Seis de Mayo – A Fiesta in My Mouth

Some may have celebrated yesterday for Cinco de Mayo…but our family celebrated it today without really even knowing it. Upon my pregnant sister’s request at dinner last night…she wanted pork tacos. There is really no way to say no to a preggers, we all know that, so with that in mind, we rolled with it. It is fine by me because I could eat Mexican food for breakfast! Don’t judge me, it’s true.

A while back, Patrick and I really did it up with an authentic Mexican fiesta at his house. He has a smoker, which is way cooler than a grill. We smoked the living hell out of that pork butt, the flavors were undeniable & succulent and the meal in general was an ultimate success. Along with that same dinner we made homemade salsa, guacamole, refried beans, homemade tortilla chips and hard tacos. It was a real gut buster in the sense that no one left hungry and we all smelled of lovely garlic, lime and beans, but let me tell you it was well worth it! We may have even left 2lbs heavier…but man, homemade ANYTHING is deserving of a waistline expansion.

Today, we did something similar to our previous Mexican meal with minor adjustments. Using as much of my Doorganics produce as I could, everything (most everything) was from scratch. The tomatoes were roasted then pulsed in the food processor along with cilantro, lime, sweet onion, garlic and jalapeno to make a mellow salsa that was not too spicy for the wimpers in my family. Usually I add sugar to my salsa, but I strongly believe that the tomatoes had a nice natural sweetness to them, that I didn’t have to. While the salsa and guacamole were chilling, I made up snackers…stuffed jalapenos. Just imagine a heat that just celebrates in your mouth. When you took a bite of the jalapeno popper, it was like a cartwheel of goodness that just exploded. My dad is a man of spice & heat…in his younger years he would eat raw jalapenos like they were chips. Yeah seriously…his lips would get swollen from the heat. I think it was an excuse to drink his cold beer a little faster to tame the heat. I believe that is where I got my tolerance for heat. Today’s pepper were hot, but not lip swelling torcherous.

What was it stuffed with you wonder? It was stuffed with chorizo and Mexican cheese. It wasn’t just any cheese, it was an authentic Mexican cheese. You can find it at one of my favorite stores in Wyoming…Big Top Market. Big Top Market is a whole other story. If you are afraid of the circus, clowns and weird music, I would refrain from going, but if you think you can muster up the courage, it is totally worth it. They have great authentic Mexican and Asian ingredients.

Firecracker Snacker

• 8 jalapenos (use green peppers if you are a wuss)
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1 package chorizo (preferably hot)
• 1 wheel of mexican cheese (see picture below for reference on what cheese looks like)

* Wash & slice jalapenos down the center and de-seed.

* Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Grill for 5-7 minutes or until nicely charred. Remove from grill and set aside.

* Cook chorizo on the stove.

* Once you are ready to have them as an appetizer lay the jalapenos out onto aluminum fool. Spoon the chorizo in the jalapeno and top with shredded Mexican cheese.

* You can either bake them or throw them bake on the grill for about 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

* When ready to eat, dollop sour cream on top…SO DELICIOUS.

Have a great week…signing out…

Fiery Fernando