Let's Have A Fiesta!

It’s so easy to have a fiesta these days. No, seriously – it is. I had a couple of friends over for Bid Whist (you cannot be from Chicago and NOT KNOW HOW TO PLAY BID WHIST). I figured it was a perfect time to turn my kitchen in to a hacienda. I did just that. Oh, and you? You can just as easily. The menu was easy, no-fuss, and really fun. I’ve mastered the perfect fish taco. It was on a toasted corn tortilla topped with cheese, a homemade pico de gallo (recipe in this post), and a chipotle sour cream. We also had my version of a Mexican hot wing with an adobo ranch sauce for dipping. We rounded out the meal with a corn muffin loaded with cheddar chese, serrano peppers, and corn kernels that had been pan roasted in a bit of butter. Simple and easy. Most of these recipes are really 1-2-3. Don't believe me? Let's cook!

Mexican Hot Wing

-1 tablespoon of each (ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, honey salt, cayenne pepper and white pepper)

- 4 pounds of chicken wings

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- cilantro & limes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the spices, chicken, and oil together. Let this mariate for as long as possible - overnight even. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes (or until golden brown and crispy).

For the adobo ranch dipping sauce, take your favorite ranch dressing and mix it with two tablespoons of red adobo sauce (you can find this in the Hispanic Foods aisle in your grocery store). Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and dip away!

Fish Tacos

- Any white fish (I used tilapia) cut into strips

- 1 tablespoon of each (ground cumin, coriander, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder)

- 1 cup of corn meal

- oil for frying

- corn tortillas

- a good Latino inspired cheese (I used Chihuahua cheese)

- tons of pico de gallo (combine chopped tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, chiles, lime zest, lime juice, a touch of sugar, salt, and balsamic vinegar)

- chipotle sour cream (combine sour cream and minced chipotle peppers)

Marinate the fish in the spices. Coat with the corn meal and fry at 375 degrees (medium high heat) until golden brown. Toast corn tortillas in the oven until crispy. Top tortilla with fish, cheese, pico de gallo, chipotle sour cream, and a sqeeze of lime.

Mexican Inspired Corn Muffin

- 2 cups of Bisquick

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1 stick of melted butter

- 5 tablespoons of corn meal

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 - 3/4 cups of milk

- 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels

- 1/4 cup of mild cheddar cheese

- 1/4 cup of minced serrano chiles

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients except milk. Add milk slowly to get desired consistency. You're looking for a batter that is a little looser than pancake batter. Once desired consistency is reached, spoon into muffin liners and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Fish Tacos!

Marinating the fish!

Chipotle peppers being minced...

Corn and serranos get a quick saute in butter.

Corn muffins...looks good, right?

They're marching...three by three - lol.

Mexican Inspired hot wing - yum!

A final presentation. They were gone in 5 minutes.

Ingredients for the pico de gallo. Couldn't be simpler.

Limes...all sqeezed out! (Is sqeezed a word?)

Another fantastic pic of the 'squeezed' limes.

The finished pico de gallo. Great on just chips.