Help with party...

[karina]

as I mentioned in a previous post, I'm having a passion party this weekend... I am already making a 7 layer mexican dip.. can anyone think of any mexican/latin appetizers (easy ones!) that i can also serve, and does anyone have any easy sangria recipes or any desserts?



the party is at 8ish and i get home usually around 6:30, so i need things that i can put together very quickly.

[beachlvr]

My favorite sangria recipe:

1 cup rum
1 cup sugar
1/2 c orange juice
sliced oranges and limes
1 bottle red wine
1 liter club soda

Mix the rum, sugar, and OJ, add the orange and lemon slices. Let sit for at least 1 hour. Add the wine and stir well. (I usually taste it now and add more sugar as needed). Just before serving, add club soda.

[smartgrrl]

this shouldn't take too long....

Mexican Queso Fundido (Fondue)
Bobby Flay. All rights reserved. A Mexican dish similar to cheese Fondue (but with a kick).


I N G R E D I E N T S
1 cup white wine
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 pound Monterey Jack, grated
1/2 pound goat cheese crumbled
2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, grilled and finely diced
6 cloves roasted garlic, smashed to a paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Bring the wine to a simmer in a double boiler. Add the mozzarella and Jack cheese and stir until melted. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Place in a fondue pot and serve with flour tortillas and blue corn chips

[shaqangel]

this is a very qucik and easy mexican dip....HUGE fave around my circle of friends.

1 jar pace picante sauce (we like it hot!)
1 package ground beef or turkey
1 large block velveeta cheese
(if u like it meatier use more meat, more cheesy, use less meat)

brown meat and drain fat, chop the cheese into blocks and drop over meat and stir until it melts. add the pace picante sauce and stir.
serve with Tostito chips.

[karina]

I was thinking of something vegetarian and not a dip... maybe I can do quesadillas?

[Meredith]

SmartGrrl...love your recipe! I also dig Bobby Flay. One time I ate at his restaurant in NYC and had the best burger stuffed with manchego cheese. Yum!

[thyme]

These are easy, veggie, and can be made ahead and doubled or tripled:

Black Bean Rollups

4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon taco seasoning (I usually use more)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained
3 flour tortillas (10 inch)
salsa to serve with

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS:

Mix cheeses, sour cream and seasoning.

Puree beans in food processor.

Spread each tortilla with beans; spread cheese mixture over beans.

Roll tortillas up tightly. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes but longer is fine too. Cover with saran wrap if you do them ahead of time, so they won't dry out. Cut into 1/2-inch slices. Serve with salsa for dipping.

[andrew&shannah]

Corn and Poblano Empanadas (on another thread, there is a recipe for the empanada dough that might be easier to make than this one...you could make the dough in advance to save on prep time)
http://i.timeinc.net/cooking/images/recipefinder2/cl_28306.2_m.jpg

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup masa harina
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 poblano peppers
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 500°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, masa harina, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Add water and butter; pulse until mixture forms a loose ball. Remove from processor; knead until ball completely forms. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each dough portion into a ball; flatten each ball into a 3-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cover and chill 30 minutes. (Stack dough portions between pieces of wax paper.)

Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 500° for 20 minutes or until brown and blistered, turning once. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel poblanos; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes, and finely chop. Place in a medium bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 425°.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and corn; sauté 3 minutes. Add to poblanos; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.

Roll each dough portion into a (5-inch) circle. Working with 1 circle at a time (cover remaining circles with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon 3 level tablespoons corn filling into center of each circle. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling. Press edges together with a fork or fingers to seal. Place empanadas on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water. Lightly coat tops of empanadas with egg mixture. Pierce top of dough with a fork. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 empanada)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 156(27% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 5.2g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 58mg; SODIUM 277mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g

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For a slightly different take on Quesadillas, I usually make these:
Peach and Brie Quesadillas with Lime-Honey Dipping Sauce

Sauce:
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

Quesadillas:
1 cup thinly sliced peeled firm ripe peaches (about 2 large)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 ounces Brie cheese, thinly sliced
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Chive strips (optional)

To prepare sauce, combine first 3 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
To prepare quesadillas, combine peaches, 1 tablespoon chives, and sugar, tossing gently to coat. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange one-fourth of cheese and one-fourth of peach mixture over half of each tortilla; fold tortillas in half. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges; serve with sauce. Garnish with chive strips, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 quesadilla wedges and about 1 teaspoon sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 157(23% from fat); FAT 4g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 5.3g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 30mg; SODIUM 316mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.5g
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Papaya-Pineapple Kebabs with Golden Caramel Sauce (another make ahead)
3 cups cubed peeled papaya, divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup water
3/4 cup grated piloncillo or firmly packed brown sugar
3 whole cloves
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
3 cups cubed pineapple
Vegetable cooking spray

Place 3/4 cup papaya, lime juice, rum, and vanilla in a food processor, and process until smooth; set aside.
Combine water, piloncillo, cloves, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat 13 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook an additional 10 minutes or until the consistency of thin syrup (do not stir). Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute. Discard cloves and cinnamon stick. Carefully stir in pureed papaya mixture. Pour sauce into a bowl; set aside.

Thread remaining papaya cubes and pineapple cubes alternately onto each of 6 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 8 minutes or until lightly browned, basting occasionally with caramel sauce. Serve kebabs with remaining sauce.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 kebab and 3 tablespoons sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 177(3% from fat); FAT 0.6g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 0.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 48mg; SODIUM 14mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.4g

[Katy]

:bump:

[sublime311]

How about nachos? You could keep it simple with just nacho cheese and jalepenos or you can sort of create a nacho bar of sorts with all sorts of veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro) and beans for toppings. To make it not quite so "stadium food", you can use special chips (like blue corn or other colored/flavored chips).

Flan is a traditional Mexican dessert - it's a carmal custard. There is also sweet breads called "pan dulce" (literally "sweet bread"). That is sort of like doughnuts, but more with a bread consistancy. Also, cochito (sp?) cookies. They are basically just gingerbread cookies in the shape of a pig! Most Mexican bakeries carry both the pan dulce and cohito cookies.

Also, if you don't feel like baking, Marie Callenders has an amazing Kahlua cheesecake! To give it a homemade feel when serving, top with whipped cream and a drizziling of chocolate syrup. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants serves this cheesecake from MC.

Coffee made with Kahlua would be perfect to serve with dessert.