Cinco de Mayo at Work

Who says you can’t have fun at work?  We got the idea for a taco bar this year.  The day started with taquitos for breakfast, thanks to Ox.  When lunch rolled around we luckily, we had Gary, the brisket master, on staff.  Cindy brought pulled chicken.  Becky brought the ground beef.  Corn tortillas, flour tortillas, taco shells and all the taco fixings.

Guacamole, tortilla roll-ups, refried black beans, Spanish rice, queso, tortilla chips of all shapes and sizes along with pico de gallo and two homemade salsas.  It was all delicious!  Laura brought some limeade so that we could at least pretend to have Margaritas.

Cindy is a conservative eater, though I thought she put together a pretty good looking plate.

Josue, on the other hand, is not afraid to pile it on.  This is just one of this plates.  He ate every bite and more.

And you know me…  brisket taco, chicken taco, beans, rice and guac with a little plate of queso and chips on the side.

Just when you think it might be time to put it all away…  a wave of nacho ”Supreme” makers come on the scene.  Chips, some meat, queso, peppers, etc.  It was just about all gone by the time we finally gave up.

Did I forget to mention strawberry shortcake?  That, too!  I forgot how fun that squirty whipped cream is.

Sadly, tomorrow is only May 6th.  Oh well… there’s always July 4th!

Mextopia

We’ve only been to Mextopia once and I left with mixed feelings about it.  The dining room is great.  Nicely decorated and more modern than most Mexican food places.  The drinks were good.  But, the food… 

It wasn’t bad.  I usually like to try a chile relleno when I go to a new Mexican food restaurant.  This one was a little odd because the pepper wasn’t fried.  It tasted pretty good.  But, it was basically just a poblano with a handful of cheese in it that went into the microwave.  Well, it looked like he was sticking it in the microwave.

The microwave was right there beside the window to the kitchen.  Right up front.  Why?  I really don’t want to think of going out to eat just to have something that was nuked.  I’m sure restaurants use them all the time.  But, I don’t want to actually see the thing.

Another thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that the salad was in the middle of the plate surrounded by beans and relleno sauce.  And the beans were basically flavorless.  A little better with hot sauce all over them.  The website said the 2nd entree would be half price all day on Mondays.  That didn’t happen when we got the check.  It also said happy hour was 3-7.  When we got there, it was only happy hour at the bar.  I thought that was a little strange.  They did have $5 margaritas that they served at the table.  They were actually very good.  So was my Dreamcicle shot.

I wanted to like it more.  Hubbard said his combination plate was fine.  I guess I’ll have to give it another try later.

Blogger’s Brunch Saturday at 11:00

Looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow at Pepe’s & Mito’s!

Hub and I talked to one of the owners on Thursday and he said he’d have the guys pull together enough tables to seat 10, more if we need it.  They open at 11:00 straight up.  So, Hubbard and I will be the couple sitting at the table that’s way too big for us in the bar area.  There are three dining areas inside this restaurant.  The bar area is basically in the middle.  If someone happens to ask to seat you, tell them you’re with the Hubbard party.  I have shoulder length gray hair and Hubbard has basically none.  I’m going to be wearing this really loud multicolor (pink, orange, blue, etc.) shirt. 

This should be fun!  See you there!!

Mexican Buffet

I want to have a little party soon.  Maybe opening weekend of the Great State Fair of Texas!  I’m thinking King Ranch Chicken, using grilled chicken for that yummy smokey flavor, Mexican shrimp cocktail, chips, salsa… but what else?  Maybe buying a Tres Leches cake from Cheesecake Royale.  They are just fabulous.  But, what else?  I’m really having a hard time deciding on what could round out the menu.  Any ideas?

These are a few of my favorite things…

My advice to anyone would be… if someone offers to sell you tamales that their tia is making and delivering to your office on Friday before lunch – Go for it!  My friend at work, Josue, has an aunt that make the best tamales I have ever eaten.  Unfortunately, the only way to tap into these beauties is to know her or work in our office.  But, my hunch is that there are other great tamales out there all over the Metroplex.  There are tamales to be had that are better than any I have bought from traditional tamale places around Dallas.  The only trick is that you have to order them homemade from someone’s tia or madre or abuela.

Here’s how they arrive… with a little baggie of some pretty potent green sauce.  You can smell it without opening the bag, though it’s not as hot as you might think it’s going to be.  The tamales are pork.  She makes some wicked cheese and jalapeno tamales, too.  But, we really love the pork. 

So would you call this a “bowl of red”?  I’m thinking more like mahogany.  My husband makes the best chili I’ve ever had.  Now, we wouldn’t presume to tell someone how to make chili.  But, using stew meat instead of ground beef really makes a difference in the overall product.  This stuff makes an excellent Frito Pie.  I like mine with a little dollop of sour cream on top.  Or just wrap some up in a tortilla with cheese and call it a burrito.  Better yet, have it with a couple of Josue’s tia’s tamales!

Matt Martinez Mex Tex – Traditional Tex-Mex Taste

 

 

 

I love this book.  When I first started cooking I kept wondering where the Mexican food books were.  I found Diane Kennedy.  But, what I was really looking for was Tex-Mex.  Just like the Tex-Mex we had at our local eatery, Matt’s Rancho Martinez.  We started frequenting Matt’s from the time he opened his place in Lakewood.  It’s not quite the same without old Matt around coming by to see how everyone is doing.  But, it’s still good and often what I think of when I want Mexican food.  

He had a couple of books before this one.  This one is undoubtedly the best.  The photos are great and the recipes cover all my favorites and more.  His chili rellenos are by far the best I’ve ever eaten and the recipe is right here.  All his salsas, margaritas, enchilada sauces and more.  I really recommend this book.  I roll out this one when I want to impress visitors from out of state who never sit down to Mexican food at their table at home.  I’ve seen the book at Borders and on Amazon.

If you don’t already have a good Tex-Mex cookbook, this is the only one you’ll need.