Fiesta Night

Well when it is your birthday at our house and you are here, you get to pick the menu.  I actually love suggestions any night.   So for Austin's birthday his choice was a Mexican  meal.  Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Nachos, Guacamole, Pork Carnitas, and Corona.   We all enjoyed it!

Guacamole
Avocado
onion
cilantro
lime juice & zest
salt & pepper
Tabasco
tomato chopped fine
Jalapeno chopped fine

I mix this together seasoning to taste with a pastry blender.  If you want more of any particular flavor or less adjust to your taste.  We have different likes around here so if someone wants it hotter they can add more hot sauce to theirs.  We really like the Avocado flavor so tend to keep our Guacamole quite simple. If you make it ahead place plastic wrap down in bowl upsides and around bowl, this is to keep any air out so that the Avocado doesn't turn dark.  Tabasco is a staple at this house, the original formula the all time favorite......believe me they have tried a million hot sauces.....Tabasco is the winner.

Nachos

Whole Grain Tostitos

refried beans

chicken in sauce

onion

cheese

jalapenos

spread refried beans onto chips, top with chicken mixture, layer onion, jalapeno, cheese

bake @ 350° till heated and cheese melts
(You can also mix the beans with the meat in your
saute pan and then drop by spoonfuls onto chips.)
---any chips will do we are partial to the multi grain flavor

Chicken Sauce:  any taco, enchilada seasoning sauce will do, I used some of the
canned enchilada sauce this night because I had a lot going on in the kitchen.

-----can make this ahead cover with
wrap then heat when ready

 Quesadillas
whole wheat flour tortillas
Chicken in sauce mixture
grated pepper jack cheese
onion

Layer mixture onto flour tortilla, grill in large pan till cheese melts flipping once, cut into triangles, serve with sour cream or Greek Yogurt, and salsa.

Pork Carnitas

Pork Shoulder Roast or Pork Tenderloin

1 T chopped garlic

1 T Cumin

1 T Oregano

2 Bay leaves

 Salt & pepper

 chopped Onion

Broth or water (enough to cover meat)

 3 T Tomato paste

Sear meat in preheated saute pan in a little olive oil, salt & pepper, remove to crock pot. 

Saute onion in pan till translucent, deglaze pan with broth add to crock pot.

 Add rest of ingredients simmer on high 3 hours.

Remove meat, using fork pull pork apart stir back together with sauce.

Serve with soft flour tortillas, lettuce, tomato, salsa,

 cheese, guacamole, ---the "usual trimmings".

Pull/shred pork

stir juices back in, I felt some of it should be strained

Corona it screams summer.