With the best laid plans and all that, I went and did my grocery shopping this afternoon, and with 3 house showings, Nicholas’ soccer game and The Girlfriend’s birthday party tomorrow, I thought I’d get some of the cooking for tomorrow night out of the way tonight. (Ok, you can tell I’m tired because that’s a crazy run-on sentence and I’m too exhausted to fix it).
I figured I’d bang dessert out of the way, so that would be two less things to worry about tomorrow. I reached in the cupboard to grab a can of evaporated milk to add to the mixture that was whirring around. I opened up the lid and it just didn’t look right. I don’t use the stuff often enough to know what necessarily looks right, so while holding the opened can over the sink, I lifted it up so I could see if there was a date stamp on the bottom … and you guessed it … managed to spill a fair amount of it on my black top. A fair amount of expired-in-August-2006 of it on my black top. I knew The Neighbors wouldn’t have any, and it turned out The Newlywed Neighbors didn’t either, so I had to turn off the burner and the stove and run to the store to pick up another can. Sigh. I figured if I didn’t go then, I’d lose my ooomph. Fifteen minutes later, I was back on track, and now, I have the two desserts done. Oh, there was a very minor incident with water in the flan, but we won’t go there.
For some reason, I had a rough time deciding on a menu for tomorrow. Indecision was rampant as my list got longer and longer. I crossed out, I added, I rearranged, I searched for more recipes, I consulted. The menu was heavy on “picky” appetizer-type foods. Generally that’s ok, because we open up the coffee table, plop on the floor, pop in a few movies and just graze all night. Perfect for “picky” food, but I wanted to make sure there was enough sustenance too.
So, barring any last minute changes, this is what the menu is for tomorrow’s Cinco de Mayo fete:
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (The Neighbors)
Juicy Margaritas (The Neighbors)
Artichoke and Black Bean Nachos (The Newlywed Neighbors)
Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos (already in the freezer, from The Neighbor Husband a few weeks ago)
Guacamole, Salsa and Chips
Cheese Quesadillas
Green Chile Bites
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Mexican Roast Chicken
Mexican Rice
Mexican Wedding Cakes
Kahlua Flan
I know, enough to feed an army, right? But really only one “main” thing, and half the fun of having a dinner party is feasting on the leftovers the next day. That’s just how I roll. You’ll just have to tune in tomorrow to see if I managed to stay within my self-imposed $30 challenge. Until then…
A year ago today… a delicious dish from Bobby Flay.
Two years ago today… nothing.
Mmmm…sounds good. Mexican roast chicken…I have some bone-in chicken breasts that I’m planning to roast sometime soon. Maybe this will be tried by my little kitchen sometime soon.
Just went to the Farmer’s Market and got tomatoes! Panzanella to be made this weekend. :-) Though I’ll have to share it…roomie doesn’t eat tomatoes except in spaghetti sauce.
Hmmm… Cinco de Mayo just doesn’t make a big splash around here (British Columbia) as say… Chinese New Year or Robbie Burns Day. A pity though as I love Mexican food. Frog doesn’t as much. I’ll fix that some day, somehow.
Claire – you gotta try it. It’s definitely worth it.
Nerissa – Robbie Burns Day?