *smiles* A layered dip was the appetizer. I prepared flour tortilla wraps stuffed with chicken, peppers and onion, and served them with Yellow Saffron Rice on the side. And, individual lime cheesecakes for a tasty dessert.

Recipes to follow (on the actual Cinco de Mayo)…..Stay Tuned!

Let’s get things started now though….with a unique drink recipe. Don’t be startled by the Rosemary addition. I marched out to my garden, cut a couple sprigs, and I was good to go. I didn’t have the brand of Tequila advertised. Instead, I used Cuervo Silver.

This is very different, yet very good. Give something new a try!

Piña Perfection Margarita

By Brian Van Flandern, Tequila Don Julio Global Brand Ambassador

Ingredients:

1 1/4 ounces Tequila Don Julio Añejo

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1 ounce fresh pineapple juice

Fresh rosemary

1/4 ounce simple syrup (I made my own simple syrup.)

Sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish

Preparation:

1. Muddle fresh rosemary into a cocktail shaker.